Asylum seekers - are we going too far?

[RiceOnABike]

I will start by saying that I am very sympathetic to asylum seekers, and until now I've believed that we should do all we can to help them in their plight. However...

A small village in Northamptonshire (population 500) is soon to become home to 400 refugees who have arrived here by crossing the channel. This village seems to be very rural, about 8 miles away from the nearest town I think. Apparently there are no facilities there whatsoever apart from a small shop. The migrants will have access to the local GPs and NHS dentists, and we all know how much pressure they are under at the moment. But the straw that has broken the camel's back for me is where they will be staying. Yes, that is really it in the photos. How can we justify all this when the everyday Brit is struggling to heat their homes at the moment? And more worryingly, what sort of deterrent is it to others considering making that dangerous journey across the channel?

So am I being unreasonable, or are we now offering too much?

@TheBuggerlugs

”They have no legal recourse to public funding so have no rights to access an NHS GP or dentist so you can stop pulling the "full waiting list"”

This is simply untrue. We get a fair few accessing our gps and hospitals here, walk-in centres, a&e, mri scans and X-rays. (NW England). I know as I have direct experience through work. Some are demanding and intimidating. They know it is free. One claimed racism because the interpreter didn’t turn up so the appointment had to be cancelled. Many need interpreters which adds to the cost and time.

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. My ancestors were immigrants, and suffered persecution. But hey, you just carry on totally misinterpreting everything you see, and you'll get along just fine.

Just don't go putting words into other people's mouths.

They are economic migrants. Stop at France then? No?

“So how much should people who literally have nothing other than the clothes they wear get per week? They own zero possessions”

Well when you watch the news many also seem to have expensive looking phones which seem to survive (no passports though). I always wonder how they are paying for these? Cheap contract still approx £10 per month, how they charge these?, how they pay to charge these if they have no money. The whole set up feels off and doesn’t appear like they are fleeing terror.

@orangegato That’s a pretty disgusting reply. Being trafficked means they are forced to go. They don’t choose their destination. How can they stop at France? They have no choice. It’s being kidnapped and forced to work. They’re not choosing to work in prostitution, they are being trafficked and raped, repeatedly.

Read what you wrote, I'm not misrepresenting it all, merely pointing out what it means.

Hong Kongers, Ukrainians, Ugandan Asians, German Jews etc. all chose to come here when closer 'safe countries' are available.

There's no country in the world apart from Ireland that hasn't got a safe country closer to it than the UK is. So using your logic our borders would be closed to all asylum -seekers.

@Lollipop999 some charities provide mobile phones so people can stay in touch with their families. I’ll let them know to stop though, as they look too comfortable.
You’ll also sometimes see asylum seekers in designer clothes as that’s what gets donated because weirdly, rich people are able to donate more often. Jesus. Is there a limit to how much people should suffer?

“Are fear mongering comments about "groups of men" helpful? No”

I think this conversation absolutely needs to be had and shouldn’t be shut down. The stats are there in black and white. Males of all nationalities and colours are responsible for the majority of violent crime. Moving large groups of “traumatised”men to live and roam in a strange place, with different values and a different culture with nothing to do is absolutely a recipe for disaster. We have the right to have these concerns addressed don’t you think?

I've drawn this rather terrible picture from my memory of a cartoon making the same point. I saw it years ago and it's stuck with me but I can't find it on Google unfortunately.

It's unacceptable for the government to strip back public services so far that we've got nothing to offer some of the poorest, most vulnerable people on Earth. The village optics in the OP just make it clearer to understand what it's like when asylum seekers are parachuted anywhere: a desert of supporting infrastructure. People in towns and cities can't get a GP appointment/ NHS dentist/ hospital bed/ decent school/ suitable housing. Many local leisure services like libraries and swimming pools have closed or are closing. Support for families like children's centres and social services has been cut to the bone.

When you put hundreds of usually foreign-looking, foreign-sounding men into the mix, it's easy for people to get cross with them because it highlights the difficulties locals already have. It doesn't mean that they caused those difficulties, but it's useful for the government and various other wealthy, insulated individuals to have a scapegoat for their poor/self-interested management of public finances.

@MeghanThyStallion

It’s amazing how any debate on this issue gets polarised into people saying “they are all economic migrants, send them back”, or alternatively “they’re all traumatised refugees fleeing persecution, let them stay and work”. The reality is that of the many 1000s who come there will be people in both categories, and shades of grey in between. Generalisations don’t help, the only answer is to crack on and invest in speeding up the decision process, because if you are going to have people hanging around pointlessly for up to 2 years then pretty much any hotel/facility you choose for them to spend that time is going to seem unsatisfactory for all concerned.

Not too far (Not far enough)

Not too much (Not enough)

Inappropriate FAR TOO OFTEN

Those of us who are lucky enough to have been born here - are just that lucky (although not always as is obvious at the moment)

Personally, I don't think we are going far enough - to ensure that people in genuine need (and preferably at least some with marketable skills) are being encouraged to come here and settle.

We would have a stronger argument against less desirable and less needy people if we had a good policy in place allowing people who want and/or need to be here to get here safely and legally.

AND we take fewer emergency refugees than many other European countries and we need to have better systems in place for resettling those who do get here.

@pigsinoodies thanks, that's the one! Where did you find it?

IIRC that cartoon is back from when the Fail was up in arms about asylum seekers/Eastern Europeans taking construction/trades jobs away from British workers. Hence the hard hat.