Is it right to ban people from travelling because they were born in a certain country? Surely the answer to that question is no. Apparently not, if you are a member of Her Majesty’s Government. We will look for exceptions to the rule for British citizens, so that’s alright then - except it isn’t. In espousing to uphold British values our Government has failed in its feeble and supine response to the US visa ban.
There is a moral vacuum at the centre of our Government; there are no principles left, just a need to make alliances for the purposes of trade. Our special relationship counts for nothing if we are unable to publicly say to our closest ally that the ban is wrong. Even in the murky world of foreign policy there are moments when we have to say no. One of them was yesterday and our Government failed to do its job.
The next time a Government minister steps out to berate a regime for impinging on freedom or human rights the TV ticker tape should read “Hypocrite makes bland statement no-one will believe”.
