Not waving but frowning

This morning's Sunday opened with William Crawley talking to Doris Peschke of the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe. 

His first question to her ran as follows:

Can I take you first of all to the front page lead story in today's Observer, which reports that the Bishop of Dover Trevor Willmott has criticised the Prime Minister, and other senior politicians, for unhelpful rhetoric - a reference, I suppose, to the word "swarming" this week - and for forgetting their humanity, as he puts it, in responding to the crisis. Do you echo those criticisms?

"Yes, indeed", replied Doris.

His second question to her was:

And do you think that the crisis, as it's been described in the media, in Calais has been overstated in respect of the global and the wider European picture?

"It's definitely overstated", replied Doris.

His third question to her was:

It's not an easy challenge but something has to be done about Calais and what's happening in Calais. What do you think should be done? 

Doris thinks France and the UK should look at each and every case. If Lesbos can manage then so can big countries like the UK and France.

His final question to her was:

And finally Doris, what do you think should happen to those who do make it into the UK illegally? 

Doris thinks they should also receive the same asylum procedure. "We should look at the people and their needs first not just to say everyone does not have a ground to come". 

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As regards William's first question - the one inviting Doris to echo the Bishop's criticism of David Cameron's "unhelpful rhetoric" - well, this came shortly after William himself had talked about "wave after wave" of migrants. 

I nearly choked on my fried egg. "He's in for it now", I thought.

And I was right. The Illegal Immigrant Council's head of advocacy has already leaped onto Twitter to say, “It’s extremely disappointing to hear William Crawley using such irresponsible, dehumanising language like 'wave after wave'. Migrants are not a succession of long bodies of water curling into an arched form and breaking on the shore. They are people". 

And one of the soon-to-be-unsuccessful Labour leadership candidates has also sprung into action to say, "Crawley calling Calais migrants a ‘wave’ is nothing short of disgraceful. Confirms there’s no dog-whistle these Broadcasting House Boys won’t blow.”

And Labour's interim-leader-for-life has issued a statement saying the Sunday presenter “should remember he is talking about people, not a body of water in motion. I think it’s a very worrying turn that he appears to be wanting to be divisive and set people against, whip people up against, the migrants in Calais.”