Why Gordon Says NO to Joanna's Ghurkas

I am sure every right thinking British person admires Joanna Lumley’s fight to get the Ghurkas indefinite leave to stay. As the daughter of a Ghurka officer she understands tradition and responsibility and common decency. Ideas our government have clearly long forgotten. However what Chris Huhne MP the Home Affairs Spokesman for the Liberal Democrats who is spearheading the Ghurka fight in Parliament will never tell you is why Gordon Brown will not allow the Ghurkas to stay.

Immigrants to this country have to support themselves whilst they go through a lengthy and expensive process. Ghurkas are for the most part poor and have to work. Immigrants have to prove an ancestral link, most Ghurkas cannot. Immigrants, even Australians and New Zealanders have to take an English test, which may be a difficulty for the odd Ghurka. ( Their British Officers are rightly made to learn Ghurkali in order to lead them ). The above represent serious obstacles to most legal Ghurka immigration which is why they are instead seeking indefinite leave to stay.

EU migrants on the other hand can come and go and work or not work as they please and the economic crisis means many of the EU’s unemployed are heading for Britain. What is more the EU has virtually open borders and has abolished its internal borders across the Schengen area. The UK has fared little better, despite being outside the Schengen area and an Island, because we offer such generous social security and housing rules that the lure proves irresistible to illegal immigrants. Calais is suffering from a crime wave by people waiting to cross the channel. There have even been cases of people coming to the UK to commit crime, just in order to enjoy the comfort of our jails.

The EU makes noises about doing something about this – like introducing an EU ‘blue’ card that decides who can work here. However many Euro MEP’s are calling for illegal immigrants to the EU to be awarded the same rights as EU citizens. This ‘amnesty call’ is being spearheaded by the EU Liberals the Euro Parliament ALDE Group led by British Liberal Democrat Graham Watson MEP.

The Ghurkas are not EU citizens and not illegal immigrants, they would frankly be better off if they were the latter. They are law abiding soldiers who have done more for the UK and are still doing more for the UK in places like Afghanistan than any Romanian or Bulgarian.

Last week The Czech senate voted to ratify the Lisbon Treaty and only Czech Premier Vaclav Claus refusing to sign until the new Irish Referendum is over has held up Czech ratification. Ireland Voted NO in 2008 but is being made to vote again. France and the Netherlands voted NON and NEE in 2006 and their referendum results have been ignored.

The moment the Lisbon treaty is ratified the EU has control of our immigration policy because the other Member States can overrule us by Qualified Majority Vote. Only the second Irish referendum voter stands between us and the Lisbon Treaty that Gordon Brown signed before even reading it. Even if he had read it, it would not matter since it is self amending. Once ratified the treaty can be changed into whatever the EU Commission wants it to be.

UKIP belives in controlled immigration, greater links with our Commonwealth and replacing our EU membership with a free trade agreement. The Liberal Democrats who allegedly support the Ghurkas believe in the Lisbon Treaty.

If Gordon Brown gave the Ghurkas indefinite leave the EU would simply overturn it for any more of them the moment the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. The Fact that the Ghurkas have earned Britain’s thanks and the EU Member States have not is no defence against a body that controls 75% of our law and will soon decide all of it. The only way for the UK to be able to treat the Ghurkas fairly is to leave the EU and make our own decision.