I never thought I’d see an asylum hotel on fire, or worry about my staff’s safety. The past five years changed that | Enver Solomon

I never thought I’d see an asylum hotel on fire, or worry about my staff’s safety. The past five years changed that | Enver Solomon

As head of an immigration charity, I’ve seen firsthand how hostility and toxicity have reached unprecedented levels Enver Solomon is the outgoing chief executive of the Refugee Council It is difficult to think of another area of government policy that has weathered as much legislative hyperactivity as asylum and migration. I have been chief executive of the Refugee Council since 2020, and I am struck by the fact that there have been four bills that have become law since I started. A fifth one in as many years is expected soon as Home Office officials beaver away under the orders of the home secretary to quickly turn the proposed asylum reforms , published in November, into legislation. As I prepare to leave the organisation this month, I have been reflecting on how the asylum and migration landscape has changed. It’s clear the rhetoric and intent behind all these new laws has been the same: to deter so-called asylum shopping, to disrupt the people-smuggling gangs, to ramp up removals of migrants, to fix the broken asylum system and, ultimately, deliver control of our borders. Enver Solomon is the outgoing chief executive of the Refugee Council Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site. Continue reading...

‘It’s a loving mockery, because it’s also who I am’: the making of gaming’s most pathetic character

‘It’s a loving mockery, because it’s also who I am’: the making of gaming’s most pathetic character

The team behind Baby Steps discuss why they made a whiny, unprepared manbaby the protagonist – and how players have grown to love Nate as he struggles up a mountain “I don’t know why he is in a onesie and has a big ass,” shrugs game developer Gabe Cuzzillo. “Bennett just came in with that at some point.” “I thought it would be cute,” replies Bennett Foddy, who was formerly Cuzzillo’s professor at New York University’s Game Center and is now his collaborator. “Working on character design and animation brings you over to liking big butts. I could give you an enormous amount of evidence for this.” Continue reading...