I hope your grip on history and analogy improves before you reach Lincoln Brett. That was big pile of very smelly shoite you posted there.
Care to explain why?
I hope your grip on history and analogy improves before you reach Lincoln Brett. That was big pile of very smelly shoite you posted there.
We don't need to welcome any of them. They're welcome to safety, homes and decent lives all over Eastern Europe in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia etc. but they don't want to go there. They all want to come to the UK, Germany, France and Scandinavia. I wonder why.
Also notice how many of them are out there wearing designer gear, brand new Nike trainers, decent jewellery etc.
They've been offered good homes, they said no, **** em.
Well, I just think we should look after our own first (along with cracking down on benefits cheats and corporations that evade tax). If there's anything left over, then fine. But it's not just that - look at the housing shortage. Look at how crowded our road and rail network is - that can be seen directly every day. Our infrastructure is creaking badly. Where are we supposed to put everyone that just turns up? Net immigration is already ridiculous. That's why I asked if those that say we should take the refugees would happily house them.
I have things to say about Blair but that would get the thread closed.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE - all safe nearby countries with similar culture.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, - all safe nearby countries with similar culture.
Yes, you are comparing apples and pears. For a start Britain had a standing army, air force and still a formidable navy in 1939. We were also rearming from the mid 30s and we had the support of a number of commonwealth countries. Given all that, the US joined our side.
Many Brits did clear off to the US and Canada - well, those that could afford it.
The Syrians caught in this conflict are wedged between being blown to bits by their own countries standing army on one side and ISIS on the other and on their soil. When you say stand and fight, then who against and what with exactly?
You cannot equate the two events in any reasonable way at all.
You can't compare benefits cheats and tax evasion / benefitting from contracts issued to party supporters. Benefit cheating is such a tiny fraction it isn't an issue
Housing shortage? Look no further than buy to let and corporations sitting on land waiting for a quick buck. Plenty empty houses too actually
And I can't imagine a few thousand refugees noticeably affecting the rail and road infrastructure either.
So yes I think we, collectively, should help them
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE - all safe nearby countries with similar culture.
The table would have to be very big and as for the menu! Perhaps the knowledgeable posters on here could sort out the furniture and dining requirementsWell, there are more Syrian refugees than Assad's army and ISIS combined. Best bet would be to support and arm the moderate rebels and Kurds against both or negotiate with Assad and have Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US all brought to the table.
Well, there are more Syrian refugees than Assad's army and ISIS combined. Best bet would be to support and arm the moderate rebels and Kurds against both or negotiate with Assad and have Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US all brought to the table.
To be fair, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan have a lot of Syrian and Palestinian refugees. In fact, most Syrian refugees are in neighbouring Middle Eastern countries. Britain should take more refugees from Syria as it is a crisis and our numbers are embarrassingly low compared to other European countries. That being said, accepting hundreds of thousands of refugees is a short term response to a long term problem. Syria's politically unstable due to the civil war. Either we support Assad like Iran and Russia are doing to combat ISIS or we continue to go against both Assad and ISIS and train/arm moderate rebels.
I quite agree with you on most of this tbh - the Buy-to-Let and Housing Corporation thing has become a joke, (or would have done except it isn't funny). And yeah benefit cheating is relatively small - certainly smaller than massive tax evasion.
Not sure I agree on the road/rail infrastructure argument though - sure, a few thousand might not make much a difference. But a few thousand here, there, everywhere (thinking previous relaxing of EU migration rules here) does make a big difference over time. And we've had crap investment in infrastructure for far too long now.
I agree to a point, but the best bet was not to start the mess there in the first place just to appease the likes of Bush, Cheney and the interests of Haliburton, then make it worse by following up half heartedly with minimum support when the populace began to rise up. Short of putting boots on the ground again, as you say, there is only one choice (as unpleasant as it may seem) and that is to talk to Assad etc
Apart from the U.S. that would be a great menu ( and if the U.S. were only allowed to bring BBQ that would be ok too)The table would have to be very big and as for the menu! Perhaps the knowledgeable posters on here could sort out the furniture and dining requirements
Yes it might seem harsh but even the wretched Syrians in Hungary are principally economic migrants. There are refugee camps much closer to home. I think the government is right to help some of the people in those camps that need more help rather than incentivise people to make dangerous journeys putting children at risk.
I wonder watch Christopher Hitchens would think if he was alive today to witness this. He hated Assad (thought he was an Arab fascist/ultranationalist), hated Saddam and welcomed intervention in Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait and predicted the rise of the caliphate almost a decade ago.