Independent Media | Campaigning Journalism
In one jaw-dropping sentence, Priti Patel reveals just how dishonest this government is
Home secretary Priti Patel did the rounds on TV to defend her government’s new immigration policy on 19 February. In an interview with Sky News, she made a jaw-dropping claim on a related topic that illustrates just how dishonest this government is.
No such thing
The government recently deported 17 people to Jamaica. Continuing Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’ legacy, it originally planned to deport around 50 people, many of whom came to Britain as children.
On Sky News, Patel addressed the government’s defence for the deportations. Namely, that the people it deported were offenders, including for drug-related crimes. On the issue of drugs, Patel said:
There’s no such thing as ‘dabbling’ in drugs
Clearly, Patel’s message was: ‘anyone involved with drugs is a wrong ‘un and we are right to show them the door’.
Erm…
However, if that’s Patel’s opinion (or, indeed, the basis on which her Home Office is making deportation decisions), then she really should be rounding up people much closer to home. Because as people pointed out, a number of her own colleagues have ‘dabbled’ in drugs:
Read on...
“There’s no such thing as dabbling in drugs”, Priti Patel tells Sky News [in the context of the deportation flight]. Worth remembering at least one of her Cabinet colleagues did exactly that and said so.
— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) February 19, 2020
"There was a period before university when I had quite a few [spliffs] …it was jolly nice." – Boris Johnson in @GQMagazine 2007 (via @piersmorgan) but "There's no such thing as dabbling in drugs" according to Priti Patel https://t.co/3EWidQKA4O
— Southcoasting (@Jonscoasting) February 19, 2020
And there’s this https://t.co/gRgKclgJMB
— ProudGranny24 (@ProudGranny24) February 19, 2020
Do as I say, not as I do
Of course, Patel has no intention of rounding up her colleagues and throwing them on a flight or into a cell. Because as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said, it’s one rule for them and another for “young black boys born in the Caribbean”:
If there was a case of a young white boy with blonde hair, who later dabbled in class A drugs and conspired with a friend to beat up a journalist, would they deport that boy?
Or is it one rule for young black boys born in the Caribbean, and another for white boys born in the US?
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) February 12, 2020
The hypocrisy, dishonesty, and gall of this government really knows no bounds.
Featured image via The Telegraph/YouTube
We need your help to keep speaking the truth
Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.
Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.
We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.
In return, you get:
* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop
Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.
With your help we can continue:
* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do
We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?
Support us -
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
Then there’s the footage [available on youtube] of George Osborne in parliament on 26.11.2014, sat behind David Cameron at the Dispatch Box, clearly out of his face on what was presumed to be cocaine.
We did well to get rid of them both, two bird-brains with one stoned.