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.

Still waiting for zzzz to tell us how many children she will be taking in.

Zzz you are unbelievably naive if you think the uk can let in an unlimited number of migrants. It's already very hard to get to see a GP, find a decent school place and access social services in many areas of the country.

Taking in millions of unemployable people (because many will be children or have no functioning English) is simply not an option.

Immigration is a good thing when we're talking about highly skilled professionals who will contribute to the economy, obey our laws and integrate into our society.

Accepting millions of the sort of savages who were in Cologne and elsewhere at New Year will result in this country ending up like Southall and/or in a civil war.

Wake up.

Distinguish between economic migrants & refugees. Process quickly & return economic migrants. Support humane camps in neighbouring countries as we are doing, without a lot of back up from other rich countries. Attempt to agree a quota system for genuine refugees within Europe. In the meantime don't leave 11 year olds in Calais alone in some kind of Dickensian squaler, take as many as we can. Stamp down very hard on any unacceptable behaviour by asylum seekers, both for the sake of the host community and the image of the law abiding majority. Do not pit the costs of assimilating refugees against cuts to services for the poor. Do not fall into the trap of the poor blaming the poorer. Get corporations to pay their taxes. Stop space travel and high speed rail links and universal benefits for rich pensioners. We are a better off household and I would be willing to pay more tax to help desperate kids alone in 'the jungle'. Disclaimer: I have already donated considerable time & money to help refugees. I know I am fortunate to have both.

By taking people in from Calais, it is more, not less, likely that children will drown. More incentive to get in a boat to Greece. David Cameron is absolutely right to insist that in the case if Syrian refugees, they are taken from the camps in Turkey/Jordan.

So where will these 11 year olds be placed?? Our social care system is already on its knees!

zzzz I don't care what religion anyone is? Why throw in The racism card? Is it because you have such a weak argument?

Nobody mentioned Muslims til YOU did

Clearly we need more money in social services then mum, & less in space travel or universal benefits for rich people.. And we need to make corporations, boots & Amazon & such like, pay their tax.

It's the here and now that money is needed.... But people here already would benefit from more money being spent on services. Let alone the rest of the world, services especially for the disabled, are cut to the bone. Be nice to see more money invested for them

Space travel? We don't have a space programme tho....

Universal benefits for rich people? What are they?

We just sent some guy into space didn't we.? No time to google now... I mean universal non means tested benefits, some of which obviously go to rich people. Must go now or we will be late for school & work.

zzzz your evacuees during the world war 2 is irrelevant. Those evacuees were British citizens sent from the large cities to the countries while the war was going on, once the war was over the evacuees went home again. If we took all at Calais, who are not all fleeing war, rehouse them, give them money, use of nhs, education etc, they will never go home again and will likely end up with their large extended families also here.

You have yet to answer where all those people are to be housed? I already think it's bad that refugees from Syria have been housed on the isle of somewhere in Scotland, back end of beyond with not a lot of prospects to mainstream and get jobs etc, even though they will just be glad to have somewhere safe to live, it is a remote place compared to the cities where a lot of people restart their lives

I don't think stopping space travel is a) necessary or b) prudent. They do a lot of brilliant important science up there.

Lol do you mean child benefit? Er, it's means tested now

And Tim Peake? Privately funded and part of European space programme I believe

Do they? What important science? The justification I read for it recently said it 'United humanity.' Really?? I would prefer to save kids from misery and drowning. Couldn't resist a quick google - we sent a British astronaut out as part of an international mission in December.

Was it really all privately funded? I didn't know that. I am thinking pensioner benefits - free travel & winter fuel which go to all over 65s no matter how fit or wealthy, & many baby boomers are wealthy having benefited from the huge explosion in property prices. And I would gladly give up my free infant school meals to help refugee kids, it is a nice bonus but we don't need it. But the biggest issue is corporate taxation - somehow big companies like boots and Amazon seem to get away with paying almost none. there would be a huge amount of money for services - and refugees ;) - if we could get them to pay properly.

It is indeed appalling that children are dying in freezing water. It is however their parents choice to put them in that danger.

Kinder Transport was a different scheme from the evacuation of British children away from cities during the Blitz.

How are they going to establish who these "children" are? I believe that there have been a fair few over 18s posing as younger in order to get through in the past.

Of course it's their choice to leave the relative safety of camps in Jordan, Lebanon etc.

zzzz oh ffs, wind your neck in! You seem determined to find racism or offence in everything posted. That was a statement if fact, in regard to the post by someone earlier about funding/the eventual fate of the children concerned. I was merely pointing out that they were two different things.

Oh and as already pointed out some of those at Calais aren't fleeing war so shy souls we take them??

Some very hard hearted people here. How can you argue against unaccompanied children with families in the Uk being allowed into the Uk? Kids reportedly as young as 8. Living with mud, disease and freezing conditions, tear gas being thrown into the camp regularly? France has suspended all law it seems whenit comes to the camps in Dunkirk and Calais.

The new containers will eventually fit 1500 people. 12 people each living in a 14 square meter container. No water, no way of cooking, one meal a day to be collected from a centre a couple of hundred meters away that they have to queue for hours to recieve. The only showers, the only clean water point for these people is in the same centre, again having to queue for hours to have a shower. Entry is via biometric data and people are scared that this will mean deportation for many. Those that were evicted a week or so ago, were not actually offered spaces in these containers, because they had barely even started opening. Clever manipulation of timing to confuse the press.

Many in the camps have claimed asylum in France. Because their legal process takes so long, they have no place to live. Others do want to come to the Uk, but remember, out of all of the refugees in Europe they are just a small percentage of them. Why do they want to come to the UK? For very many it is because they have family or friends who will look after them while they get on their feet, or because they want to be reunited with them. Others speak English and that will give them best chance of getting a job.

Of course there will be chancers in the camps. There are always people sho take advantage of a situation. There are also activists who stir things up, they do that inthe UK too. But for the very many who are genuine asylum seekers, a legal process must be started. We can't leave them to rot. They are people just like you and I, who were once doctors, engineers, bin men, nurses, with jobs and schools and now they have nothing and there is no hope for them back home.

Yes, its not going to be all roses. but for pities sake,we are all part of the human race, we are not better than they and they are not better than us. All are equal.

This is an interesting thread. I doubt anyone would argue that an unaccompanied 8 year old child whose family is somehow in the UK without them should be allowed in. But the reality is that this isn't what we are looking at here. The camps are not full of unaccompanied small children who have somehow been separated from their families.

The cold hard truth is that as we have seen over the past year or so, if we open the doors it encourages more to make the journey. And this isn't just syrian refugees it is people from all over seeing an opportunity and grabbing it. It's out of control and until it gets under control again it is very difficult to help those who are genuine asylum seekers and unfortunately that doesn't simply include anyone who lives in a war zone. If that was the case we'd just be moving people around the world indefinitely.

Loads of kids were thoroughly miserable during evacuation. Some were used as free labour, some were abused.

You say these kids are equal to ours and I agree. So why assume we can take them in en masse and bung them to any kind soul who will have them? While kids are already stuck in the care system for lack of appropriate options?

All I hear is platitudes about kindness, equality etc and nothing in the way of practical solutions.