Your instructions, gentlemen, based on the conclusions in this post. * David Miliband’s Statement on ‘Iraq: Locally Recruited Civilians’ of 9th October stated that Britain will help to resettle- in the wider Middle East, or in the United Kingdom- Iraqis who can prove that they have worked for this country’s soldiers or diplomats for a…
Read More Target for TonightSo last night we all (well, for small values of “all” – you know who you are) got ourselves dressed up smart and went to bang on the doors of Parliament. And yes, as Dan Hardie claimed, the cops outside it are indeed polite – you’re not going to get much praise for the Met…
Read More Chris Bryant is a Credit to ParliamentHere is the text of the government’s written statement on the Iraqi employees: On 8 August the Prime Minister announced a review of the Government’s assistance to our Locally Engaged staff in Iraq. The Defence Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary of State for International Development, Chief Secretary to the Treasury and I have now agreed on…
Read More October ’08 and Out?IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN UPDATE – READ THIS NOW The Iraqi Employees campaign lobby of Parliament has been double-booked by Hazel Blears; we are therefore moving it from Committee Room 14 to the Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, in order to avoid the risk of contamination. The times are the same and are 1900-2100, Tuesday, 9th October 2007.…
Read More IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN UPDATE – READ THIS NOWSpecial campaign update: Whatever the Govt is leaking to the Times, we’re still going to leap into their back garden on Tuesday night. This campaign is not over until the people concerned are filing down the airstair at Brize Norton. You can still turn up, and you can still call your MP tomorrow. Even if…
Read More Mission Maintenu…OK, there are six days to go to the bloggers’ lobby of Parliament, which is being held to demand asylum for the British Army’s Iraqi employees. And guess what? There’s still time to get involved. Call your MP today (the Parliamentary switchboard is 0207 219 3000) and ask them what their position is, remind them…
Read More D-6: Call Your MP NowThe commander of Iraqi special forces (i.e. the Badr Corps, ex-36th ICDC Battalion, ex-1st Brigade ING…) in Basra is clear about the threat facing British employees in the city; far clearer than the Government. “All the interpreters have to leave Basra because these militia will never let them rest. They will kill everybody they know…
Read More We stand down, they stand upDo you want to take part in the very first blogging lobby of Parliament? More seriously, if you’ve already written to them and demanded that all our Iraqi employees are taken along with us before we withdraw from Iraq, here is your next set of instructions. On Tuesday, the 9th October, 2007, between 1900-2100 hours,…
Read More Bring your friendsThe Government is trying to define down the Iraqi employees it is under pressure to accept as refugees after the forthcoming UK withdrawal from Basra. With the Murdoch press, it is signalling that some 91 interpreters might be accepted, but at the same time that there are as many as 20,000 people involved. That figure…
Read More We Still Can’t Turn Them AwayIraqi employees: suddenly they’re everywhere. On the front of the Times. In its leader. On the main news. On BBC Radio 5 Live. In Ming Campbell’s talking points. In Gordon Brown’s inbox. Even here. You might almost think there was some sort of campaign going on. Now, there’s more; video. There’s also a useful sidebar…
Read More Roll Bandwagons, Roll!