Gary Lineker versus the BBC was a Match of the Day that suited the Tories. It allowed the UK Government to deflect attention from their vile Illegal Immigration Bill when it ought to have been under scrutiny.
The country has been fixated on the fallout over Lineker’s tweet at a time Home Secretary Suella Braverman should have been held to account.
MotD presenter Lineker made the reasonable observation that the language around this awful bill was “not dissimilar” to that used in Germany in the 30s. He was right, as anyone with a passing knowledge of Nazi propaganda could tell you.
But the BBC’s cack-handed efforts at dealing with their star presenter’s social conscience created a useful media storm. Thankfully, the clouds are beginning to clear and we can refocus on the matter in hand.
The Tory proposals in this bill play to the worst instincts of the party’s supporters, many of whom always demonise asylum seekers. What is missing from the heartless rhetoric of the likes of Braverman is the recognition that the boats that cross the Channel are occupied by real people, many of whom have fled war and persecution.
This cruel bill treats them as if they were criminals, by planning to fly them off to Rwanda and banning them from ever returning to the UK. It places the well-being of people washing up on our shores at the bottom of our list of priorities.
The Tories’ Illegal Immigration Bill is inhumane and shames Great Britain.
Keep our kids safe
The risk to Scotland’s young people from online harassment and social media pressure is a worry for all parents. That’s why the Daily Record’s Our Kids... Our Future campaign has been shining a light on these threats and called on social media giants to do more to keep children safe.
So it is encouraging that Rishi Sunak has declared it his mission to bring in new legislation to limit online harm. He spoke last night about his own experience, with two young daughters finding their way in the online universe and the unease that gives him as a dad.
The new Online Harms Bill will beef up Ofcom to give it power to regulate what children are exposed to online, claims the Prime Minister. This new law, opposed by some Tories but backed by Labour and the SNP, would certainly be a welcome step.
Westminster and Holyrood need to make sure social media giants take their responsibilities seriously – and face serious sanctions if they do not.
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