The Power of Words

When is a refugee a migrant inviting the scorn of the tabloid press?

When is someone out of work through no fault of their own a benefit scrounger?

When is a downright lie unacceptable but OK as an announcement from a government minister?

The Age of 1984 is truly upon us.

At long last some of the press is starting to call those fleeing the horrors of Syria and other war-torn countries refugees although David Cameron is still refusing to show them compassion. Councils across the country are coming together to say they want to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Today a picture of a young Syrian boy who drowned has been trending on social media and the public seem to be waking up to the humanitarian disaster on our doorstep.

But other economic migrants are still slated in the tabloids for wanting to better their circumstances, criticised for showing the aspiration that the tories value so highly.

Yet with climate change there will be mass migration as people are forced to move from areas which will no longer support agriculture or are disappearing below rising sea levels. We need to plan for this now.

Stroud Green Party had a really productive meeting about immigration recently and produced a useful document giving the Green Party's view on the subject.