I agree our government's response has been pathetic. DC and co are constantly reminding us about the importance of maintaining our position as a global power - putting the Great back into Britain. Well now is the time they need to step up and to lead.
A major global solution needs to be found - this is a global mess that is the legacy of generations of human exploitation, economic greed and political short termism.
And the Great British government (and people) should play a great big and leading role in sorting it out, as we have been greatest among the main instigators and beneficiaries for generations.
Let's be consistent - we are going through national austerity because it would be immoral to leave our grandchildren with a national debt/the deficit we have run up over previous generations. And so too with the situation at Calais and elsewhere across Europe/globe.
This is payback time for generations of plundering Africa (in the main) - for our over reliance on oil (resulting in our 'do anything to get it' philosophy to global affairs) and its effects on the planet leading to scarce resources such as water and fertile land. It is immoral for us to shirk our responsibility now and leave this mess for our children and grandchildren to live with.
And we need to be leading with some pretty dramatic interventions that are going to cost us a good deal more than a few hundred thousand asylum places.
Even the most simple mind must be able to reason that for every aspect of the lifestyles we enjoy - warm homes, cheap food, cars, cheap clothes etc we are running up a global deficit. But its not cash we owe - it's stability, safety, land, resources, clean water - the necessity for human life.
Don't think charitable giving - think debt repayment and let's start deep austerity now to pay for it.
This is likely to mean a drop in our standard of living, maybe overcrowding in our homes, less leisure and the consumption of fewer calories per person but when the debts are due we all have to cut back to repay them.
Think of the people in Calais who are trying to get to the UK in the back of lorries as the Bailiffs. We're not paying our debts and they are breaking down the door to get goods to equivalent value.
We need to start paying them now - for all we have taken in the past and we need to stop exploitation of people and thier resources now and into the future - even though it will make our lives less comfortable.
Otherwise there is going to be nothing Great at all for our grandchildren to inherit because continuing and increasing global inequity will lead to more political extremisims (IS is not religious - its a political & econmically driven movement ), more conflict and that's going be the ruin of us all.