Britain is trapped in political purgatory – waiting for its undead government to fall | Rafael Behr

Policy that can't work and laws written purely for campaign slogans are clear symptoms of a moribund regime

The language of bureaucracy, while rarely poetic, sometimes has a sinister eloquence. Residents on board the Bibby Stockholm, the barge moored in Dorset to house asylum claimants, are classified by the Home Office as non-detained" persons. They are not imprisoned, but nor are they free.

Occupants of the vessel can travel to places agreed with local agencies" on special buses provided by the Home Office. They are not subject to a curfew, but there is a register. Checks are made to count people out and in again.