Beware the RNLI migrant scam

By Pete North - July 29, 2021

The denizens of Twitter are complaining that the RNLI has been dragged into the culture war. You’ll not be surprised to learn I have zero sympathy. I accept that the RNLI cannot simply let illegal immigrants drown in the sea. Nobody I know of is seriously proposing that. My preference is that they tow any boats in distress back to France, but that’s not really the issue.

Having faced public attacks for participating in the rescue of illegal immigrants the RNLI has chosen to go on the attack, effectively joining the culture war of its own volition. It has issued statements and polished video clips, not only excusing its role in people smuggling but celebrating it, saying “decent people” deem it “humanitarian work of the highest order”

They say “We’re proud of the lifesaving work our volunteers do in the Channel – we make no apology for it. Those we rescue are vulnerable people in danger & distress. Each of them is someone’s father, mother, son or daughter – every life is precious. This is why we launch:”

But this is leaden with distortion. Those they rescue are not so vulnerable that they can’t afford to pay the thousands to people smugglers (while nearly half of Brits having no savings), and if they are in danger it’s because they themselves took that risk. They chose to put others at risk in the process. It is entirely their choice to put themselves in danger by getting into dinghies. They do so on the presumption they’ll be rescued thus it is moral blackmail. They do it because it works. And generally speaking, they are men of fighting age – not mothers and daughters.

As to the humanitarian nature of the mission, that might be true were we dealing with actual refugees, but we’re not. We’re talking about people who are gaming the system – of which the RNLI has, foolishly, become a part.

That’s the RNLI’s first mistake – taking the public for fools. This does not strike me as especially intelligent. Even the RNLI must have noticed that the daily influx of illegal immigrants seeking to exploit the loopholes in our refugee system is not very popular. You would think they would realise that, as an organisation that relies almost exclusively on donations, pissing at least half of the public off is not a very good idea. But seemingly not.

The intelligent way to handle it is to first off recognise that the issue is contentious and stay out of the politics. Without saying too much it can communicate its obligations under the law, whatever those might be, and direct public irritation toward the government which created this unwholesome mess. Instead of remaining politically neutral, they’ve gone all in on the propaganda, essentially operating as the emotional blackmail division of the smugglers. They’ve picked a side and they’re actively soft-pedalling illegal immigration. What did the RNLI think would happen?

If they were at all run by serious people, they would take issue with being used as an auxiliary service for a failing government policy and would seek to extricate themselves ASAP. Instead, they’re participating enthusiastically, failing to understand the political nuances of it – one of which (as I understand it) being the failure of the French counterparts to undertake similar actions. They are indeed a taxi service.

In committing resources to this sordid episode, thereby increasing the chances of a successful crossing into the UK, they incentivise more to hazard the trip – putting migrants and RNLI crews in danger. This is grossly irresponsible. If the RNLI seriously thinks that they can take sides in a massively unpopular criminal smuggling operation then take to the airwaves to lecture us about “decency”, and that it wouldn’t have reputational blowback, then they’re even stupider than they look.

If at this point they want to crow about their role in a systematic abuse of our border system, we have to consider it deliberate gaslighting, where (not for the first time) they’ve chosen the cultural establishment narrative against the public. Culture war.

But then that is to be expected. The RNLI is no longer the informal organisation it once was. It has, on the quiet, become a corporate scale international NGO, mounting dubious overseas aid operations. It is reported that the charity spends £3.3 million a year on foreign aid projects including providing burkinis in Africa and funding creches in Asia. This is a galaxy away from the organisation set up to save fishermen and sailors in distress. Like other major national institutions it has gone native, becoming part of the cultural establishment, implementing political agendas of their own and run by zealously politically correct HR.

Like the zombie fungus that takes over the bran of an ant, the RNLI has been captured by parasites, and made it do their bidding, where only the original brand services so as not to alert the public to the radical change. It is therefore deceiving donors who still believe it is a lifeboat organisation. It should come as no surprise that it works in lockstep with the NGOcracy seeking to frustrate attempts to control our borders.

Ultimately, you can’t expect anyone to welcome incomers when the system obstructs the removal of rapists, murderers and terrorists for the most spurious reasons imaginable – and when the BBC describes drug dealing thugs as “aspiring footballers”. The deal’s off. The RNLI has picked its side, and will rub our noses in it. We can expect them to report a surge in donations on the back of criticism, reminding us that they are above such things as accountability. They haven’t been dragged into the culture war. They were already in it and are active combatants – and they’re very pleased about it.