An attempt by the SNP-led Scottish Executive to secure an amnesty for 1,400 asylum-seeking families in Scotland has been rejected by UK ministers, it emerged last night.
Whatever your thoughts on the asylum-seeker question, it’s surely 100% logical that there is a uniform policy throughout the UK?
There are 1,400 asylum-seeking families in Scotland who would qualify for the SNP's amnesty, there are more than 400,000 in the rest of the UK. Now, obviously if Scotland liberalises its policy in comparison to the rest of the UK ,then a fair proportion of that 400,000 are going to move north with the inevitable administrative, bureaucratic and financial chaos.
But another, more interesting point is buried further down in this article.
The Executive yesterday said it was waiving tuition fees for the children of asylum seekers who have been in Scotland for more than three years. It also announced plans to find nursery places for pre-school children of asylum seekers.
The reason given is that such children have to "overcome language barriers and racism to outperform Scots pupils in exams".
Which is a fact I wouldn’t argue with.
But this waiving of school and university fees is an entitlement withheld from English children and students. You could argue that they also have to "overcome language barriers and racism to outperform Scots pupils in exams", but whether that is true or not, the fact remains: they (unlike other nationalities) do have to pay for university tuition fees...this is surely a prima facie case of racial discrimination?
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