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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Lily Allen in Calais

310 replies

parrots · 12/10/2016 19:43

Couldn't find another thread on this. The situation in Calais is awful, but AIBU to see Lily Allen's overtures as slightly virtue signalling and self-indulgent?

OP posts:
BakeOffBiscuits · 12/10/2016 20:16

Milk where will these people go of the French distroyed the camps p, as they are planning to? Do the French have a plan or is it- fuck off?

loobyloo1234 · 12/10/2016 20:16

How has Britain destroyed nations?

Do you know who Tony Blair is Morris? Confused

memyselfandaye · 12/10/2016 20:18

What good has she actually done? If she had gone there quietly and helped instead of using it as an opportunity to show the world she's an angel, maybe she would deserve some respect.

How many days was she there? Or was it just a few hours?

Yet again a privileged celebrity is banging the drum, Charlotte Church, Emma Thompson, that twat Russell Brand, all like a cause as long as there's a photo op and a chance to tell us all how crap Britain is.

ScaryMonstersandSuperCreeps · 12/10/2016 20:18

She is trying to redeem herself in the eyes of the public after her shenanigans imho!!!

MistressMerryWeather · 12/10/2016 20:19

Milk Flowers

You and all of the people who work with you have my deepest admiration.

I think she's bringing awareness, Darkness. I don't think enough people understand how awful things are there at the moment so anything to bring attention (even if its people slagging her off) is good IMO.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 12/10/2016 20:20

She is trying to redeem herself in the eyes of the public after her shenanigans imho!!!

You could have a point.

PortiaCastis · 12/10/2016 20:20

Why does this camp exist? Why dont these people claim asylum in the first safe Country they reach?

BakeOffBiscuits · 12/10/2016 20:22

"what good has she done?"

Well she's got people talking about the situation.

And people may actually learn something. When there's people asking "what's it got to do with Britain" then there are people who desperately need to do a bit of learning!

Creampastry · 12/10/2016 20:22

Funny how a huge majority of people in the jungle are men.... women and children are there but not in the same numbers, much fewer. Most (men) are economic migrants.

Owllady · 12/10/2016 20:22

God mumsnet is so bloody naive.
I don't really have time for Lily Allen in that I have nothing in common with her and I don't like her music but fgs why concentrate on her tears as attention seeking when there is one of the worst refugee crises we have seen fir decades. It makes me feel sick seeing those people desperate to get to their families here (and so would I want to) They are human beings, they are not animals.
Europe does need to be ashamed of itself how it is dealing with this.
Is it just Britain's fault? No, it isn't, but they've had a part to play in the whole of this humanitarian crisis and it makes me feel ashamed too.

Heatherbell1978 · 12/10/2016 20:24

YABU. I'm fairly sure if anyone spent any time in the Jungle they'd be embarrassed to be British. Sorry but it's all well and good saying what you think sitting on your sofa in the warmth but I know I for one couldn't set one foot on that place without breaking down. The images I see break my heart and I'm sure they broke hers. She's only human.

FluffyPineapple · 12/10/2016 20:24

MilkandAssal It sounds as if you are able to answer a few questions re the Calais problem. How come the "13 year old" that was featured was obviously not 13? How come there are so many children in Calais without their parents? How do they think that UK is the only European country to offer them asylum? How many European countries have they passed through to get to France? Who told them the best way to get to UK is to risk their lives hanging underneath lorries? Why are they not being granted asylum in France? Why are they UK's problem? How many refugees is Lily Allen housing at the moment? If rape is a big problem in Calais why should UK open their doors to potential rapists? Can't men keep it in their pants in the "desperate" situation they find themselves in? Shouldn't they be thinking of other things other than getting their end away? Why should parents put their children at risk to "rescue" these animals? Given that Syria is being bombed by Russia why exactly does UK have to apologise??

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 12/10/2016 20:24

God mumsnet is so bloody naive.

Can't speak for others but no, I'm not 'bloody naive' thank you.

notaflyingmonkey · 12/10/2016 20:24

Maybe she doesn't speak for all of Britain, but she certainly speaks for those with a conscience. Good on her.

clam · 12/10/2016 20:24

I was also pissed off she said "England," not even "the UK."

BastardGoDarkly · 12/10/2016 20:25

Some are cream I wouldn't say most. I think there's a large percentage that make the dangerous journey first hoping to be able to get into a position to bring their families over.

Loading your wife and kids into a dinghy on a dangerous sea/leaving them in a war ravaged country, not much of a choice really.

PortiaCastis · 12/10/2016 20:26

How many refugees is she going to house?

MaQueen · 12/10/2016 20:26

Tunelessly warbling a few ditties 10 years ago, affecting an estuary accent (despite having gone to Benenden FFS) and wearing pretty wellies at Glastonbury does not qualify you to speak on behalf of this country...

Mawkish self aggrandisement...

Guavaf1sh · 12/10/2016 20:26

Portia is right. The camp shouldn't exist and France is a safe country. People abandoned their children there to fend for themselves. There is no good in that situation. The UK cannot accommodate the entirety of Africa. But individually you can clearly see why they try to come here. But legally they have no ground and morally they have no ground.

abbsismyhero · 12/10/2016 20:27

we tried to help them to be fair now if no one wants our help dont come into our country it's not our fault they are fighting they have been doing it before us they will continue long after we have gone

im done with all the atrocities people see fit to lay at our door we didn't start the fighting and people conveniently forget it was them asking us for help that got us involved we didn't just wander into it we had our hand forced now we get the blame sod off withdraw our troops and our support see how fast people are screaming at us to put an end to it all again

it's so dispiriting we leave them too it wrong we help them out again wrong

PortiaCastis · 12/10/2016 20:28

The traffickers are the only winners. Britain didn't put people in leaky boats they paid to get in them.

Owllady · 12/10/2016 20:28

ExplAin to the thread why you are not naive piglet. I'm interested to hear as you've only posted in regards to Lily Allen and maybe you have something more succinct to add regarding the humanitarian crisis in Europe atm

specialsubject · 12/10/2016 20:28

Apparently she wants lots of rich people to put their hands in their pockets. A good start would be...

And the uk didnt start the nightmare for these people. We did get it wrong in our involvement.

Blubbering and words do nothing. Hand in pocket for the relevant aid agencies would be more convincing.

user1471855186 · 12/10/2016 20:29

I actually don't think she's done anything wrong in saying this. Of course she knows she's not able to apologise on behalf of everyone in the country, it's a turn of phrase. I apologise to European's for Brexit - do I speak for the 48%? No. On the face of it she's right - we've created this situation, maybe not as individuals, but as a country, and we have put children at risk. She might be self promoting but it's got us all talking about Calais and I wouldn't have given this issue a thought today if I hadn't seen this so she has served a purpose whether you like her or not.

PortiaCastis · 12/10/2016 20:31

The 2 found in a dinghy in the channel had the cheek to ring our coastguard for help from a working mobile phone.