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Viewpoints Some Words Must Not Be Empty | Some Words Must Not Be Empty |
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There is a certain distance between the logical jurisdiction and the ethical aspirations of a society. Logical jurisdiction, being solely concerned with the adherence of rational principles, does not account for the illegal or partially entitled members of society, and allows for the disenfranchised to become isolated and vulnerable to abuse. Ethical aspirations, being wide and sweeping ideals, are more universal and frequently more ambitious.
In a society that judges itself purely by adherence to a logical jurisdiction the lack of universal accountability is not an issue. However, if a society judges itself by more than pure rationality, and includes ethical aspirations in its calculation of success, the systematic abuse of residents cannot be accepted. The United Kingdom does not represent a society based solely around logical jurisdiction. Human rights – be they legal or moral – feature highly. This nation has set itself lofty social goals. It has a strong commitment to equality, social inclusion, minority empowerment and multiculturalism. These commitments are enshrined in law and political discourse. What the United Kingdom lacks in formal constitution, it compensates for through legal rulings and recorded policy. In such a society the systematic abuse of the vulnerable cannot be accepted as a norm. Indeed, such abuse must be investigated at all levels. The death of twenty one cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay cannot be regarded as a tolerable incident. It falls clearly outside the boundaries of the acceptable in this society, and is indicative a failure in the governance system at best. At worst, it is indicative of a deep and inexcusable hypocrisy on the part of the British government. No society can advocate a commitment to legal and moral rights for its citizens and subjects, and disavow those same rights to other residents – legal or illegal – insides its borders. Just as there is no such thing as being half a human, there is no such thing as half an application of a human right. The people who died in Morecambe Bay were vulnerable members of society. They were vulnerable due to their residential status, their inability to obtain reasonable employment in their host nation, and because of the ability of dubious gangmasters to operate freely in the British economy. None of these vulnerabilities justify their demise, and their fate is not explicable as an isolated incident. A recent story by the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4871760.stm) provided a worrying indication of how deeply the mistreatment of immigrant labour runs. The BBC found a woman walking the streets of Chinatown in London selling cigarettes to earn two pounds a day. A man selling black market DVDs, and living with eleven other people in a two bedroom apartment. The poor, the desperate, the disenfranchised trying to survive at the mercy of a disinterested populace and the greed of gangmasters. When you walk the streets of London, Birmingham and Manchester you walk past an unknown number of needy people. These people live equally in fear of those who enforce the law and those who enforce lawlessness. The only true constants in their lives are that their rewards will never be commensurate with their effort, and that no one will protect them from injustice. Their existence is not the fault of gangmasters, nor is their plight. The thugs who abuse the helpless – like Lin Liang Ren, who is directly responsible for the deaths of the twelve cocklers in Morecambe Bay – are not those ultimately to blame for the horrors being perpetuated in the cities, towns and villages of this country. The gangs and their leaders are opportunists who take advantage of a system created and sustained by others. The people to blame for the systematic abuse and deaths of the most disenfranchised are the same people who loudly proclaim their rights and opinions, and have the power to prolong or cure the injustices that exist. The people to blame are you and me, and everyone else with a vote, a job or a friend with influence. This issue has little to do with whether people are Chinese, Russian, Polish or Brazilian. This issue is about social inclusion, and the universal applicability of supposedly universal laws. It is very important that we do not allow our society to degenerate into one without proper account for all its residents. Our ideals should mean something, and not just be empty words. Shane M. Coughlan |
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