Lebanon has more refugees per capita than any other country on earth, their capital has literally just been blown to bits and not one second of negative discourse is aimed at the refugees. We can and should be doing more. I still maintain that history will remember Merkel kindly for accepting all of the syrian refugees at the height of the crisis.

 

 

 

It's ok saying the gulf nations should do more, but the harsh truth is that the colonial powers, the US and Russia have the most soul searching to do. The legacies of colonialism have left their scars across the world, and you see things like the rise of Daesh as a direct result of failed interventions and war crimes by the US/UK. We have a responsibility to fix our mess and bare the consequences of our actions.

 

 

I don't think there is anything that makes me more ashamed to be a UK Citizen than the demonisation of refugees by our government and press. Its inhumane and barbaric. We are better than this.

This story has been picking up rhythm for weeks now, peddled mainly by Nigel Farage. Seemingly with a lot of lobbying it's made the news again, for a good few weeks nobody even seemed to care in the mainstream. Must have started to be a slow news day.

 

I still stand by the thoughts from 4 years ago that the Gulf nations ought be to be doing more to support the crisis the Middle East in particular has been going through for a decade now.

 

It's never a slow news day with this government — but well done to the media for happily playing along.

 

 

@1292706269774651392

 

Completely normal morning television.

 

@1293102560438607872

 

We are truly in the pits. Gutter journalism.

Absolutely heartless. Sickening.

The amount of misunderstanding on this issue continues to be staggering. Every poll on the subject shows that a lot of people think the UK takes in a huge proportion of the world's refugees. As others have shown here, that is nonsense. Every major EU country accepts several times more than the UK. Even Greece accepts more than the UK.

 

Again, as has been said, the vast majority of refugees seek asylum in a country neighbouring the county they are fleeing. That means countries such as Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon are the ones with large refugee populations. Indeed, over one-quarter of the current population of Lebanon are Syrian refugees. Perhaps all the NHS workers who came here as refugees or are the descendants of refugees should stop work for a day just to show what a valuable contribution so many of them are making.

As I said to someone earlier - as is always inanely deliberately avoided by all the news reporting on it in favour of hysteria - the number 1 reason refugees will be coming here from France is due to being able to speak and read English and not having that ability with French.

 

So the choice becomes, do I resign myself to living in a tent, unable to communicate, thus unable to work, thus unable to escape, for the next few years until I manage to pick up enough French to get by - and even then have to struggle to escape the camp and do everything to start over - or do I take the 20 mile trip across the channel to the UK where I can get a cash in hand job, understand the signs and the legal system and what people say to me, and get started right away?

 

Let's be honest, most people from the UK would take the latter choice, especially given how dreadful most Brits are at foreign langues.

The gotcha journalism of the uk press is, no exaggeration, making me sick. It’s absolutely disgusting.

 

 

We are not full. We are utterly abysmal towards those who do apply for asylum here. We actively destabilise parts of the world with failed interventions that create refugee crises. We have a moral obligation to do more. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the entire world, if anyone can take the burden it is us. Cruelty is a political choice.

 

 

It’s hard to be eloquent or even coherent on this topic for me. It infuriates me the way the uk acts.

The gotcha journalism of the uk press is, no exaggeration, making me sick. It’s absolutely disgusting.

We are not full. We are utterly abysmal towards those who do apply for asylum here. We actively destabilise parts of the world with failed interventions that create refugee crises. We have a moral obligation to do more. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the entire world, if anyone can take the burden it is us. Cruelty is a political choice.

It’s hard to be eloquent or even coherent on this topic for me. It infuriates me the way the uk acts.

 

 

Why can't America take more? A huge country compared to us by area but you try to just walk in to the US. You can't. Trump's government is far stricter than we are. We ARE FULL. The strain on our heath services, social services and benefits is tremendous.

 

 

Why can't America take more? A huge country compared to us by area but you try to just walk in to the US. You can't. Trump's government is far stricter than we are. We ARE FULL. The strain on our heath services, social services and benefits is tremendous.

We are NOT full. Refugees come here because they want a better life. They come here because they want to work. Are you seriously suggesting thate people should just stay in the country where they were born, no matter how much their lives are in danger?

 

Yes, of course the US should do more but that isn't an excuse for our government to be so utterly inhumane.

Why can't America take more? A huge country compared to us by area but you try to just walk in to the US. You can't. Trump's government is far stricter than we are. We ARE FULL. The strain on our heath services, social services and benefits is tremendous.

Asylum seekers get 37,75 a week. As above, the maths on that works out to 86m a year. Or in a context you’ll understand easier, about 20 to 25% of the figure on the side of that giant red bus. We have literally wasted more money on dodgy unusable PPE than it costs to support every asylum seeker in the UK for a year.

 

We have ample room as a country *gestures wildly at the population density for Scotland* and chronic lack of funding at the hands of your government is the strain on Health and Social Services.

 

It is simply false to say it is an economic burden. Once status is achieved and right to work is attained, refugees are highly productive members of society. I’m reminded of a refugee who couldn’t find a beloved cheese here in the U.K. and so started making it herself. She now has a factory in Yorkshire employing tens of people and has contributed more to the economy in tax this year than the sum total of benefit support she received from the U.K. government. These people want safety and to live a normal life free of fear. The U.K. gov refuses to allow them to work while awaiting the outcome of their claims. Allowing them to work would increase tax take for the country and remove the need to pay benefits to every asylum seeker, it would also have incredible benefits for their mental and physical wellbeing (the most important upside to the policy).

 

Cruelty is a political policy choice. I hope that you can see now that your views here are outdated and based on incorrect information, and update accordingly.

Just to be clear I'm in favour of immigration and better treatment for refugees like this but let's not create an idealised view of the world and the people.

 

Not all refugees a hard working, like some of us Brits some come and do sit on benefits not all but some do yes and I experience it every week in the housing job I do daily. Just to reiterate a lot of Brits do this too. It's not black and white in terms of who is a hard worker in order to suit your ideology.

 

Also to clarify the maths they get 37 quid a week to live off and rich landlords provide housing for them which they are paid huge sums of housing benefit from the government and then there's also the other services they need to be provided. So it's not just 37 quid a week, especially when family reunions are taken into account.

@blacksquare I think you missed a zero in that 0.06% of the population figure which makes for an even stronger point.

 

In an ideal world it would be beyond humbling for an average person to realise that these people have it so bad they literally risk their lives in order to save themselves. And they choose this very country. Yet we have white privileged on-benefits Johns and Marys (who probably haven't gone through even 10% of what immigrants/refugees have to deal with on a daily basis in their entire lives) claiming how immigrants steal jobs and are dangerous etc. etc. etc. you know the rest.

👀

 

Okay I didn't even think I would get this so spot on but here we are... :rolleyes:

Just to be clear I'm in favour of immigration and better treatment for refugees like this but let's not create an idealised view of the world and the people.

 

Not all refugees a hard working, like some of us Brits some come and do sit on benefits not all but some do yes and I experience it every week in the housing job I do daily. Just to reiterate a lot of Brits do this too. It's not black and white in terms of who is a hard worker in order to suit your ideology.

 

Also to clarify the maths they get 37 quid a week to live off and rich landlords provide housing for them which they are paid huge sums of housing benefit from the government and then there's also the other services they need to be provided. So it's not just 37 quid a week, especially when family reunions are taken into account.

yeah all of that money should probably go to the brits who earned their right to live in the country by getting born there.

 

 

no one is creating an idealised view of anyone. the absolute majority want a better a life and have no other option but to flee. it's about giving people RESPECT and a fair chance regardless of their nationality. UK can be the richest country in the world for all I care but all that money still won't wash away all of this disgusting racism I've witnessed over the last few days over your media.

If I'm honest I don't understand why anyone has an issue with refugees OR immigrants at all.

 

Being born in a country means nothing whatsoever except you happened to climb out of the right vagina here.

 

I really don't understand, seriously, the perspective of people for whom it means anything more than that. It's all projection, in my opinion.

uS aRe NoT lEtTiNg ThEm In WhY sHoUlD wE?!?!2 must be one of the most pathetic and stupid responses in this thread.

 

"This house is on fire, please help us"

"Sorry, we can only help if someone else is also helping even though we have more than enough resources to do that. Can u imagine being the only one doing that omg so embarrassing lmao! Hang in there luv x"

Just to be clear I'm in favour of immigration and better treatment for refugees like this but let's not create an idealised view of the world and the people.

 

Not all refugees a hard working, like some of us Brits some come and do sit on benefits not all but some do yes and I experience it every week in the housing job I do daily. Just to reiterate a lot of Brits do this too. It's not black and white in terms of who is a hard worker in order to suit your ideology.

 

Also to clarify the maths they get 37 quid a week to live off and rich landlords provide housing for them which they are paid huge sums of housing benefit from the government and then there's also the other services they need to be provided. So it's not just 37 quid a week, especially when family reunions are taken into account.

 

The perfect person doesn't exist — no one is pretending otherwise. However, how this country views people fleeing severe hardship is abhorrent. The disproportionate media attention for, in total, thousands of people — not hundreds of thousands, not millions — is equally abhorrent.

 

The way this government has spaffed money up the wall so recklessly to help their friends has proven that there is money and all of this drama is just another distraction from the biggest issues in this country.

Edited August 11, 20204 yr by blacksquare

My arguement wasn't about how media portrayed refugees I agree with your views of that my point was the idealised view that is created by one side of the other - the right will portray them as an influx of thousands that threaten to overrun the country the left as hard working heroes. You have to look in the middle to find the true grey view of what's going on. It's not black and white is all I'm saying.

 

 

Why can't America take more? A huge country compared to us by area but you try to just walk in to the US. You can't. Trump's government is far stricter than we are. We ARE FULL. The strain on our heath services, social services and benefits is tremendous.

 

Notice how it's always drains on society coming out with things like this. :rolleyes:

My arguement wasn't about how media portrayed refugees I agree with your views of that my point was the idealised view that is created by one side of the other - the right will portray them as an influx of thousands that threaten to overrun the country the left as hard working heroes. You have to look in the middle to find the true grey view of what's going on. It's not black and white is all I'm saying.

Don't be ridiculous, no one on this side is trying to portray them as "hard working heroes". This is merely an acknowledgement of what these people have most likely been through and that they have the right to be treated as human beings above anything else. I can't believe this still needs to be reminded at this day and age. :(

The posts above and generally from that end of the arguement do though.