Originally a comment by Rev David Brindley on Do you wanna be a slave? Do you?

Apart from the bit about slavery, this is a direct copy of the Australian policy of the last 20 years.

We have people confined to places like Manus Island and Nauru, so determined are we that “if you come by boat, you will never settle in Australia”. We paid millions of dollars to Cambodia to take a handful of these poor, desperate people. The USA and New Zealand have taken some off our hands, but too many still languish.

Apart from the inhumanity, we are also losing great opportunities by not settling these people and taking advantage of the undoubted skills many can bring. A number of earlier “boat arrivals” have gone on to great things:

Hieu Van Le – arrived by boat from Vietnam, and became a much admired Governor of South Australia.

Anh Do – On a boat from Vietnam, multi talented entertainer, artist and author.

Munjed Al Muderis – arrived by boat, after an arduous journey from Iraq, is now a world-renowned humanitarian and surgeon.

These are but a few of the refugees who have made Australia, and in the case of Munjed Al Muderis the world, a better place.

We love to see ourselves as the world’s greatest and most egalitarian nation, but in reality, we have the national mindset of children terrified of the dark and jailers terrified of the prisoners.

It is to our lasting shame that we have treated people seeking refuge in such a callous manner, and both our major political parties are in lock step with these policies.

The UK taught us so well, that the student has now become the teacher and they are following our lead, no matter how dark the lesson becomes.