To think that the 'Calais Camp' situation needs to be resolved ASAP!

[Kreacherelf]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3413566/Port-Calais-closed-migrants-storm-harbour-make-Spirit-Britain-ferry-desperate-bid-reach-UK.html

This is just getting ridiculous now. France need to take this problem to the EU and ask for help dealing with it immediately. It has gone on for too long and needs to stop.

I don't know what the answer is. I think the UK should take anyone under 18, and their family members. Other than that, everyone else should have to apply for asylum in France or risk arrest. Not a perfect solution, but the only one I have.

[OTheHugeManatee]

If the UK is going to take refugees, it should be - as we have been doing - only from refugee camps close to conflict zones. The moment you take any from the Calais camps it just encourages people smugglers to send more people to the French/English border and causes more suffering.

[SouthWestmom]

Register them all in France as refugees and then send them to various countries on a fair ratio basis

[MaisyMooMoo]

I'm just thankful we have a body of water between us and them otherwise it would be game over.

YANBU by the way.

[SirChenjin]

They should be stopped way before they get to Calais and processed properly as refugees there.

I would also be very cautious of just taking anyone under the age of 18 and their families without first checking through DNA testing that they were absolutely related. The idea that a child - any child - could be your route into the UK is terrifying.

[SirChenjin]

Hit return too soon. We need to make sure that children are not being kidnapped and trafficked as a passport into the UK.

[wasonthelist]

The French have no incentive to deal with this - from their perspective, the more people from the camp who make it to Britain, the better as it's fewer for them to deal with.

I feel some sympathy - if the people there really wanted to claim asylum in France, they'd do so. So the French are damned if they do (force the issue) and damned if they don't. Any kind of authoritarian crackdown is just going to make them unpopular - and they'll still have the folk from the camp to look after in some way.

As the French prime minister said the other day - the real issue is at the EU outer borders - Greece and Italy (for example) don't have the resources (or the will) to fortify and repel the boats - again it would make them look like the bad guys.

[SouthWestmom]

Yes of course they should but I think the camp should be dismantled and they should now be registered and dispersed.
I do think there's economic reasons for coming to the UK and I don't think we should take all the people who may not be able to contribute financially. (Comment as i read that we may take women and children)

[Quoteunquote]

www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/42f24m/footage_of_protesters_helping_migrants_assault/ Interesting.

gfycat.com/GivingVengefulIberianemeraldlizard footage

[MaisyMooMoo]

I too agree the camp should be dismantled and any others that pop up at other ports.

The only people I want to help are the Syrian families with children from the camps. They should be the priority.

Considering a majority of the U.K. population share the same opinion on this subject I feel strongly that our government haven't acted fast enough and aren't doing enough to resolve it. Actually, the EU as a whole. It's just meetings after meetings, discussions etc but no bloody action.

[Allbymyselfagain]

I think we should take the women and children. First they are the most vulnerable and second we have a disproportionate ratio of refugee men to women here. We are creating a time bomb that could be similar to that caused by China's one child policy

[PerspicaciaTick]

I think the camps and the ease of access to the ports is a direct result of apathy from the French. If the camp was at Charles De Gaulle airport and people were running around airside trying to climb on board the planes, the authorities would have responded much more effectively.

[catsonlaps]

Have the majority of the UK been asked?

[Kreacherelf]

Thank God! I thought I was going to get flamed for starting this thread!

I'm amazed nobody has branded me racist yet!

[SirChenjin]

I have to say, I'm amazed too. It seems that any attempt to discuss the issue is shouted down.

[juneau]

Considering a majority of the U.K. population share the same opinion on this subject

You know what the majority of the UK population think about this, do you? Since there has been no public debate about what the UK population wants regarding this issue I don't think anyone can say.

It's just meetings after meetings, discussions etc but no bloody action.

I totally agree with you on this. The EU is pathetic in its indecision. The Calais situation has been going on for years and the migrant crisis has been absolutely critical since last summer and bugger all has been decided to sort it out. Turkey has been promised billions to prevent people leaving their shores - but they're so ineffective that the migrants keep coming and this is the middle of winter. We've been promised that by March the EU will have made a decision. Well it had better do so, because once the weather gets warmer again there will be millions more queuing up on Turkey's beaches to make the crossing.

Roll on the EU referendum, I say. I can't wait to vote 'leave'.

[scarlets]

They should have their claims processed asap, and the successful ones should be offered asylum in a EU country on a fair ratio basis. We should take our share, as all EU nations should, and all UK councils should be prepared to accept some refugees. Those camp conditions are disgraceful, people need to be settled and to get on with their lives, and their children should be in school. I'd like to see the rich oil nations in the mix too.

[SonyaAtTheSamovar]

I am like a stuck record about the UK media at the moment but:

No mention on TV news last night BBC1 but snow in North America made it to second story.

[BrandNewAndImproved]

I think China should help out. They're having problems with to many old people and not enough young and working, they can take refugees for a number of years and help themselves by helping them.

[Slimmingcrackers]

For those saying that we should leave the EU, and that there are just endless meetings without any action ...

The actual position is that the EU has been denied competence in areas such as this, ie individual Member States (Britain included) opted to deal with these issues bilaterally with other Member States.

Those powers that the EU does have are subsidiary to those of the Member States.

So if you want to know why there is no coordinated action, you must ask the individual Member States involved.

So in fact the opposite is true, and this is a classic example of where more EU powers would result in a more focused and coordinated response.

Leaving the EU will have no impact whatsover on the position in Syria.

[Bananalanacake]

I am being thick here but please can someone tell me why are they so keen to get to the UK, why can't they stay in France? that must be safer than whatever country they have come from.

[coffeeisnectar]

The fact that people are still leaving Syria in appalling weather conditions proves this situation isn't going to ease any time soon.

I don't know what the solution is, but leaving vulnerable people at risk of rape, crime and disease in these camps is not a solution.

[blaeberry]

I think if they are refugees then France should start taking proper responsibility for them. If they don't want to claim refugee/asylum status in France then France should deport them. Under 16s should be taken into care in France.

[coffeeisnectar]

Some have family here already. I presume they want to be with their extended family.

[wasonthelist]

why can't they stay in France? that must be safer than whatever country they have come from.

We speak English, many people's first choice of a second language.
There is a lot of institutional and commonplace straightforward racism in France.
It is much, much, much easier to get illegal work here - our government leaves almost all "enforcement" to employers and unlike France, it's not (usually) a criminal matter.
It's easier to get legal work, too, since we have much more liberal labour laws.
We don't ask too many questions when you need healthcare.

Just a few reasons - if it was me, I'd want to come here rather than France.

[VertigoNun]

The French should foster the children.

I think we should take place from the camps near Syria, women and children.

I think the government have the right attitude to stop the dreadful journey and rewarding people smugglers.