Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 9:02 pm ar 15 Chwefror 1983.
Dr Jim Marshall
, Leicester South
9:02,
15 Chwefror 1983
The hon. and learned Gentleman said it and I am sure that when he reads the Official Report tomrrow he will see that those were the words that he uttered.
Quite simply, those on the Tory hard right wish to stop all black immigration and, if possible, to reverse the trend of the past 25 years.
The Tory hard right does not share our concern, or that of the Home Secretary, for the following issues. First, there is the pain and suffering of families waiting to be reunited in the United Kingdom. Secondly, there are the indignities and humiliations that husbands and wives suffer when applying for entry certificates. Thirdly, there is the despair that is felt by parents who are refused visitors' entry certificates to visit their children in the United Kingdom.
Many Conservative Members believe that the black community in the United Kingdom has no right to be here. The Home Secretary should have realised that in November 1982 and should have had the courage then to proceed on the basis of the white paper that was published in October 1982. Instead, he offered concessions and he and the Government went down to a humiliating defeat. Not content with that, he compounded his humiliation by further negotiations with the so-called rebels who had inflicted the defeat in the first place in an attempt to obtain a further compromise.
We shall probably never know why some of the rebels have now repented. Until the hon. Members for Orpington, Wolverhampton, South-West and Basildon write their memoirs in 30 or 40 years' time we can only guess. Several points spring to mind, however. The hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West spoke of the need for party unity in a run-up to a possible election and the possibility of preferment in Government or the absolute assurance of the lack of it if the rebellion continued. I cannot see the hon. Member for Shipley (Mr. Fox) being coerced for that reason in view of his recent dismissal from the Administration. Perhaps that applies to one or two others on the Government Benches who, I am sure, still cherish hopes of Government preferment in either the immediate or far distant future if and when there is another Conservative Government.
One thing is certain. The rebels, irrespective of the way that they vote this evening, have not changed their views. In the months and years to come they will be back, whether in government or Opposition, peddling their insidious views as the only compromise that the Tory hard right knows on this issue is not compromise but complete capitulation to their view.
Every time immigration is discussed in the House the venom of the Tory hard Right and the prevarication of the Home Secretary further undermine the black community's confidence and make a mockery of Tory pledges to promote family life and racial harmony. It is intolerable that the spotlight is continually on such a small percentage of our population. Ever since the Prime Minister realised that there were votes to be gathered from racialism the spotlight has never been off the immigrant community.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
The political party system in the English-speaking world evolved in the 17th century, during the fight over the ascension of James the Second to the Throne. James was a Catholic and a Stuart. Those who argued for Parliamentary supremacy were called Whigs, after a Scottish word whiggamore, meaning "horse-driver," applied to Protestant rebels. It was meant as an insult.
They were opposed by Tories, from the Irish word toraidhe (literally, "pursuer," but commonly applied to highwaymen and cow thieves). It was used — obviously derisively — to refer to those who supported the Crown.
By the mid 1700s, the words Tory and Whig were commonly used to describe two political groupings. Tories supported the Church of England, the Crown, and the country gentry, while Whigs supported the rights of religious dissent and the rising industrial bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, Whigs became Liberals; Tories became Conservatives.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
