Alasdair Mackenzie

@alasdairmackenzie

Immigration and asylum law. All views my own but reposts not endorsement. Refugees welcome🧡. Green Party member💚. Trans 🏳️‍⚧️ rights are human rights. He/him. "Lawyers have hitherto only interpreted the law. The point however is to change it."

1739 Siguiendo5380 Seguidores4099 Publicaciones

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Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· 26d

A guide takes a writer and an academic to a room in an empty building. When they get there nothing happens. They leave

Describe your favourite movie as boring as possible

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· 26d

Pic of the Goolding Enquiry into leaking, from The Thick of It

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· 26d

Silly me, I missed the bit when the Labour government prioritised the views of metropolitan Britain (whatever those are deemed to be)

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jul 13

You’re correct! Conditions restricting access to public funds can only be imposed on limited leave, and adding them to ILR would require primary legislation - see s.3 Immigration Act 1971

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jul 7

When you’ve a to-do list as long as your tail and it’s only Tuesday

Melba, a tortoiseshell cat, asleep on her back with her paws in the air

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jun 22

Yes, I’m not convinced it was the *voters* who were primarily at fault in this respect

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/22/keir-starmer-prime-minister-resignation-labour-andy-burnham

Opinion
Keir Starmer’s fatal flaw? The blankness on to which voters projected their years of frustration
John Harris

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jun 22

No: Labour and its cheerleaders regarding vileness to migrants, for purposes of impressing racists who will never vote for it, as a success is a primary reason why the government is a failure [source in alt]

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/22/from-migration-to-mandelson-keir-starmers-successes-and-failures-in-no-10

Success: immigration
In May last year, Starmer promised that new immigration measures would mean net migration would fall “significantly” over the next four years. And so far it has – though there has been little focus from the government on this point. Over the last 12 months, according to this BBC tracker, net migration is 48% down, asylum claims are down 12% and small boat arrivals are down 41%.
[photo of people in a dinghy]

This could bring its own problems, of course. This year, net migration could fall below zero for the first time since 1993, with the National Institute of Economic and Social Research warning this would knock 3.6% off the UK’s annual national income by 2040.

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jun 10

Staggering comments on immigration and national security by the “independent reviewer of terrorism legislation” following mass acts of literal terrorism carried out by non-migrant UK citizens

Discussion is needed on the impact of migration on the UK's national security after disorder that followed a knife attack in Belfast, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has said.
Jonathan Hall KC made the comments after it emerged a Sudanese man, 30, who was charged with attempted murder, had entered the UK in 2023 and was given refugee status.
He told BBC Radio 4 Today programme it was "absolutely legitimate to talk about immigration in the context of national security".
"If you look at state threats and people who have been willing to act as proxies or carry out attacks on behalf of Iran... I'm interested in the question of whether or not foreign nationality, particularly recent migrants, is becoming more relevant to the overall national security picture," he said.
Hall said although it does not appear the Belfast attack was a national security incident, "it has had huge ramifications... not least for people who happen to be black and brown who appear to have been driven out their houses, so it's extraordinarily destabilising".

The barrister said there has also not been a response to Donald Trump's National Security Strategy, external, released in November, which accused Europe's migration policies of "transforming the continent and creating strife". No European leaders have publicly accepted his assertion.
Trump has warned many countries in Europe "will not be viable countries any longer" if they keep on the way they are going, adding: "What they're doing with immigration is a disaster."
"Now you may not have agreed with the language, but I think it does raise the question if certain countries are more likely either to commit very serious offences, or particular offences, or to get involved with state threat activity," Hall said.
"Do we need to start thinking about migration now not simply in terms of the economy and housing, but also in terms of national security?"

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jun 10

Starmer’s X account found time to call the original knife attack “sickening” and to say he had “no tolerance” for it (in case you thought he did), but he’s made no comment there about mobs of racists driving people from their homes, bar RTing a watery “legitimate concerns but” post by Hilary Benn

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jun 9

Your reminder that this is supposed to be the good guy of British centrism, the one who’s our last chance of defeating the far right

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Jun 3

Sky’s Beth Rigby last night: “It’s a tough job but we just try to inform our viewers without sensationalism” Sky News this evening: “WHAT IF NEO-NAZIS ARE RIGHT, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?”

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 29

If I’m understanding the Home Office’s trial age assessment tech, it gets people’s ages wrong by an *average* of 2.5-3 years, is inaccurate for the most crucial cohort (teenagers) and is worse in assessing women/girls and non-white people (umm…) but they’re going for it anyway, because computer

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 29

Of all the bankrupt arguments you could give for platforming “Tommy Robinson”, probably the worst is that facilitating fascists is enabling “conversations that would not otherwise take place”, rather than being forced down our throats on a constant basis

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 27

Don’t feel we should normalise a Labour minister responding to a spat between ethnic cleansers as to exactly how violent and racist they are going to be by saying “well this seems a bit disorganised“

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 26

“almost infinite capacity for self-delusion“ lol

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 20

Pretty shocked by these figures as I’d assumed it was still the case that Labour members are more liberal than the leadership. But here we are, and this is the party, still described by some as a party of the left, which the Greens are supposed to be making common cause with

Despite the criticism from prominent MPs, Labour members, who will vote in any future leadership election, are more divided on the issue.

Polling from YouGov published on Wednesday suggested that more than half of party members say they want the same or more restrictive immigration policies. Just 26% said they wanted a more liberal approach, 44% backed Mahmood’s changes and 18% said they would prefer an even tougher approach.

The poll shows roughly half of Labour members believe the party faces a greater risk of losing votes to Reform. Just 15% think vote losses to the Greens are the bigger issue, and 27% said both pose an equal threat.

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 20

Wow it’s almost like fighting a must-win election on Reform turf wasn’t an outstanding idea

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 14

How could they tell?

From the Guardian:
His cabinet allies, including Rachel Reeves, were also in the tea rooms of the House of Commons urging MPs to consider that a leadership election would paralyse the ability of the government to get things done.

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 13

If, as reported, there was some sort of dispute between Starmer and Mahmood over immigration policy, it‘s pretty clear over on the bad site who won

Shabana Mahmood MP reposted
Home Office
@ukhomeoffice
The simple truth is that the UK's immigration system is outdated and is not currently fit for the challenges presented by migration in the modern world.

Over 400,000 people have claimed asylum in the UK since 2021.

Despite removals and deportations of illegal migrants and foreign criminals being at the highest levels in a decade, we must go further to restore order and control to the UK's borders.

Illegal migrants must be prevented from making dangerous Channel crossings in small boats by addressing the pull factors that are incentivised by our overly generous asylum system.

Abuse of the European Convention on Human Rights must be tackled to ensure that human rights laws are not used to delay the removal of those with no right to be here.

And we must go further and faster to ensure illegal migrants and foreign criminals are removed or deported from the country.

The UK is an open, tolerant and generous nation that will never turn its back on genuine refugees who are fleeing danger and persecution.

That will never change.

But restoring control to our borders and ensuring that the system is not being gamed are vital for maintaining confidence in those very values.

We must do what is fair and we must do what is right by the British people above all else.

The Immigration and Asylum Bill will bring into force the most significant policy proposals in a generation to create a firm but fair asylum system that works for Britain.

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 8

Oh fuck what next

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 1

So they’ve amended it but for heavens sake what made someone think the original was acceptable

Golders Green stabbing suspect in court on three charges of attempted murder

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 1

Genuinely gobsmacked at this headline about someone accused of attempting to murder three (3) people, the third of whom has a Muslim-sounding name

BBC: Man appears in court charged with attempted murder of two Jewish men

The text of the article makes clear there were at least three potential victims

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· May 1

The BBC has decided that Zack’s repost is more important for you to know about than, among other things, the actual suspect being brought to court, a leading businessman being convicted of rape or the commencement of the Renters Rights Act

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Apr 30

Jesus fucking Christ no

Someone’s done a Parody Zack Polanski account and it’s about as clever and funny as you feared

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Apr 21

What if the true antiracists were the racists? Incredible scenes

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Apr 21

Antiracism is racism, an update

Mahmood told Forde’s Political Party podcast at the Duchess Theatre that claims she was chasing Reform votes were “just a way of delegitimising the point of view that I bring to the table”.

“It’s also a way of delegitimising the perfectly valid, legitimate views of millions of people in this country, including ethnic minorities in this country. And it’s not acceptable, right? And also, you’re trying to put me in a box, which includes a lot of people who think I don’t even belong in my own country.

“That’s why I said this individual can just fuck right off, because I know I belong in my own country. You’re not going to be able to do that to me,” she said.

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Apr 16

Rarely prouder to be a Green

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the asylum system "must be totally overhauled" so only those facing real personal persecution are granted asylum.
Liberal Democrat immigration and asylum spokesman Will Forster said the BBC's findings were "abhorrent", adding: "We need an asylum system that is fair, controlled and efficient. Not the shambles the Conservatives left us with."
Reform UK said that if the party wins power it would make facilitating a false asylum claim a "strict liability" criminal offence, meaning there would be no requirement to prove intent in prosecutions, which would be punishable by up to two years in jail.
(Highlighted bit) However, the Green Party said the BBC's reporting "gives an entirely false impression of a system which is, in reality, stacked against people seeking asylum" and heightened "the hostile environment" facing this group.

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Mar 31

Also, it’s always worth remembering that Stephen Pollard spent years writing vicious anti-migrant screeds for the Express and Mail

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Mar 30

Stop scrolling & post two characters who bring you happiness

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie· Mar 27

Fundamentally we seem to have managed to have a massive racist meltdown over voter fraud because some volunteers observed “some instances of more than one voter going into a booth at the same time, and instances of people looking over the shoulder of voters”