Pontificating on Racism

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI has stepped into the increasingly frantic race row in Italy mainly concerning the prejudicial treatment of the 150,000 Roma population. Being the Pope he only referred in an oblique way to "new and worrisome signs of racism in the world" but his words are certainly a calculated intervention responding to the sinister creep to open bigotry from Italy's establishment. Burlosconi's announcement that all Roma should be fingerprinted was effectively blessed in a High Court Ruling last month where the presiding judge said, "all the Gypsies are thieves." Now that's what I call institutionalised racism.

Here in Britain we can look at these events with a sense of superior calm, can't we? Except we can't. The Government still intends to press ahead with denying GP treatment to failed asylum seekers. In their joint DH/ Home Office consultation paper 'Proposals to Exclude Overseas Visitors to Free NHS Primary Care' they assert 'genuine' asylum seekers will continue to get GP treatment but failed asylum seekers will not. It would be easier to understand, although still discriminatory, if all failed asylum seekers were workshy economic migrants and 'genuine' ones were brave, oppressed and without hope. But many (thousands) in the failed category are from countries like Zimbabwe, Iraq and Congo where basic freedoms and individual rights are routinely denied.

It is already Government policy to disallow work or benefits to failed asylum seekers but to prevent access to healthcare would be to confirm them as entirely 'second-class.' GPs were invited to comment but the Government have refused (even under FOI) to release their responses and seem content to supress the professionals' opinions. Some responses have leaked out anyway. Naturally there were severe concerns about the spread of certain diseases which would go unchecked, TB, diptheria and measles (the proposals would also outlaw vaccinations).

Then there is that pesky General Medical Council guiding principle that GPs should "make the care of your patient your first concern." There seems no way around that one and it would be pretty hard for the Government to carry this through Parliamnet with almost unviversal objection. Alan Johnson as Sec of State for Health can clearly see the iniquity - the ghastly, humourless Liam Byrne has all the necessary sangue froid to implement this dispicable policy.