Positive and negative
Michael Howard, leader of the British Conservative Party, wants medical tests performed on immigrants, specifically on non-EU migrants, for tuberculosis and HIV. Much talk of the drain that immigrants are placing on the National Health Service.
This one's going to run for a while, methinks. More from the BBC, here.
The whole debate (as usual) appears to show the politicians making as much political hay as possible without giving us anything so troubling as detail. Also the spectre of racism is leering over the whole discussion.
The problems with this idea are immediate - Dr John Moore-Gillon appeared on Channel 4 News last night (and he's been quoted in most of the media reports on this issue. Popular chap), stating that TB can remain dormant for months, years, even decades and casts doubt on the effectiveness of TB screening. In his paper on TB vaccination, he writes "the assessment methods are 50 years old, and little importance is afforded to discovering new diagnostic techniques or more effective vaccines." But there ain't many votes in that is there?
The racism aspect is also being touted about. "Why non-EU immigrants?" etc. I don't believe we will know for sure unless the policy is implemented. I'll be satisfied it's non-racist if I see all the Australians and New Zealanders who come to live and work in this country (without getting abuse off of the Daily Mail) queueing up for their tests with other migrants.
Of course this might not happen if the tests are limited to people from high-risk areas. The area most often referred to as high-risk for HIV in the media is sub-Saharan Africa. So all the South Africans who live and work in London will have to be tested before they enter the country? Yeah, right...
The 'Labour' government, instead off attacking this as too right-wing, announce that TB is already screened for and such policies may be part of their possible next term as well. This New 'Labour' manoeuvre of splitting the difference as opposed to challenging the right-wing with a left-wing attitude is well covered by Martin Jacques in this Guardian article. For perspective, Martin Jacques used to be the editor of Marxism Today. His old mates seem to dislike him.
Seems that issues like this will be dominating the run-up to the General Election.
This one's going to run for a while, methinks. More from the BBC, here.
The whole debate (as usual) appears to show the politicians making as much political hay as possible without giving us anything so troubling as detail. Also the spectre of racism is leering over the whole discussion.
The problems with this idea are immediate - Dr John Moore-Gillon appeared on Channel 4 News last night (and he's been quoted in most of the media reports on this issue. Popular chap), stating that TB can remain dormant for months, years, even decades and casts doubt on the effectiveness of TB screening. In his paper on TB vaccination, he writes "the assessment methods are 50 years old, and little importance is afforded to discovering new diagnostic techniques or more effective vaccines." But there ain't many votes in that is there?
The racism aspect is also being touted about. "Why non-EU immigrants?" etc. I don't believe we will know for sure unless the policy is implemented. I'll be satisfied it's non-racist if I see all the Australians and New Zealanders who come to live and work in this country (without getting abuse off of the Daily Mail) queueing up for their tests with other migrants.
Of course this might not happen if the tests are limited to people from high-risk areas. The area most often referred to as high-risk for HIV in the media is sub-Saharan Africa. So all the South Africans who live and work in London will have to be tested before they enter the country? Yeah, right...
The 'Labour' government, instead off attacking this as too right-wing, announce that TB is already screened for and such policies may be part of their possible next term as well. This New 'Labour' manoeuvre of splitting the difference as opposed to challenging the right-wing with a left-wing attitude is well covered by Martin Jacques in this Guardian article. For perspective, Martin Jacques used to be the editor of Marxism Today. His old mates seem to dislike him.
Seems that issues like this will be dominating the run-up to the General Election.
posted by Scattergun @ 5:17 pm
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