Current Affairs

[Gill W]

What's wrong with the word invasion, it describes the numbers of boat people coming ashore in the south in a way that most can understand the gravity of the situation we are in. Estimates put the numbers by the year end at 40,000.

An invasion is what Russian has done to Ukraine

Using the word 'invasion' to describe the desperate people coming ashore on the south coast is dangerous rhetoric, designed to stir people up.

It is a grave situation - as is often the case, the crisis has built due government inaction.

[Kendhni]

Re: Kens post 17794

I did indeed mean ECHR…the very body that make it very difficult to remove/prosecute terrorists… without costing the country millions in legal fees. the laws that don’t allow free speech for fear of offending, the laws that every member country should try and adhere to but don’t. the laws that allow women to be subservient to their cultural masters. Laws that have done little to improve the living standards of the poorest in society, laws that protect the rights of illegal immigrants.

But overall the ECHR has greatly helped to improve the standard of living for the majority. Yes, some will focus on the exceptions, but we have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Truss was recognising the need to attract migrants that can add value to our ecomny, not encourage those who come here to become a recipient of our overstretched bennift system.

About 75% of asylum seekers are deemed, by the British government, to have met the criteria required for refugee status for up to 5 years. Truss was correct in what she was doing, it is Cruella that wants to tar all asylum seekers with the same brush ... as I said, she has no interest in resolution, just punishment. For example, It costs about £25K to support a refuge doctor in the UK, or £250K top train one.

There is a myth that it is the benefit system that attracts asylum seekers. That is incorrect, the majority know nothing about the benefits system in the UK. In fact the UK is not even one of the more attractive destinations when it comes to benefits ... under the UK system most asylum seekers are not allowed to work in the UK and therefore it is the government that makes them dependent on the state (and live on less than £6 per day). The main attraction is that most can speak some English and many have family members here already.

The UK is home to less than 1% of the worlds refugees.

Decisive action…will always struggle in a political system that works against itself. The millions which are being sent to Albania is a result of indecisive action perpetrated by the opposition party.

It has little to do with the opposition party. The opposition may disagree and may fight it but the government has a clear majority and therefore any failure is because they are unable to get legislation through their own ranks. In this case the opposition is correct ... the government just refuses to recognise that the only way to solve this is to open up safe/legal routes for migrants and asylum seekers ... closing them down is what has made the problem worse.

[Kendhni]

An invasion is what Russian has done to Ukraine

Using the word 'invasion' to describe the desperate people coming ashore on the south coast is dangerous rhetoric, designed to stir people up.

It is a grave situation - as is often the case, the crisis has built due government inaction.

There is no doubt about it that the word 'invasion' was being deliberately used as provocation, possibly even as an admission and justification of her own failures. Farage started using 'invasion' several months back ... Braverman isn't even original, she needs to show leadership instead of lowering herself to the level of the likes of Farage.

[Mervyn and Trish]

The IUK has 0.85% of the world's population overall. So if we have anywhere near 1% of its refugees we already have more than our fair share

We also have only 0.15% of the world's land area so we're pretty overcrowded..

[barney]

What's wrong with the word invasion, it describes the numbers of boat people coming ashore in the south in a way that most can understand the gravity of the situation we are in. Estimates put the numbers by the year end at 40,000.

An invasion is what Russian has done to Ukraine

Using the word 'invasion' to describe the desperate people coming ashore on the south coast is dangerous rhetoric, designed to stir people up.

It is a grave situation - as is often the case, the crisis has built due government inaction.

Curious .
What word would you use to describe 40k uninvited people crossing the channel in small boats from France?

[barney]

The IUK has 0.85% of the world's population overall. So if we have anywhere near 1% of its refugees we already have more than our fair share

We also have only 0.15% of the world's land area so we're pretty overcrowded..

I suspect the usual BS from our resident wordsmith Merv.
If he took the trouble to Google Safe and Legal way to claim asylum in the U.K., he’d find the information there.
I’m sure we’d find that a safe legal way doesn’t exist for Albanians because it’s already considered a safe country, a bit like France is.
Can’t recall too many French getting into small boats to cross the sea. They just get on a ferry.
Much better to have a rant on an Internet forum

[oldbluefox]

From the government's own website............
When your claim might not be considered

Your claim might not be considered if you:
are from an EU country
travelled to the UK through a ‘safe third country’
have a connection to a safe third country where you could claim asylum

Generally, a safe third country is one that:
you’re not a citizen of
you would not be harmed in
would not send you on to another country where you would be harmed

Fathom that one out.

[Ray B]

Gill, they are certainly stirring us up as they incessantly keep on coming

[Gill W]

What's wrong with the word invasion, it describes the numbers of boat people coming ashore in the south in a way that most can understand the gravity of the situation we are in. Estimates put the numbers by the year end at 40,000.

An invasion is what Russian has done to Ukraine

Using the word 'invasion' to describe the desperate people coming ashore on the south coast is dangerous rhetoric, designed to stir people up.

It is a grave situation - as is often the case, the crisis has built due government inaction.

Curious .
What word would you use to describe 40k uninvited people crossing the channel in small boats from France?

Perhaps an influx?

But the whole tone of your question makes it very difficult to answer, as it is very negative.

[Gill W]

Gill, they are certainly stirring us up as they incessantly keep on coming

They are human beings who want a better life

[towny44]

No she isn't, she is inflaming the situation, especially on a day when a man carried out a petrol bomb attack (fortunately he then went on to do the right thing). Her rhetoric shows that she is not fit to hold a post of responsibility ... she is looking for ways to punish those that dare rather than address and resolve the situation.

The major problem Ken is that there is no resolution to this problem that would be acceptable to everyone.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Gill, they are certainly stirring us up as they incessantly keep on coming

They are human beings who want a better life

That may be. But it is not the same as the definition of an asylum seeker. And does not mean they have a legal right of entry here.

From the government's own website............
When your claim might not be considered

Your claim might not be considered if you:
travelled to the UK through a ‘safe third country’

So since we know they are launching their boats in France, unless that is an "unsafe" country, claims may well be legally dubious at best.

[Kendhni]

No she isn't, she is inflaming the situation, especially on a day when a man carried out a petrol bomb attack (fortunately he then went on to do the right thing). Her rhetoric shows that she is not fit to hold a post of responsibility ... she is looking for ways to punish those that dare rather than address and resolve the situation.

The major problem Ken is that there is no resolution to this problem that would be acceptable to everyone.

Very true ... but somewhere in the middle there has to be a solution.
As a country we need younger people to migrate to our shores.
We want to be able to select those we really want especially with skills we desperately need.
There will be those that add value, some that add unidentifiable value, some that add little to no value, and some that are considered to be detrimental to our society.

Obviously it is desirable to keep the detrimental element out, and that is the job of our border control and government. But we cannot use it as an excuse to prevent genuine migrants from enriching and contributing to our society.

[towny44]

No she isn't, she is inflaming the situation, especially on a day when a man carried out a petrol bomb attack (fortunately he then went on to do the right thing). Her rhetoric shows that she is not fit to hold a post of responsibility ... she is looking for ways to punish those that dare rather than address and resolve the situation.

The major problem Ken is that there is no resolution to this problem that would be acceptable to everyone.

Very true ... but somewhere in the middle there has to be a solution.
As a country we need younger people to migrate to our shores.
We want to be able to select those we really want especially with skills we desperately need.
There will be those that add value, some that add unidentifiable value, some that add little to no value, and some that are considered to be detrimental to our society.

Obviously it is desirable to keep the detrimental element out, and that is the job of our border control and government. But we cannot use it as an excuse to prevent genuine migrants from enriching and contributing to our society.

Ken, do you genuinely believe that if the UK set up a legal asylum system either in europe or on line, that the illegal attempts to cross the channel would cease?

[barney]

An invasion is what Russian has done to Ukraine

Using the word 'invasion' to describe the desperate people coming ashore on the south coast is dangerous rhetoric, designed to stir people up.

It is a grave situation - as is often the case, the crisis has built due government inaction.

Curious .
What word would you use to describe 40k uninvited people crossing the channel in small boats from France?

Perhaps an influx?

But the whole tone of your question makes it very difficult to answer, as it is very negative.

Maybe stick 500 of them in Wigmore
That’ll rile up the natives.

[towny44]

Curious .
What word would you use to describe 40k uninvited people crossing the channel in small boats from France?

Perhaps an influx?

But the whole tone of your question makes it very difficult to answer, as it is very negative.

Maybe stick 500 of them in Wigmore
That’ll rile up the natives.

I understand there is a large govt building in NI that's currently under used, and which could probably handle several hundred illegal migrants.

[Kendhni]

The IUK has 0.85% of the world's population overall. So if we have anywhere near 1% of its refugees we already have more than our fair share

We also have only 0.15% of the world's land area ...

Valid points, however the UK is an ageing population. By 2030 it is expected that 1:5 will be aged over 65 and in the next 20 years the number of people over 80 is expected to double. Many of those people will be looking to have a better level of service from the NHS and other government offices than we have today ... those on DB pensions will be expecting them to be paid. Many DB pension schemes are ponzi schemes, requiring more and more to be brought in at the bottom to maintain the growing numbers looking to take their money out of the scheme.

It is recognised that we need more tax contributing workers, so whether or not we like it, we need a supply of able bodied workers to fund our lifestyle in retirement.

We are far from being alone in this, so we either actively grab/recruit the skills and workers we need or we can take those that nobody else wanted.

so we're pretty overcrowded..

That is a debate for another day

[Kendhni]

The major problem Ken is that there is no resolution to this problem that would be acceptable to everyone.

Very true ... but somewhere in the middle there has to be a solution.
As a country we need younger people to migrate to our shores.
We want to be able to select those we really want especially with skills we desperately need.
There will be those that add value, some that add unidentifiable value, some that add little to no value, and some that are considered to be detrimental to our society.

Obviously it is desirable to keep the detrimental element out, and that is the job of our border control and government. But we cannot use it as an excuse to prevent genuine migrants from enriching and contributing to our society.

Ken, do you genuinely believe that if the UK set up a legal asylum system either in europe or on line, that the illegal attempts to cross the channel would cease?

I have never suggested that channel crossings would 'cease', however they would greatly reduce, and we get to process the majority of applicants on our terms rather than on theirs. The other thing that is needed is to allow those granted refugee status to be able to seek work rather than having no choice but to live off state payments.

[Kendhni]

I understand there is a large govt building in NI that's currently under used, and which could probably handle several hundred illegal migrants.

Better them than the crowd currently infesting it ... they are almost as useless as that lot in Westminister.
They apparently have a very good restaurant there serving cheap food.

We actually have a lot of immigrants arriving here at the minute, many coming with large sums of money to pump into our economy .. it is great, the value of my house is up over 40% this year (based on one of the immigrants buying the house behind ours) ... nice family, but very difficult to understand a damned word they say ... I believe they have managed to escape from Reading.

[towny44]

I understand there is a large govt building in NI that's currently under used, and which could probably handle several hundred illegal migrants.

Better them than the crowd currently infesting it ... they are almost as useless as that lot in Westminister.
They apparently have a very good restaurant there serving cheap food.

We actually have a lot of immigrants arriving here at the minute, many coming with large sums of money to pump into our economy .. it is great, the value of my house is up over 40% this year (based on one of the immigrants buying the house behind ours) ... nice family, but very difficult to understand a damned word they say ... I believe they have managed to escape from Reading.

Your property market is obviously out of sync with ours which is showing 10% plus falls this year.

[barney]

I understand there is a large govt building in NI that's currently under used, and which could probably handle several hundred illegal migrants.

Better them than the crowd currently infesting it ... they are almost as useless as that lot in Westminister.
They apparently have a very good restaurant there serving cheap food.

We actually have a lot of immigrants arriving here at the minute, many coming with large sums of money to pump into our economy .. it is great, the value of my house is up over 40% this year (based on one of the immigrants buying the house behind ours) ... nice family, but very difficult to understand a damned word they say ... I believe they have managed to escape from Reading.

Your property market is obviously out of sync with ours which is showing 10% plus falls this year.

They start from a very low base John.
If my house went up by 40% it would cost well over a million.

[Onelife]

I understand there is a large govt building in NI that's currently under used, and which could probably handle several hundred illegal migrants.

Better them than the crowd currently infesting it ... they are almost as useless as that lot in Westminister.
They apparently have a very good restaurant there serving cheap food.

We actually have a lot of immigrants arriving here at the minute, many coming with large sums of money to pump into our economy .. it is great, the value of my house is up over 40% this year (based on one of the immigrants buying the house behind ours) ... nice family, but very difficult to understand a damned word they say ... I believe they have managed to escape from Reading.

Ken…at what point would you recommend a cap on illegal immigrants or are you recommending a free at the point of entry policy?

The reason I ask is that should we overcome the legalities of returning illegal immigrants it could open up great opportunities for those who may seek a new life but 12 miles west of Liverpool.

I was reading that Ireland is struggling to find interim accommodation due to the 2-year asylum application process…is that right?

[Kendhni]

Your property market is obviously out of sync with ours which is showing 10% plus falls this year.

It has been for a while now ... but then history shows a limited correlation ... ours is a real sellers market at the minute due to the number of new companies setting up and people moving here. However that is expected to change early next year if not before.

[Kendhni]

I understand there is a large govt building in NI that's currently under used, and which could probably handle several hundred illegal migrants.

Better them than the crowd currently infesting it ... they are almost as useless as that lot in Westminister.
They apparently have a very good restaurant there serving cheap food.

We actually have a lot of immigrants arriving here at the minute, many coming with large sums of money to pump into our economy .. it is great, the value of my house is up over 40% this year (based on one of the immigrants buying the house behind ours) ... nice family, but very difficult to understand a damned word they say ... I believe they have managed to escape from Reading.

Ken…at what point would you recommend a cap on illegal immigrants or are you recommending a free at the point of entry policy?

Are we talking immigrants, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers? Assuming we are talking of 'immigrants' then the country needs a steady flow to fulfil many jobs and keep a reliable tax stream for government funding. These are much needed across many disciplines. Top of the list should be those that already have jobs or work in an industry that is actively recruiting. However, for each person that fulfils that need there could be 3-4 economically inactive others that come with them (aka spouse and 2.4 kids). I assume that you would not advocate for the splitting up of families.

There does not need to be an open door policy, it just needs to be managed ... something that the government has failed to do with each crackpot idea getting more and more desperate ... but yet avoiding the one solution Johnson was told to put in place several years back. The problem is these nonsense ideas from the government are now blocking those people the country actually needs (so the cream of the crop are finding jobs in other countries).

The reason I ask is that should we overcome the legalities of returning illegal immigrants it could open up great opportunities for those who may seek a new life but 12 miles west of Liverpool.

12 miles west of Liverpool would put them somewhere about the mouth of the river Dee ... not sure why you want to return them to there ... could you not send them via Rwanda for a little holiday first.

I was reading that Ireland is struggling to find interim accommodation due to the 2-year asylum application process…is that right?

I have no idea what Ireland is doing ... however, anecdotally, I have heard there is a lucrative path of immigration through Ireland, into the North and across on the ferry. No smuggling required.

[barney]

Begs the question , why would any immigrant want to pass through Ireland which we are told is doing really well, on to Northern Ireland which we are told is doing pretty well, and on to England which we are told is in chaos ?
Answer on a postcard please