God's Country

Part Eighty-Two

'And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'

John 8:32

"Surely Home Secretary, this is tantamount to a declaration of war?" Ewan McGregor demanded after a short, rather frantic introduction on a busy morning for the Today team on Radio Four. "You can't just pile people onto a train and send them back from whence they came?"

"Good morning Ewan, and yes, actually you can...every single one of these people came into the country via an immigration centre in Calais, and we have cancelled their right to benefits in this country. It is quite simple." Peter Munroe replied with a clear smile in his voice. He was rather enjoying the furore. For years the French had been helping people across their own territory and passing them onto the British, and it had to stop. "We are not a benefit holiday destination...the citizens of this country do not pay their taxes to support the unemployed from other members of the European community. We stopped anymore coming in at the start of this government straight after the election, and now we have started sending some back...end of story."

"But it's not really the end of the story is it, Mr Munroe? You are running roughshod over European law and deliberately antagonising our European partners. Is that what the Christian Democrat's call diplomacy these days?" McGregor asked testily, clearly taking the line that the government had taken leave of its senses.

"No, it is what we call a clear statement of intent...we are being asked to pay more for our membership, either by giving up the last of the rebate Mrs Thatcher negotiated forty years ago or simply by paying more, whilst others continue to benefit more from their membership of the community than we do." Munroe continued firmly. "We have been very clear on our attitude to those proposals, in that we will not discuss paying more until the European budget is approved by genuinely independent auditors. We have been very clear that we will not accept anymore immigrants unless they have a job, and that job cannot be done by a British citizen...I for one will not look our own people in the eye and tell them to accept cuts when we are supporting people from other countries like this. Our partners will not discuss these very reasonable positions, and so we have decided to go ahead with this planned deportation in the hope that they will start to take us seriously in the very near future."

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye not be troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.'

Matthew 24:6

"Come on Alistair...give me something I can work with...just give me an angle." Douglas Prismall almost begged, cornering the elusive Director of Communications in a corridor at Westminster. Forbes grinned and took his arm, ducking outside into the warm fresh air for a cigarette.

"Our position is fairly clear I would have thought, but PMQ's should be fun today." Forbes said as he lit up, nodding conspiratorially at the police officer on the door. "We are throwing our weight around a little...most people will think it is high time."

"I am told Delacort is breathing bloody fire." The Times' leading political correspondent and sketch-writer suggested, making a face.

"Monsieur Delacort is a trifle fiery at the best of times and it suits his agenda to bash us of course, but we are merely keeping our promise to our own electorate."

"So does Buckingham want to be in or out?"

"Good question, but not one we will answer without putting it to the people of this country first Dougie. It is never about what we want...we are servants of the people. Our manifesto stated that we would stay in on the condition that we paid the same or less in contributions whilst also suspending immigration except in certain conditions for the foreseeable. If our partners force us into a corner and we cannot hold onto that position, we will give the people a proper choice." Forbes explained, drawing hard on the smoke.