Sack the judges

The population of the United Kingdom was increased this week by the arrival of two Albanian lesbians who have been given the right to remain here by an deputy Upper Tribunal judge called Rebecca Chapman. The women insisted that they would face persecution in Albania for their sexual preferences. This is despite the fact that Albania decriminalised homosexuality 30 years ago and in 2010 adopted a law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

Rebecca was not impressed, however, pronouncing Albania to be a ‘patriarchal, conservative society in which homophobic attitudes still exist, particularly in rural areas’. (Those of you who have just read Rebecca’s description of Albania and are consequently interested in emigrating to the country should try the Properstar real estate website. There’s a nice coastal villa going for £832,021, as well as a selection of smaller properties, including one-bedroom flats, from £40,000 upwards.) I suspect that there are some parts of the UK where the people do not differ terribly from the Albanians in their attitudes to sex and gender orientation, but probably not places Rebecca has ever visited. I do not know the name of the two women we have allowed in, but welcome, please, make yourselves at home.

We might conclude, then, that it does not matter what liberal laws may be passed by any country, if Rebecca believes them to be ‘patriarchal’ and ‘conservative’ and full of ’phobes. She might as well decide the same thing about Denmark, or the Netherlands.

Anyway, the case of these two devotees of Sapphic love is only the latest in a bizarre series of decisions by the tribunals of late. You may have heard of some of them, such as the Nigerian woman who tried and failed eight times to secure asylum.