Hugh Mann Wright

I spent the weekend utterly absorbed by 𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆, Nicola Kelly’s outstanding new book in which she walks the reader chapter-by-chapter through the various stages of the UK’s asylum process. 1/5 @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social eandtbooks.com/books/anywhe... amzn.to/3XuF7Q8

…the dilapidated detention centres lacking the most basic facilities, those legendary “luxury” hotels (spoiler alert: they SO aren’t!), the grasping, grifting private contractors, the mismanagement, the surveillance state, the squalor, the inhumanity. 4/5

I spent the weekend utterly absorbed by 𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆, Nicola Kelly’s outstanding new book in which she walks the reader chapter-by-chapter through the various stages of the UK’s asylum process. 1/5 @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social eandtbooks.com/books/anywhe... amzn.to/3XuF7Q8

Comprehensively referenced throughout, it's a harrowing, chastening, and often 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 stuff. Painfully “up close and personal”, and brought vividly to life by the experiences and recollections of people directly involved at every step of the process. 2/5

Julien Goudichaud spent 7 years earning the trust of refugees, smugglers, their hired hands, police, and the volunteers who help them. He risks his life on a dinghy to UK...and later, inside a truck with one of the growing number who want to LEAVE the UK. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL2d...

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

And in order to do that, UK government would have to add all these new costs to your taxes. Of course you want to pay higher taxes. Wait... You don't? 28/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

But that would mean that the UK government would now have to pay for all boats, equipment and facilities currently provided by RNLI via donations and legacies received from the public. 26/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

If RNLI were not adequately funded, the UK as a coastal state would still be under an international treaty obligation to establish and operate an adequate system of search and rescue in its waters (strictly speaking, in the UK's SAR region, which as we've seen is large). 24/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

That would be an incredibly stupid and short-sighted response, even for someone as intensely stupid as Nigel Farage. Let's just think about it for a moment. 22/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐓𝐈𝐏: If your answers weren't 𝐍𝐎 to every single question, give your head a wobble, and go back to post 13/29 in this threaded skeet. 20/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

Likewise, whether or not the passengers caused or contributed deliberately to their own peril or endangerment is 𝐈𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐓. 18/29 x.com/RNLI/status/...

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

What does the obligation to protect and save lives at sea entail? First and foremost, it is an 𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 obligation: In other words, the obligation to protect and save lives at sea applies to 𝐀𝐋𝐋 persons in distress, without distinction. 16/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

This overriding obligation to assist 𝐀𝐍𝐘 person in distress at sea is affirmed in FOUR international conventions to which the UK is a party: 14/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

The overarching obligation of coastal states for search and rescue (SAR) is therefore defined in UNCLOS 98(2) – and further operationalized in the 𝐒𝐀𝐑 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟗, 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝: 12/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

As far as migrant dinghy crossings are concerned, RNLI 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 gets involved when instructed to do so by HMCG – in other words, in the 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 of attempted crossings where people’s lives are believed to be in immediate danger. 10/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 (HMCG) is the section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all maritime search and rescue (SAR) within the UK Maritime Search and Rescue Region. 8/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

To give an idea of scale, if you were to start from Greenwich (0° longitude) and fly due west along 51° North (the approximate latitude of London), 30° West lies 1129 nautical miles (2091 kilometres) away to the west. 6/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

As a coastal state situated on the edge of the European continental shelf, the UK is responsible for a very large maritime search and rescue (SAR) region. The area for which the UK is responsible has been agreed among the 𝟏𝟏𝟒 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 which are parties to the Maritime SAR convention. 4/29

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐑𝐍𝐋𝐈 “𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬”*… *but were afraid to ask. 1/29

· §𝟏: Introduction (2 - 6) · §𝟐: Accountability for the UK's SAR responsibility (7 - 10) · §𝟑: What are the main legal obligations governing the rescue of migrants at sea? (11 - 20) · §𝟒: Why you should 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 to donate to RNLI (21 - 29) 2/29