Meeting of the Parliament 17 June 2014
In his opening speech, the minister alluded to the terror, the tragedy and the fear that are faced by many people who cross the globe to seek asylum in a foreign country. It has been acknowledged across the chamber that the United Kingdom and Scotland have played their part in ensuring that those who seek solace are granted respite in our country.
On a human level, individuals in our communities and communities themselves have often shown by example the support that they can offer to those who arrive on our doorstep in dire need. We have seen some great examples of the support that has been offered. Unfortunately, as I go round doorsteps in the south of Scotland, I meet resistance to that approach. Some people say that they fear that asylum seekers and refugees get better treatment, and some allege that they have been used as cheap labour, which has resulted in unemployment in an area or a fall in wage rates. That is the type of misinformation that some political parties utilise to create fear and jealousy in our communities.
The major task that the minister and his Government face is that of ensuring that accurate information is provided to our communities so that the kind of information that passes as fact and which, for some people, eventually becomes accepted wisdom is rejected. Such misinformation does no service to Scotland, and it makes much harder the task of ensuring that those who seek asylum in our country or to be acknowledged as refugees are able to do so. It also makes it difficult for the authorities and others to deliver on behalf of those people, who need so much from us.