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Mail shows sympathy for migrants

Ah, but don't worry, friends: you just knew there'd be some kind of twist, didn't you?

No, the Mail would never manage to dredge up any sympathy from the muddy sludge of their conscience for an immigrant to the UK, especially one that wasn't quite as pink as required - though doubtless, should they actually choose to look into immigration stories in any way other than rabid hatred of migrants, they would find hundreds of stories of misery and despair from those folk who are trying to set up a new life in Britain but who have been thwarted by the authorities.

These migrants are, of course, the right kind of immigrants. White, middle-class and British. Therefore, their desire to live in another country is not seen as a disgraceful attempt to plunder the benefits system but a rational and fair choice to make. You see, when you're pink and you have money, you're allowed to decide to move to another country - that's fair enough, as far as the Mail can see. Obviously, were you to be any shade of brown, that's a completely different situation entirely, and your entire motivation for settling somewhere new is a cruel attempt to bleed the poor already overburdened British taxpayer dry.

Now the Mail, as ever, wants to have its cake and eat it, so it presents the story in a sympathetic and pleasant tone, and leaves the acidic froth of fury to come from its loyal legion of commenters - of whom more later.

Emigrating British family turned away from Canada because their daughter, 7, is disabled
They had sold their home, packed their bags and flown to Canada to embark on a new life.
Paul Chapman, his wife Barbara-Anne and their children Jack, 16, and Lucy, seven, were excited about setting up home on a two-acre plot in Nova Scotia.
But their dreams were shattered by an immigration official who announced they could not enter the country because Lucy has a disability.

See how it's done. Nice family, ready to arrive in Canada, but one nasty, bad, evil immigration official is horrid to them! You know whose side you're supposed to be taking here.

The bombshell came when the family from Wokingham, Berkshire, handed their passports to a female guard at Halifax airport.
Mr Chapman, 42,said: 'She asked, "Why have you brought your daughter to this country?"
'I asked why I shouldn't and was told that because Lucy was disabled she had a lifetime ban.

So this is a very Daily Mail family - they're from Berkshire, they're a married couple with young children, they're well off enough to afford a couple of acres in Nova Scotia without getting a job to pay the bills straight away. And don't get me wrong, I have every sympathy for their story too. It would appear, happily, that the family will eventually get their wish and be able to settle in Canada:

A spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said: 'People with disabilities can come to Canada.
'They just have to follow the proper process, which includes ensuring the residency permit is in place before arriving in Canada.'

So there we are. Everything should be sorted out soon after what appears to have been a bit of a mix-up, and they will be able to live where they want to live. There are countless stories like this when people move from one country to another, and countless ones when people attempt to settle in the UK - but we don't get to hear about them from the Mail because they're not, how shall I put it, the right kind of people. All the same, let's hope this family get what they want.

And now the comments. As ever, many have not read the story. The Canadian commenters, as you'd stereotypically expect, are on the whole compassionate and apologetically polite about the whole thing:

Wow, that must have been devastating! After reading this story, I must say that I feel ashamed to be Canadian. I hope the government officials use some common sense and allow this family to move to Canada.
- Rob D., London, Canada, 7/8/2008 16:11

As a proud Canadian, I hope this can be resolved. Please don't interpret this terrible treatment of the Chapmans as representative of all Canadians.
- Patricia E, Ottawa, ON, Canada, 7/8/2008 17:00

I'm Canadian and I'm having a hard time believing that that is all there is to this story. It might be exactly as stated but having immigrated to England in 1999 where we lived for over 6 years, I know how complicated it can be to immigrate to another country. I wish them luck.
- Shelley, Ontario, Canada, 7/8/2008 17:41

What an absolute disgrace! Given that immigration officials the world over are not known for their intelligence or compassion, I always thought ours compared rather well (especially to our neighbours to the south). Its shocking to read of the appalling treatment meted out to this family.

Canada stands head & shoulders above the rest of the world when it comes to humanitarian policies and laws of equality & respect for all & Lord knows we bend ovr backwards enough in that cause. An immigrant of yesterday is as valued a human being as established citizens by ancestry.
I hope that it has not changed the family's mind about immigrating here. If Immigration fails to set the matter right after reviewing it, I urge the family to challenge them in court, there are laws against that kind of thing here & they are firmly upheld in the courts. It can't possibly be legal to discriminate on those grounds. Don't give up
Best of luck & I hope that we will welcome you here yet.
- Geracie, Toronto, Ontario, 7/8/2008 17:48

And the Brits?

Whether right or wrong and i tend to side with the family,the Canadians at least have immigration laws. Our country has none thanks to the Blairs and Nu Labour.
- T B, ,England, 7/8/2008 16:15

Can you imagine the U.K. acting in the same way? We could turn away thousands.
- VJB, London, 7/8/2008 17:00

Canada should feel ashamed of themselves. In this day and age would you believe that a child is refused not because she is a murder or a sex pest but a very vunerable child.
- DENISE, East london, 7/8/2008 17:41

So, she would be a drain in the health system, well done to Canada, for standing up to thir rights. The U.K. sould take the same standing
- Elaine, Portugal, 7/8/2008 17:43

I love this kind of thing. Do we think 'Elaine' is a Portuguese name? And if not, wouldn't that make her... ah I see.

But as is the case with the new Mail comments system, some other views are permitted:

For goodness sake-all of you who are going on about costs; this child has a learning disabilty-SHE IS NOT ILL !!!!!!
It's 2008 and still we live among ignorance and plain bigotry.
The things I have read on here disgust me.
- Jacqueline, London,UK, 7/8/2008 18:11

Jacqueline has a point. And besides, is this what we've come to anyway, when children with learning difficulties are simply judged on their potential to be a drain on the taxpayer? This was never the issue - there was a mix-up over visas.

It's a wearying battle wading through all the anti-immigration stuff - you end up wondering what these people really want. It would appear that anyone who might cost the taxpayer at all should have the drawbridge pulled up and seen off with a whiff of grapeshot. (But doesn't everyone? Don't you and I go to the doctor? And then what then? Ill people deported for being too much of a cost?) It's very depressing. Is this really what Britain is? Is this really how people feel about immigration? You'd think so, given the comments on these stories, but I wonder if they aren't the 'silent majority' but merely a very loud and irritating minority. I bet they'd hate that, the idea of being a minority. But I hope they are.

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