Extremists to be 'named and shamed'

[Grumpmeister]

This has to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. Exclude them from entering the country by all means but just what do you think you are going to accomplish by naming and shaming them? Do you think that they are going to see their names on the list and suddenly panic about what their neighbours, family and friends are going to think?

Another useless headline grabbing media stunt by the government of the talentless.

Tougher measures to prevent extremists entering the UK have been announced by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

They are designed to stop people - including so-called "preachers of hate" - stirring up tension.

The names of some of the people being excluded will now be published. There have been 230 people barred since 2005.

Ms Smith said there would now be "a presumption in favour of exclusion" for those people "fostering, encouraging or spreading extremism and hatred".

The changes mean it will be up to the individual concerned to prove they will not "stir up tension".

'Privilege'

Ms Smith added: "Through these tough new measures I will stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country.

"Coming to the UK is a privilege and I refuse to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life. "

The 230 previously blocked have included neo-Nazis, holocaust deniers and animal rights activists. About 80 of them have been religious extremists.

The radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed was banned from the UK following the bombings in London in July 2005.

The then Home Secretary Charles Clarke used existing powers to exclude Mr Mohammed as his presence was "not conducive to the public good".

Other people to have been excluded from the UK include Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, from the US, in 2002 and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who lives in Qatar, earlier in 2008.

When Muslim cleric Mr al-Qaradawi was refused a visa, the Home Office said the UK would not tolerate the presence of those who sought to justify acts of terrorist violence.

In 2004 then Home Secretary David Blunkett wrote to US animal rights activist Dr Jerry Vlasak, who had reportedly incited violence against vivisectionists, to say he would not be allowed into the UK.

Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are also among those to have been denied entry to the UK from the US. The lifestyle guru and the rapper had been convicted of crimes, which formed the basis of their exclusions.


Patrick Mercer MP and Inayat Bunglawala say the proposals are a "gimmick"
Patrick Mercer, a Conservative member of the Home Affairs Committee, says the strategy could target the wrong people.

He told the BBC: "It's the people who are working undercover, who aren't known about, who are working inside the community and influencing people there, they are the really dangerous people."

He claimed it would be better to concentrate on those already in the UK.

He said: "Let's try to get rid of them rather than trying to keep new people out."

Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne suggested the plans were inadequate and did not tackle those already living here or people preaching on the internet.

He said: "The main problem with these sort of eye-catching gimmicks is they don't make us any safer at all. What we're looking for is delivery."

[Nick]

That tart SMith is always saying this kind of stuff.Does f*ck all happen?No

[Bar Wench]

I still can't believe they lump Martha Stewart in with religious extremists and neo-nazis!

[Nick]

Who?

[Barman]

Has anybody watched that 'UK Border Patrol' programme on the telly recently...?

Complete farce (as you would expect).

Send dozens (literally) of police and immigration officers to track down a couple of illegals... then take aforementioned illegal to their home and look for their passport so they can send them home.

If they can't find the passport of the aforementioned illegal 'cos they have flushed it down the bog or whatever they have to let them go with a promise that they will report to the immigration service once a week 'til they can be deported. Guess what? none of them do...

A complete, total, utter, utter waste of time and taxpayer's money... 

Ms. Smith, take immediate, effective steps to prevent the entry of thousands of illegals to the UK and their prompt removal when they are discovered. Then we can worry about Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg entering the country.

[Grumpmeister]

Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg and the rest are just publicity stunts by the home office in order to look tough on immigration and deflect attention from the fact that you they are about as goos at hitting their targets as the American military.

[Snoopy]

I am not a publicity stunt

[Grumpmeister]

No, you are a plane crash stunt hound... 

[Snoopy]

No, you are a plane crash stunt hound... 

  Careful how you say that.