AS THE death toll in the Mediterranean continues to climb, finally a political response begins to emerge. Of the many who undertake a desperate journey across the sea, more than 3,000 drowned last year, and the International Organisation for Migration has estimated that ten times that number may die this year.

There was justified revulsion at the attempt by Katie Hopkins to dehumanise these people and trivialise the loss of life, but depressingly, many other voices have called for military action in place of compassion. Greens have been calling for the resumption of search-and-rescue operations for months now, and Amnesty have rightly added the clear demand for EU countries to establish safe routes for those fleeing conflict, poverty or persecution.

It remains to be seen whether Europe is willing to take the necessary actions. Migration has become a charged issue in many EU countries, with the political far right stigmatising and demonising people on grounds of their origin. In those countries such as the UK, where mainstream parties have aped this xenophobic attitude, they have by and large made matters worse. It’s only by standing up to such attitudes and offering a clear alternative that we can change the terms of this debate.

Where people feel that their public services are under pressure, let’s argue for investment in those services. Where employees’ pay, terms and conditions are being undercut, let’s drive out exploitative practices regardless of the national origins of the people being exploited. Sadly many in Europe oppose the progressive economic agenda which progressive social policies depend upon. The TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) deal with America is a clear example; threatening to drag down social protection, workplace standards and environmental regulations to the lowest common denominator.

These are just a few of the foreign affairs issues which deserve attention in the current election campaign, but are too often crowded out by the bland accountancy which passes for economic policy in the deficit-obsessed domestic media.

Most political parties can unite on one thing – the demand from the UK’s cheerleaders for xenophobia (yes, I mean the Purple Menace) to slash our international aid and development budget is a disgrace. I disagree with much that the main UK parties stand for, but all have been willing to protect this spending area. Far from slashing it, I’d like to see it rise to a full 1 per cent of GDP. While others demand that twice this amount is spent on the military, it seems clear to me that we must invest in a more just and equal world if we also want to live in a safer one. Poverty and pressure on resources such as land, water and food are the real threats to security and wellbeing. Economic and political injustices underpin these challenges: unfair trade rules which allow the wealthy to exploit others while forcing privatisation on them; and the political oppression of peoples such as the Palestinians, still living under occupation and without a recognised state of their own.

Of course international aid is a moral good in its own right, and it would be a bleak argument to say that we should only invest in it out of self-interest. But if we’re to contribute to a safer, more secure world for everyone we must build circumstances in which all people can achieve a decent standard of living at home, and can expect to be treated humanely if they do need to move. Given the pressure we’ve placed on the global life-support system our environment provides, it’s already clear that growing numbers will indeed need to migrate to survive. Climate factors have driven waves of human migration over thousands of years, and the rapid climate change being caused by our greenhouse gas emissions is already doing the same. As populations find that their land can no longer sustain them, migration will inevitably follow.

So the foreign policy of this country, indeed of any developed country, must take a radical new direction to support global sustainability instead of short-term national interests. Top of the list will of course be the climate change negotiations this year in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. The over-hyped expectations around the Copenhagen conference five years ago led to deep disappointment at the lack of a meaningful deal. Such hype should be avoided this time around. But the urgency is all the greater, with growing evidence that Antarctic ice is being lost much faster than predicted, and the implication this has for future sea level rises.

Elections often see critical long-term challenges debated in simplistic, short-term ways. This is true of the economy, environment and social inequality. But perhaps no field suffers more from short-termism than foreign affairs, despite the urgent need for long-term commitment and consistency.