The Border Is Not the Problem
With Nigel Farage, what masquerades as anti-government populism is the architecture of authoritarian control...targeted, racialised, and unaccountable
I’m writing in direct response to this:
Britain is facing a moment of rising national tension. Immigration, especially irregular migration, has become a symbolic issue carrying the weight of a decade's worth of economic decline, housing shortages, overstretched services, and cultural confusion. The temperature is rising, particularly where people feel ignored or economically exposed. The far right is exploiting this vacuum, promising clarity, control, identity, and vengeance.
The boat crossings are not an isolated concern. They reflect a broader collapse in confidence-about who the system works for, how borders are managed, and whether institutions can be trusted to act fairly and decisively.
The Mood
Britain feels tense and emotionally fatigued, with low trust across all levels.
Immigration is now the flashpoint for broader systemic frustration.
The far right is expanding influence by capitalising on state dysfunction and a lack of leadership.
Is the ECHR Fit for Purpose?
The European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg) was created to prevent state abuse, not regulate mass cross-border migration. Key points:
It binds the UK to uphold minimum standards in deportation, detention, family rights, and appeals.
Critics claim it restricts the government's ability to act decisively. For example, it blocked the first Rwanda deportation flight in 2022.
Supporters argue it protects everyone, including citizens, from arbitrary detention, cruel punishment, or unaccountable surveillance.
Leaving the ECHR might enable faster removals, but at the cost of weakening the rule of law and undermining Britain's credibility as a liberal democracy. It would be a Faustian bargain.
The Australia Model
Australia's system is often cited as a solution, but the details matter.
1. Turnbacks
The navy towed boats back to Indonesia or forced them to return.
This only worked because:
Australia is a continent with vast ocean borders.
Indonesia tolerated the tactic, barely.
Military secrecy shielded public scrutiny.
2. Offshore Detention
Asylum seekers were sent to detention camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
Conditions were abusive, expensive, and condemned by the UN and human rights organisations.
Cost: AUD 9 billion over 10 years.
3. Permanent Ban on Settlement
Intercepted individuals were never allowed to resettle in Australia, even if granted asylum.
Most languished in legal limbo, awaiting third-country resettlement.
Did it work?
Yes, it stopped the boats. But it broke people.
This approach is not transferable to Britain:
There is no regional equivalent to Indonesia. France will not cooperate.
International law prohibits towing refugees into danger.
Offshore processing would require a global network of detention camps. No country wants to host them.
The approach would breach the UN Refugee Convention and damage Britain's international standing.
The Real Problem
Britain’s immigration pressures expose deeper administrative failures. The asylum system is unfit for purpose-slow, inconsistent, and politically volatile. Integration policy is fragmented. Successive governments have failed to balance border control with moral authority or public confidence.
Multiculturalism is being tested not by its principles, but by the erosion of the machinery designed to support it.
The Danger of Capitulation
Allowing the far right to set the terms by leaving the ECHR, enforcing mass deportations, and criminalising asylum claims would not restore order. It would radicalise the country.
The far right does not stop at borders. It advances into:
Women's rights
Judicial independence
LGBTQ+ protections
Blame narratives targeting minorities
Crackdowns on civil liberties
Capitulation validates its worldview and eliminates moderate ground.
What Would Actually Work
Build a functioning asylum system:
Fast decisions. Deport false claimants. Provide safe routes for high-risk nations.
Own the narrative:
Celebrate rule of law. Highlight integration success. Punish crime without racialising it.
Address economic roots:
Invest in housing, jobs, and services. Social cohesion grows when institutions function.
Rebuild state capacity:
End outsourcing. Create sovereign infrastructure for migration policy: digital, accountable, efficient.
Conclusion
Britain stands at a crossroads. Barbed wire is not a solution. Competence is.
Immigration must be treated as a governance challenge. That shift in framing is essential to restoring order, legitimacy, and national confidence.