Airstrip One

Down and Dirty

Kamel Bourgass, the Algerian asylum seeker, who has just been found guilty of murder and plotting to use poisons has become the latest fixture in the election campaign. The Conservatives ahve pointed to this court case as an example of how the Labour government has lost control of our borders through incompetence, leading to a security threat.

Tory shadow home secretary David Davis said Detective Constable Oake "was killed by someone who should have been deported when his asylum application failed."
"Unfortunately this failure was a direct consequence of the Government's chaotic asylum policy and its porous borders."

Trying (and failing) to strike a statesmanlike tone, Charles Clarke attempted to deflect criticism by ordering the government department concerned to issue a defence. Civil service neutrality anyone?

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Immigration and Nationality Directorate has recognised its systems clearly needed tightening up and has taken measures to do so."
He said Bourgass had broken the conditions of his temporary release after his application for asylum was turned down.
But immigration officials had seen no evidence before Bourgass' arrest to indicate he was a threat to the UK.

Still, to prove a point, Clarke used this to note how New Labour's police state would have ensured security for all, by allowing arbitrary arrest, ID cards, the removal of civil liberties and a gigantic computer project to deal with it all involving shiny lights, lots of dials and men in white coats.

Charles Clarke denied the case was an embarrassment for the government.
"We have to work even harder to contest the terrorist threat," he said.
"I think things like identity cards, stronger borders to deal with migration issues, the kinds of anti-terrorism legislation that we passed in the last Parliament are all necessary."

However, haven't asylum seekers already been given ID cards? So, why do th rest of us need to carry one?