Patel resumes refugee deportation – and attacks on ‘activist lawyers’. Why aren’t her own legals on strike?
The Home Office tweet about ‘activist lawyers’ that was released only a week ago. Officials have been barred from using the phrase but the Home Secretary continues to do so.
If I was a lawyer working for the Tory government, I would be on strike from today in solidarity with my “activist” colleagues whose only interest is in ensuring that the UK’s government does not break the law.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has tweeted that deportations of refugees who came to the UK by small boat have resumed with a flight to Spain.
She stated that this happened in spite of “activist lawyers” – in an act of defiance against those who achieved a ruling from her permanent secretary that the use of the phrase by Home Office officials was inappropriate.
Unfortunately Matthew Rycroft’s pronouncement does not apply to the Home Secretary herself, so she broadcast this on Twitter:
Today we removed people who came here via small boat.
They had previously claimed asylum elsewhere and had no legal right to be in the UK.
Removals continue to be frustrated by activist lawyers, but I will not let up until this route is unviable https://t.co/oc1sOTTOae
— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) September 3, 2020
The tweet has provoked a wave of protest, which This Writer expects was exactly what Patel wanted:
https://twitter.com/Amicusc54803237/status/1301821866525552640
"Activist lawyers" again? Really? Doing your job is now activism, it seems. We are wondering what an "activist Home Secretary" does. #ChangeTheRecord https://t.co/adIanOz3A8
— The Bar Council (@thebarcouncil) September 3, 2020
Yes, who cares about the rule of law when you're running a far right bandwagon to keep the hard of thinking on board?
— Des Ecksmakina 🇫🇷 🇮🇪 🇪🇺 (@Broken_Politiks) September 4, 2020
Yes, I think it’s what she wanted – because for every tweet in protest, she’ll have roused people like this commenter:
I'm pleased that a few have been removed Priti but you have to be aware that some of us are having to put up with a lot more than others in our country. A lot of the immigrants are being sent to the North of England where my grandchildren live, and I'm worried sick about them!
— Bel🦋notsosilentnow (@Oneofthesilent1) September 3, 2020
It creates division.
And division allows Tories to act without inhibition – and the rule of law is diminished in favour of Tory dictatorship.
The tweeter who complained about migrants moving into the North of England has received angry replies, meaning that smaller arguments are breaking out, diminishing the larger point against Patel:
And there speaks the man from Hertford! You have no idea of what is going on. Hope your family are safe……
— Bel🦋notsosilentnow (@Oneofthesilent1) September 3, 2020
You see how it works?
That’s why I say the best response to Patel would be a strike by people in the legal profession working for the government.
But will it happen?
Or are government lawyers far more interested in fat salaries than in upholding the law itself?
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They don’t go out on strike, Mike, because it makes for a schism – which makes for a legal debate – which in turn makes for more work for the legal sector.
Example: Take a look at your DWP article from the other day; hundreds of millions WASTED on LEGAL fights…That’s just ONE government department, and I’ll bet the legal bills in some others dwarf the DWP’s…Home office, for example.
Cui Bono?
The nation benefits. And they benefit too, if it means more work. Your argument is in favour of something the lawyers should be jumping at.
No Mike.
LAWYERS benefit by going around in circles while John PAYE taxpayer foots their bill.
Very few cases left untouched these days have benefitted the nation. Most have been to our detriment since the time of bliar.
Most MPs have a legal background, too. And you’ll note just about every last one of the are right of centre… The rest are Westminster careerists
It’s small wonder there’s barely any money in the legal aid pot anymore…the (Govt) lawyers divvy the legal pot up amongst themselves by continuing to contest and appeal cases on the most spurious and flimsy of arguments…see DWP waste for example.
All with the blessings of their mates and former colleagues on the green & red benches
You seem to be arguing at cross-purposes with yourself.
The cases you mentioned at first, in which government money was wasted defending litigation by people who had been wronged by political decisions, only involved wasted money because those cases should not have been defended in the first place.
With this, the money would only be wasted if the government defends its decisions.
But the resulting decisions in favour of the people who had been wronged by the government would benefit those people hugely. And if the lawyers make some money out of it – from the government – then I’m fine with that on these occasions.
We are not discussing cases “left untouched” and I don’t know what you mean by that, in this context.
And the Legal Aid pot has been emptied because it is practically impossible to get Legal Aid for any reason at all any more.
Please try not to mislead people.
What is it that you don’t get? I’m not misleading anyone, squire. What I’m saying really isn’t hard to understand.
The lawyers manufacture their own work – especially when that work was unnecessary; and it becomes infuriating when a judge has continued to rule against the government and they continue with their vindictiveness – on the advice of their lawyers.
And you’re fine with that? Because I don’t know anyone outside the legal profession who would be. As I’ve said, most MPS are from legal backgrounds these days. It’s part of their nepotistic gravy train.
Oh, and by ‘left untouched’ I should’ve made it clearer…I meant cases they don’t appeal time after time on the most frivolous of bases.
A major reason it’s become impossible to get legal aid is because the lawyers have milked that particular cow dry contesting spurious cases.