I have no sympathy whatsoever with the farmer,in fact I would be happy to see him put out of business for employing illegals.As for the politician,she actuallly helped draft these rules and as I understand it they were constructed in a way that would not allow ignorance as being an excuse.So for her to get off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist is utterly contemptible.
Personally I would loved to have seen her made an example of and given a prison sentence.

...this is symptomatic of the state wanting to have it all ways.
It's unreasonable in the extreme to expect anyone to be able to have the resourses to establish the bona fides of another with any degree of certainty.
Is it the intention of this administration to make it as difficult as possible for some to employ others.
Yet another example of sound legislation being being applied in a half-assed way by bureaucrats more interested in the headline event rather than the practical day to day working of legislation applied in a sensible and constructive way.
I know I said I wasn't going to get stuck into this but Albs set me off