The Sun's vendetta continues

This Sun article is a perfect example of the way that they use the terms "Illegal Immigrant" and "Asylum Seeker" to mean the same thing.

Before I start ripping the actual article to shreds, I think it's time to clarify the difference. An illegal immigrant is someone who enters a country illegally, undetected by the authorities and does not attempt to claim asylum. Asylum seekers enter the country and apply for asylum, if they succeed they are allowed indefinite leave to remain in the country, and if they fail they are (theoretically) deported back to their country of origin.

The intro to this article starts in the vein it means to continue:

A MILLION illegal immigrants could benefit from proposals to let failed asylum seekers use the NHS, it was claimed last night.

The Government came under fire for unveiling plans to give free health care to thousands of asylum seekers AFTER their applications have been rejected.

Experts warned the decision to loosen the rules could give the green light to a million illegals already in Britain to use the NHS.

Writing like this just reinforces the view held by many Sun readers that asylum seekers are the same thing as illegal immigrants and that they both scrounge off the state when neither actually do. As I pointed out in another blog, illegal immigrants can't claim benefits and are only entitled to emergency treatment on the NHS and asylum seekers similarly so.

Halfway down the article (where most Sun reading halfwits will have stopped reading) they reveal that actually only...

Failed asylum seekers who have a "recognised barrier" to returning home - or who are surviving on state handouts - will get free NHS treatment.

So if someone is a bogus asylum seeker, who is not so poor that they have to survive on the measly state allowance they won't get any treatment.

Now, this is the point where an expert, unbiased opinion would be useful. Who have The Sun used? An organisation campaigning against immigration. Of course they're going to point out how this is going to bring in lots of illegals in and continue the "overcrowding" of this country.

Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green blasted the move last night. He said: "These proposals amount to an open door for one million illegal immigrants to get access to the NHS.

"It's little wonder that thousands are queuing up around Calais to get in."

Where are these thousands queuing up again? In your imagination?

The quote implies that asylum seekers would prefer to come to this country rather than stay in France, something which is untrue and borne out by the facts that France has more applications for asylum than Britain.

The whole idea of sponging asylum seekers, as put by this article is rubbish, they have an allowance of around £30 a week, a ludicrously small amount to live on, temporary accommodation along with free healthcare. On top of this they are not allowed to work and therefore many do illegally, costing £1bn in unpaid tax a year.

This policy of free healthcare is one of the few on asylum seekers that this government has got right.