This government and their direction of travel, frightens me.

[Kendodd]

Teressa May (last government, but same party) with her 'go home immigrants' vans and hostle environment.
Immigration and Borders act.
Transportation to Rwanda.
Bringing laws in trying to limit our right to protest.
Lying to the queen to prorogue parliament.
Lying in the house of commons.
Trying to change the law to get one of your MPs off.
Pretty much ripping up the ministerial code.
Windrush.
Admitting that they're just going to break international law.

I bet they will come after the human rights act and try to get us out of ECHR.

Worse, I think a great many of the public love the fact they've done all the above and would cheer loudly at the ripping up of the human rights act and ECHR membership (wtaf?)

How did we get to this?

@Quincunx

Fishywishy Who are these "core voters" you speak to? Russian oligarchs on golden visas?

Not sure how the economy's going to improve with the disparity of incomes and corporate bloodsucking at this kind of level.

I wonder if anyone has stopped to consider whether there would be fewer migrants if there wasn't such a disparity of incomes and corporate bloodscuking?

Getting tough on illegal immigration is a popular policy.

Thing is, it's not just illegal immigration (which seeking asylum is not) it's legal immigration that's hated as well. We were willing to take the economic damage of Brexit so we could stop care assistants and builders coming here from Europe.

@maducks

How do we manage the tidal wave of illegal immigrants?

What on EARTH are you on about?! There IS no tidal wave of immigrants to the UK.

The UK comes way, way, way down the list of counties in the world accepting immigrants. Way down the list even of European countries. On many indexes the UK isn't even listed because it's so far down.

That's just a fact. Not my 'feeling' about it, not my politics. Just plain truth. Google it.

I am absolutely fed up with the plain ignorance around this issue. People saying stuff based on their stupidity and bigotry rather than on real facts. What the hell has happened to people in this country? They used be informed by the truth and now manipulated emotion seems to be enough.

If you don't believe me. Google it. All the information is there.

It’s called democracy. 13 million people voted Tory. They had a choice and they rejected the alternative. It’s just a fact, not an opinion.

@Kendodd

Getting tough on illegal immigration is a popular policy.

Thing is, it's not just illegal immigration (which seeking asylum is not) it's legal immigration that's hated as well. We were willing to take the economic damage of Brexit so we could stop care assistants and builders coming here from Europe.

I don't need any building work doing on my house and I am quite capable of caring for myself, so I fail to see why we need any of them to migrate here.

@sst1234

It’s called democracy. 13 million people voted Tory. They had a choice and they rejected the alternative. It’s just a fact, not an opinion.

And what a good job they did, because the Tories under Boris know what a woman is and how to totally ignore their needs.

[quote Horological]@maducks

How do we manage the tidal wave of illegal immigrants?

What on EARTH are you on about?! There IS no tidal wave of immigrants to the UK.

The UK comes way, way, way down the list of counties in the world accepting immigrants. Way down the list even of European countries. On many indexes the UK isn't even listed because it's so far down.

That's just a fact. Not my 'feeling' about it, not my politics. Just plain truth. Google it.

I am absolutely fed up with the plain ignorance around this issue. People saying stuff based on their stupidity and bigotry rather than on real facts. What the hell has happened to people in this country? They used be informed by the truth and now manipulated emotion seems to be enough.

If you don't believe me. Google it. All the information is there.[/quote]
What people care about is perception and who they vote for is fact. It’s people’s perception that immigration is too high and the result is that the voted Tory. ‘Tidal wave’ is a subjective term. The voting majority doesn’t agree with you, clearly.

People will still come to France and other places to try to get to the UK. They are not going to stay in the countries they are being persecuted in.

So what happens?

They stay in the camps, waiting.
Or they try to go on the boats, get deported to Rwanda.

So won't the reality be that there will be a lot of people in the camps - if the aim is to stop people crossing by boats.

Could we do more in France with processing?

Speed up processing? Work with countries in Europe collaboratively to spread refugees out?

People are going to keep fleeing countries.

Who should look out for them?

Processing in France would be a much better idea. But then the two sides cannot grandstand and score points.

I think its terrifying, and i also feel more disenfranchised than ever. I think since Brexit and then lockdown and the more corruption thats constantly being uncovered that then gets ignored, and then the great british public continue to vote for them. It blows my tiny mind. It was bad enough with the panama papers. I feel like ive given up

What people care about is perception and who they vote for is fact. It’s people’s perception that immigration is too high and the result is that the voted Tory. ‘Tidal wave’ is a subjective term. The voting majority doesn’t agree with you, clearly

Perception is interesting.

I wonder how people's perceptions have been changed by seeing the war in Ukraine?

We are not talking about immigration but refugees.

4 million refugees in Turkey

1 million in Germany

It's easy to create a perception in people's mind. I wonder if people's perceptions would change by having more awareness of the world we live in?

@sst1234

It’s called democracy. 13 million people voted Tory. They had a choice and they rejected the alternative. It’s just a fact, not an opinion.

Just over 40% of the electorate. It’s hardly a resounding endorsement.

I am very angry and sad about it. I could feel the tides turning since Windrush and Brexit. A lot of expressed outrage, but no one standing our corner. I didn't want my children to be "tolerated", even though they were actually born there.

It's not just the poor who are being turned away from the UK. Many of us who emigrated from the Commonwealth . . . we are repatriating. This government and its supporters have lit a flaming, stinking bonfire on a wonderful country.

It's not anti-immigrant to attempt to stem the flow of unsafe/illegal migrants from crossing the Channel in dinghies provided by criminal gangs.

Most immigration to the UK is legitimate and granted on many grounds; including proven Asylum Seekers and Refugees.

Unfortunately the volume of illegal entry migrants has blown away the existing systems for Asylum Seekers and Refugees so something needs to be done.

I'm not sure yet if the Rwandan Proposal is the best solution, but parts of it at least may provide a solution for part of the problem.

As a middle aged conservative voter and no fan of Boris or Pretty Patel I can tell you what I'm not happy with about our current asylum system - When people arrive and claim asylum they are put in really inappropriate accommodation - detention centres or hotels, and or they are often 'picked up' and can easily enter the modern slave trade. The home office are useless and take ages to asses applications - they need a complete overhaul. A lot has been said about the dangers of people arriving in boats or on the back of lorries which is far from safe but worse than that is the money made by criminal gangs who have found the immigrate excellent fodder for the extortion of all their and their poor families' life savings. As for the 'camps' around the French ports and the way the French Police 'move' the people on and burn all their possessions, it's all such a fuck up. If saying you will have to go to Rwanda to be processed or you can return home has any effect on all of this ghastly situation then I think it's worth trying.
It already costs £5m a day to house the existing asylum seekers so we already pay loads currently.

@feedyourheed

The ones without a valid claim will still arrive via the Channel safe in the knowledge there is nothing we can do about it. The idea that they pay all that money to people smugglers only to be sent back to Africa will eventually be a deterrent and will also prevent deaths. The threat of Rwanda should see channel crossings dwindle to zero. In which case it is a good plan, no?

No. It doesn’t work like that. It could even make the people smuggling problem worse.

I like your little ‘no?’ - how very French!

I am very angry and sad about it. I could feel the tides turning since Windrush and Brexit. A lot of expressed outrage, but no one standing our corner. I didn't want my children to be "tolerated", even though they were actually born there.

So what is your sollution then, My family are asylum seekers and they among a lot of ther friends are for the Rwanda deal.

What is the alternative solution?

My family are asylum seekers and they among a lot of ther friends are for the Rwanda deal

How very hypocritical of them. Just like Patel in fact.

It’s starting to feel like we’re living in the bloody Hunger Games in the UK

How many refugees are there in the UK?
According to UNHCR statistics, as of mid-2021 there were 135,912 refugees, 83,489 pending asylum cases and 3,968 stateless persons in the UK. The vast majority of refugees – 4 out of 5 – stay in their region of displacement, and consequently are hosted by developing countries. Turkey now hosts the highest number of refugees with 3.7 million, followed by Colombia with 1.7 million.
(Source: UNHCR 2021 Mid-Year Trends Report)
Where do asylum-seekers in the UK come from?
Amongst adults, Iran was the top nationality claiming asylum in the UK in 2021, as it has been every year since 2016, with 9,800 applications.
In the year ending September 2021, the top five countries of nationality for asylum applications (from main applicants) were: Iran (6,002), Eritrea (4,412) Albania (4.010), Iraq (3,042) and Syria (2,303).

If saying you will have to go to Rwanda to be processed or you can return home has any effect on all of this ghastly situation then I think it's worth trying.

My understanding of the scheme (which could be wrong) is that it’s a one way ticket to Rwanda. Not just being processed in Rwanda or being temporarily accommodated there while awaiting determination of asylum claims.

@TheHateIsNotGood

It's not anti-immigrant to attempt to stem the flow of unsafe/illegal migrants from crossing the Channel in dinghies provided by criminal gangs.

Most immigration to the UK is legitimate and granted on many grounds; including proven Asylum Seekers and Refugees.

Unfortunately the volume of illegal entry migrants has blown away the existing systems for Asylum Seekers and Refugees so something needs to be done.

I'm not sure yet if the Rwandan Proposal is the best solution, but parts of it at least may provide a solution for part of the problem.

Whats your suggestion for someone who wants to claim asylum in the UK getting to the UK then?

@Justanotherlurker

I am very angry and sad about it. I could feel the tides turning since Windrush and Brexit. A lot of expressed outrage, but no one standing our corner. I didn't want my children to be "tolerated", even though they were actually born there.

So what is your sollution then, My family are asylum seekers and they among a lot of ther friends are for the Rwanda deal.

What is the alternative solution?

I have no idea how previous asylum seekers can have a mentality like yours and your families. What is wrong with them/you?

@Justanotherlurker

I am very angry and sad about it. I could feel the tides turning since Windrush and Brexit. A lot of expressed outrage, but no one standing our corner. I didn't want my children to be "tolerated", even though they were actually born there.

So what is your sollution then, My family are asylum seekers and they among a lot of ther friends are for the Rwanda deal.

What is the alternative solution?

Solution to what? I expressed my point of view of being an immigrant to the UK and not feeling like the future was optimistic for my family because of this government creating a climate of intolerance towards immigrants. Full stop. My solution is the political will to implement an immigration policy that supports the Commonwealth and make that meaningful rather than a gesture, to stop this "tidal wave" of shitstirring that others immigrants. That made us feel like we would never belong no matter what--and I am the second generation in my family to emigrate from the Caribbean, only to leave again.

Best of luck to your family. I believe you misunderstood my words.

Whats your suggestion for someone who wants to claim asylum in the UK getting to the UK then?

Quite obviously they should not be trying to get to the UK, why can't they just stay in France with the other foreigners?

This government and the people that continue to vote for them really distresses me. I am 34, so wasn’t really in to politics or things like that back when Tony Blair went to war, but I am sickened by that too. I have said for the last four years that the Tory party will eventually ride to victory, yet again, with reintroducing the death penalty to the U.K.

As a very eloquent poster said upthread, we are governed by a type of person that still believes in colonialism and slavery. We called ourselves Great Britain once, but, really, we are a miserly nation full of racist, self indulgent people, eager to cling on to an ‘illegal immigrant’ sound bite.

I live in Wales and will gladly vote for independence, should that day come.