After the drought, the rain

After the drought, the rain

The small boats crisis has looked like a problem that would be with us forever, until now. Various governments have tried to tinker around the edges to limited effect, some of the smaller opposition parties have put forward outlandish ideas, but we haven’t had a truly workable policy that would, shock horror, actually save the taxpayer money as well as solve the problem – until now.

Ed Davey and Max Wilkinson came down to St. Margaret’s at Cliffe (Dover, if you’re not from Kent and don’t know our geography too well), to announce the Liberal Democrat's new policy

By joining the EU Migration and Asylum Pact we would

• Stop the incentive for small boat crossings completely, not by a dribble
• Save the tax-payer a huge amount of money
• Have the ability to return every single ineligible asylum seeker in a legal and safe way
• Be able to access the EU database, meaning we have the ability to check the eligibility of asylum seekers before they get here
• Reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving in the UK overall.

Leaders of the local parties were invited to The Coastguard pub to meet Ed and Max, which gave us a brilliant opportunity to hear what they had to say in full, not just the clips that get put on the media. We could hear how this policy will not only solve the problem but do it in a way that was humane and in line with our liberal principles. We could hear how this policy was pragmatic and, ultimately, truly workable – again, in line with our liberal principles.

As we were co-ordinating and getting details of when and where to meet, we worried about the weather. After weeks and weeks of no rain, turning to drought, we were faced with the option of taking photos inside or standing under brollies so we could see the lovely views from the pub. We chose the latter and, now I have had a chance to reflect, it was highly appropriate that the rains came on the day Ed announced the new policy. The country has been thirsty for change as the fields have been thirsty for rain, and now Ed has arrived with a solution.