Dogwash

Just heard a piece on the Today programme about the increase in asylum-seeking in Australia following the election of a Labor government and the relaxation of immigration rules. Illustrated with a suitably heart-rending story of an Iraqi man who upset Saddam's regime and (successfully) sought refuge in Australia after a terrifying journey across land and sea. I hesitate to ask, "If the trip across the Timor Sea was so dangerous that you still have nightmares about it, what was wrong with seeking refuge in Jordan, FFS?", as I suspect I know the answer.

Anyway, the package is padded out with some general condemnation about rising hostility to asylum seekers and immigrants, including a reference to "the race riots four years" ago and "the ugly face of Australian nationalism." The latter point is illustrated by a very angry male Australian voice shouting, "go home you filthy bastards and don't come back".

All the fault of intolerant Whitey, innit? I presume the race riots the reporter is referring to are these, you know the ones where fun-loving righteous youths of Lebanese origin quite reasonably objected to the provocative presence of White people at Cronulla Beach and peacefully attacked them.