Two aspects of this story caused me some amusement. (Well actually “concern” would be a better term).
The first has already been mentioned. The opinion of Mr & Mrs Oldfield that Australians exhibit “passive aggressive” (Eh?) racism seems to have been accepted by the Tribunal judge without question. This is the first I have heard of such a slur on an entire nation. True, Australia demonstrates a rigid approach when dealing with those who try to enter illegally, but that is hardly “passive aggressive racism” (whatever that might be).
But the second is of even more concern. The judge also stated that Mr Oldfield was “of good character”. I must have been away when the term “of good character” was extended to somebody who, just over a year ago, was sentenced to six months in jail and whose conviction would not become spent for another six years.
The judge’s decision on both those grounds was utterly preposterous. Mr Oldfield’s protest was misguided and dangerous and in any case it is no concern of his how the UK runs its affairs (or its Boat Races). The welfare of his wife should have been uppermost in his mind when he undertook his ridiculous stunt but it was not. His misplaced ideology trumped that concern and only now is she and his child (who had not been conceived at the time of his illegal action) been raised as a reason for his continuing presence here. The UK would be far better off without him.