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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Good to see some BBC balance on immigration ...

36 replies

imagenmasgrande · 04/11/2022 15:18

After all the negative stories putting pressure on the Home Secretary this week, you could have been forgiven for thinking the BBC were on a mission to force her out, so it's good to see this story for much needed balance, and as an example of grown up investigative journalism as opposed to personality politics:
BBC News - Channel crossings: Albanian migrants recruited to the UK by gangs
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63488070

Btw, I'm not a Conservative voter, or a strong supporter of any other party.

OP posts:
BewareTheLibrarians · 04/11/2022 20:03

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen Finally someone’s had the guts to say it like it is! 0.6% of the total UK population, who are apparently all crammed into a tiny corner of the south east, have the power to destroy the infrastructure of the entire country - even in places where there aren’t any asylum seekers at all! With that amount of power I will certainly be voting for them at the next election!

StressedToTheMaxxx · 04/11/2022 20:21

sandgrown · 04/11/2022 16:43

My teenage son told me months ago that all the major drugs gangs in the uk are run by Albanians . Why do people think young fit men are risking their lives to get to the uk ? . They are not coming from a war torn country . They will not fill the employment gaps . I can’t see them working in care or hospitality,

Your son isn't wrong. Many of the major drugs gangs are. I used to work in a children's home which took in 12-17 year olds and in the short ish time that i worked there, we had three Albanian teenagers (who looked mid to late 20s to be honest) who were unaccompanied minors with no documentation on them. One of them did a runner in the middle of the night into a waiting car, the other absconded during free time, never to be seen by us again and the last one was carted off by the police for kicking the office door down and stealing the money box.

We had to liaise with the gards (Irish police) on each occasion and were advised that sometimes, if they are caught coming into the country, they will claim that they are under 18 and be housed by children's services, from where they will abscond. They apparently come into the country and are heavily involved in the drugs trade.

BewareTheLibrarians · 04/11/2022 20:28

@Unseelie I think it’s important to make a distinction between the Albanian organised crime gangs, and the victims they traffic to the UK to work in slavery conditions. Men and boys are trafficked/smuggled here to work in cannabis farms and similar in slavery conditions, and girls and women to work in forced prostitution.

Unfortunately the UK’s anti slavery protections are so weak that’s it’s open season for any crime gangs wanting to be here, meaning more victims will be trafficked here.

Anybody wanting a reduction in numbers should write to their Tory mp asking for the anti slavery commissioner to be reinstated (we haven’t had one for 7 months, and she was critical of the government’s weak response to stopping organised crime gangs who used modern slavery, and lack of support for victims.) and for the government to take the recommendations of the anti slavery commissioner on board.

If you think modern slavery may be happening at a business or house, you can report it anonymously to Crimestopprrs here
crimestoppers-uk.org/keeping-safe/community-family/modern-slavery

The Home Office also moved the modern slavery brief away from the minister responsible for safeguarding and made it an immigration issue, in an attempt to punish asylum seekers whose claimed to have been trafficked. However, the group with the most trafficking referrals in the UK are actually British children, whose cases now risk not being correctly dealt with. They are directly left at risk because of this decision.

And this is why the dialogue can’t just be “get rid of the illegals/they’re all criminals”. Because the policies that the government are putting in place to deal with asylum seekers directly affect British communities, and British people, including children.

And none of us should be ok with that.

BewareTheLibrarians · 04/11/2022 20:29

@StressedToTheMaxxx Do you think that’s their choice?

HikingforScenery · 04/11/2022 20:30

Underanothersky · 04/11/2022 16:25

So your point is that the current immigration system is so damaged and unfit for purpose that it leaves people vulnerable to what amounts to trafficking and slavery?

Yes, I think this is the point the OP is trying make.
I agree, OP.

roarfeckingroarr · 04/11/2022 20:47

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 04/11/2022 16:38

Oh OP, don’t you know that MN firmly believes that everyone in the world has an inalienable right to come and live in Britain ( usually in England, in the South east if they prefer) irrespective of their qualifications, beliefs or previous convictions. The ‘Tories’ are heartless bastards for questioning this.

MN posters also complain bitterly about house prices, rental availability , over crowding in schools, NHS waiting lists, rising taxation. The ‘ Tories’ are completely to blame for these shortfalls, as they have mislaid their magic wand.

These two topics and stances are, of course, completely unrelated.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 04/11/2022 20:51

The right like to make out everyone foreign is a criminal, child molesting, serial killer
The left like to make out everyone foreign is a hard working doctor
Fact is some people are good, some are bad- some are seeking asylum on true grounds, others are taking advantage.
we need safe routes, real vetting- not Rwanda but nor flood Kent hotels and schools with adult male migrants!

OnABreeze · 04/11/2022 20:54

MrsPear · 04/11/2022 19:08

And this is why we are changing names by deed poll and hiding heritage. Or maybe we should go back (to my husbands) home?

Oh FGS, having a foreign name is very different to entering a country illegally! (And I have a very foreign surname!)

So fed up of people preaching that if you don't agree with illegal immigration you are racist/xenophobic.

StressedToTheMaxxx · 04/11/2022 20:54

BewareTheLibrarians · 04/11/2022 20:29

@StressedToTheMaxxx Do you think that’s their choice?

I wasn't discussing whose choice it was, I was simply stating facts.

BewareTheLibrarians · 04/11/2022 21:02

@OnABreeze Im sure everybody disagrees with illegal immigration, but that’s not what asylum seeking is. Unfortunately “illegal immigration/illegals” is a term that’s been co-opted by the (far) right, some politicians and media outlets, even though it’s not the correct term, in order to stoke division. And more unfortunately, people unknowingly using the term “illegal immigration” thinking it’s correct, can get a bit piled on as it’s become such a(n incorrect) trope and get accused of being racist/xenophobic. It’s not right, but I hope that explains it a bit.

NeelyOHara1 · 04/11/2022 21:19

If any proposed solutions make both the left and the right feel uncomfortable then we can probably assume they are nuanced and realistic. But will they get heard?

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