The immigrant barge - what’s actually wrong with using it?

[NC523]

Educate me!

I looked at pics from the inside, it all looks very much like standard student accommodation to me, including common rooms/relaxation areas/health support on board. Residents can go on & off the boat, it’s passed fire etc safety and been used to house people in lots of other situations. I don’t understand why people think it’s not ok. Can anyone explain please?

Apparently they are privately owned

We do need to house the people who reside here as priority

Have a look at the OP, I wasn't the one who introduced student accommodation. To save you actually having to look this is what she said, I looked at pics from the inside, it all looks very much like standard student accommodation to me

But this is a tactic to discourage people from coming it's not working

But surely even this barge is better than the conditions they have left behind in war-torn France?

War-torn France? What do you mean?

It’s odd that people are only now calling this outrageous. There was a boat docked in Edinburgh for months and months housing Ukrainian refugees and families. Similar set up needing transport on and off the base.

I think it is like war torn HK many of whoms residents can just fly here and set up living here.

Our troops were using the Bibby Stockholm for accommodation down the Falklands, usually 4 to a room.

Just wow LivingdeadgirlUK, the immigrants have been living in 4 start hotels and they are now being asked to move into accommodation that was good enough for our troops but they are now going to be 2 to a room.

Our troops were using the Bibby Stockholm for accommodation down the Falklands, usually 4 to a room.

Link? I can't find anything in its history about military use in the Falklands.

No but the Forces AND their families have had to live in crap housing
Two words...............Carillion Amey

And who is responsible for that?

Isn't that a grand demonstration of how the private sector does things better than the public sector.

I've never got why we don't utilise static caravan sites or build them. Either for existing homeless/ housing queue people, or could be extended for transitional occupation too.
They are considered fine for pensioners to spend their money on to live in on Park sites. A certain community have in the past managed to install them and connect them in a bank holiday weekend.
Cheaper than permanent housing and quicker to create.

I looked at pics from the inside, it all looks very much like standard student accommodation to me

September 2009
Exeter University has had to convert single bedrooms into double accommodation. About 200 students will spend their first year sleeping in bunk beds, with rent discounted from £170 a week to £110.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2009/sep/18/university-admissions-student-loans-housing

Great post. And this is what will push the UK to the right. It’s happening.

If you know anything about the situation in HK then you will understand that a. it is extremely dangerous for many HK Chinese and b. we are responsible for their safety

Why do you think there is any comparison between the security of a tourist travelling from UK, and a HK national? I don't understand why you think the govt advice on travelling to HK as a UK national is at all relevant to a HK national? The Chinese govt does not transport uk tourists to "re education camps" or execute them, as they do with their own nationals

Do you not understand the situation in HK?

People are making the point that France is not at war. Why would people get on a boat from Syria to come to the UK? It’s a long journey through the Med and round the Bay of Biscay.

What many people here fail to realise is that the UK extensively contributes to the conditions that have caused many in those countries to leave in desperation. Take Afghanistan; British interference helped cause much of the chaos that led to the rise of the Taliban.

We need to take responsibility for the suffering we have helped create. Alleviating the desperate state of education, health and water would go a long way. Yet aid is continually reduced while we continue to extract resources and fail to hold countries' corrupt leadership accountable.

This is cruelty ... if the UK ever does experience a war and if our lives are at risk.. where will you run to...??? ever think about that... ? ever think about people from the UK who go overseas for a better life.. better weather etc.. hoping to find jobs and a happier life maybe

Yes I have actually. Where would we go? Maybe Ireland or France if we were lucky and those countries were stable. And if we got the chance. Most likely the only places we’d be able to run to are right here on this island, the moors, the hills, the caves. Maybe north into less populated areas. We probably wouldn’t survive. One thing I would not expect is help from the countries many of these people are coming from, islamic or other countries, or those neighbouring them, very distant to here and if a very different culture. Given their misogyny I am not sure I would want their version of help anyway. I would not have the money or resources to travel far, as I don’t after working for years now, and if we did get some help and offer of any housing in America or Australia - cultures similar to our own - or European countries I would be grateful. I would not be going around harassing the local people there for sexual favours (of course as a female I don’t do that anyway).

Again, so much handwringing and attempting to guilt trip people who may well be at the bottom of the social hierarchy here, far lower than those we are supposed to feel so sorry for, and who have to work hard in an overpopulated country for anything now.

Our governments did. Not me! Take Afghanistan. I didn't want us to pull out. I didn't want the rush job that happened. I fully supported the money spent on the army and artillary to help them defend their country. It was their government which let them down and stole money meant for their army.

The vast majority of people seeking asylum do not come to the UK. France take way, way more refugees & asylum seekers than we do. But for the relatively smaller number who do come to the UK, the most common reason is to join their family who are already in the country. Another common reason is that they speak English. If you were having to rebuild your life after surviving war or persecution, family ties and a common language would make that easier, surely.

Genuinely shocked by the lack of empathy on this thread.

We aren’t an overpopulated country. We have a massive worker shortage in many key roles. We need more people of working age. In fact Rees-Mogg was banging on the other day about how we should be having more children to solve that very problem.

The problem is the unfair distribution of our wealth & resources, our lack of affordable housing, our under funded public services. None of those problems were caused by asylum seekers & none of them will be solved by directing your anger at asylum seekers (or even economic migrants). The government is trying desperately hard to distract you with all this division, but I don’t believe people are or will fall for it this time.

n fact Rees-Mogg was banging on the other day about how we should be having more children to solve that very problem

The same fucking Tories who have been telling people for DECADES not to have children if they cant afford them

I am old enough and have the, what's it called ? "lived experience"? to perhaps be able to help to some extent with that comment.

I don't know if the Bibby Stockholm has spent time in the Falklands but at least one similar oil industry accommodation barge has been used there, the original being known as the Coastel.

It was put in place at Port Stanley in early '83 to provide many Forces personnel with improved accommodation because initially, post conflict, many HM Forces personnel were accommodated four to a cabin on a car ferry (the TEV Rangatira) anchored in Stanley harbour...

The barge was a big improvement over the ferry - it was usually just two to a room, and if your room mate and yourself were on opposing shifts you got the space to yourself, if not on opposing shifts it was a bit "neat" but was acceptable for multiple month tours

There was some general recreation space (one or two big dining/common rooms) but not a lot...

I think post it's time being used by HM forces in the FI the original Coastel ended up as part of the Rikers Island Correctional facility in New York....

HTH.

Yes, that does help, your original claim that the Bibby Stockholm was used in the Falklands and even more packed than it is today is false. Thanks for clarifying.

My dad was posted to the Falklands, I don't think he spent much time in the accommodation. That's the difference when you have an actual job to go to.

@noblegiraffe

your original claim that the Bibby Stockholm was used in the Falklands and even more packed than it is today is false. Thanks for clarifying.

Errr, Hang on, "your original claim"?

I'm not the one making the claim that the Biiby Stockholm was ever down south...care to try that post again?.