How bothered are you about Small Boats?

[Spinet]

I think the idea that people think Small Boats with illegal immigrants on them is a really pressing issue is made up by politicians to have something to campaign on. Am I right? Is this a pressing issue as far as you're concerned?

I'm not really talking about immigration/ asylum seekers in general, just the small boats everyone keeps mentioning. If you're worried about people dying in the channel I get that, but do you think people finding their way here illegally is a major issue for our country at the moment?

I think it's clear I don't but I will accept I'm wrong about this being a made up issue if the majority disagree with me.

If you want to vote YABU= this is one of my top ten concerns. YANBU = I don't think it's a top ten issue for the country.

Sladurche the percentage of males is much higher than that. However I'm just responding to the original poster about my concerns as per his or her question.

I think they probably would have preferred that it was done to house British homeless folk, as opposed to asylum seekers. If such a thing can be done, why hasn't it been done by now to house people in desperate need already in the country?

We it’s going to be linked to Italy feeling the higher burden, it’s easy to see that?

Due to Med crossing path

Italy continues to receive the lion's share of those who arrive in Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea using smugglers. Italy received over 40% of arrivals to Europe in 2020, 14% of whom are children traveling alone. Italy hosts an estimated 41% of displaced persons living in reception facilitates across Europe.

Yeah, let them get overweight or obese like the majority of the UK.

Absolutely agree with this.

I've had to come off social media because the venom against these people is hard to stomach, save your hate for the bastards running the country.

It's absolutely fascinating how so many supposedly intelligent people don't seem to understand that these boats launch from France. I agree the French can sometimes be a bit annoying, and the food isn't always as good as it's cracked up to be, but when I last checked, several days ago, France is pretty safe. In fact it would be fair to say that France is in a much better state economically and politically than the UK. I have no idea why someone who is safely in France would dislike it so much that they would risk their own lives and that of their family in a dinghy across the Channel - perhaps we should find out, because it's definitely not fear of persecution by the French.

It bothers me that it is used as a wedge issue.

@LemonTT is right. I would urge everyone to realize that we are all on the same side: of course none of us want to see children dying in the middle of the water because of heartless, greedy human traffickers. Of course none of us want ANYONE dying. But even if you’re against ‘irregular immigration,’ which is fine, “stop the boats” is NOT even the most effective way to do that. It’s propaganda. Isn’t it disturbing how a “humanitarian crisis” becomes a “menace” within 16 months of an election.

If you’re repeating, “Stop the boats!” Please realize when you’re being hit by propaganda (this isn’t meant to be condescending; it really is a plea).

Everyone who is going to vote, whether Labour/Tory/LibDem/Green/etc, should read this. It shows EXACTLY how and when the government’s public stance on immigration has changed, including how the numbers were during each change in stance. And it includes sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/25/five-tory-pms-immigration-how-numbers-rhetoric-changed

The Tories have been in power for years and years now, and they were going to lower immigration by certain numbers (article includes direct quotes and links), and when it kept rising, those targets changed, and now that it’s almost time for an election and instead of lowering immigration, it’s gone up by 800K to 1 million, it’s now nothing about lowering immigration, just “STOP THE BOATS!” The article also shows a great timeline of Tory prime ministers since David Cameron and how much immigration was rising during their stances on immigration.

So, support what you want to support, but know that “STOP THE BOATS!” is the rallying cry of a party trying to cling to power, hoping their voters who don’t support immigration (and sadly, there seem to be many) will fall for this new “menace” and not NOTICE the 1.2 million legal immigrants the Tories are “letting in” per year, when immigration started in the low six digits under their government. This is straight out of a political playbook.

The majority of our prison population (89%) is British. The majority of rapists in prison (over 90%) are white. In fact, as a proportion of the UK population, Britons are far more likely to commit crime than immigrants.
If we are going to look at reducing rape, we should lock up all British young men. But we don't do that, because we don't assume that just because you are white and British and male that you are a rapist. I wish we would stop doing that for everyone.

We should obviously sink their boats - this is what we have a navy for

What a load of shite!

Where did you hear this bollox? Nowhere legitimate, that's for sure!

Try doing a bit of research!

It is the same old xenophobic rubbish trotted out time and time again. It is a waste of time engaging with these people.

Do you think people whose asylum claims are rejected from abroad will just say oh well or remain there? Or do you think they will risk a boat when the likelihood of being sent back is negligible?

A high proportion of people on the boats are Albanians who aren't even eligible for asylum.

Large numbers of unskilled economic migrants have left following Brexit. Now there are labour shortages in many sectors including adult social care and agriculture. If your theory is right, wages in these sectors should increase to attract UK nationals to do these jobs. That will mean tax rises and increased food prices to pay for the higher wages. I don't think that is what the Tories want - they want low paid workers doing these jobs to keep things cheap for the rich.

Our government should have been investing in upskilling our population and investing in ex-industrial areas to combat the problem of low wages. It has chosen instead to blame the most vulnerable people. How can this be true when all the power is on the hands of the rich elite?

Do you mean people arriving legally and overstaying their visas? Or people illegally entering the country at airports? I would have thought the latter would be impossible (but very happy to be corrected).

I’m bothered because while enough people on small boats can get here, then more will keep coming. That means more people trying to make dangerous crossing, more migrants dying, more sexual abuse, more rescuers put at risk & more money going into organised crime. Many potential migrants desperately need our help, but can’t make the journey because they are too poor, too frail or have caring responsibilities. I don’t want to decide who gets to come to the UK on the basis of who is fit and reckless enough to make the journey.

There should be safe, legal routes, but the criteria for who gets to come need to be set appropriately. THEN anyone who comes illegally should be deported. If they’ve destroyed their documents (common problem) then Rwanda looks like a decent option to me

Yep, there were plenty of farms and vineyards near me crying out for workers - so strange that there weren't lines of British people queueing up for those jobs. After all, 'buying British' is a constant trope I hear regularly trotted out as a reason for voting 'yes' to Brexit (my own bloody parents included).... that we should be buying and consuming more produce and products made here.

Except, we can't seem to find enough labour resources to pick it, pack it, transport it, assemble it, cook it, put it on the shelves, serve it or put it through the till for us.... weird that. It wouldn't be because so many British people feel those jobs are beneath them, surely? 1.46m people unemployed in the 3 months to July 2023 - the highest number since 2015.

Do you suppose the million that have just arrived are NOT fit and healthy and able to work?

A genuine question..why is it always assumed that people who arrive here have no money or access to financial support. Obviously some will be poor but surely others won’t be?

It's not even in my top 50 concerns for the country. Its another scapegoat to blame for failure.

However, I do think the Refugee system was set up 75 years ago in a different world, and designed for different things, and we need to sit down globally and decide on a different way to manage things.

There are several countries around the world consumed by war, violence, LGBTQ hate, and extremist regimes exacting human rights abuses on their citizens.

We need to tackle these issues globally - finding new ways to ensure all countries become safe in order that people can live their lives safely.

We fail monumentally at this.

I'm concerned about small boats and immigration but not in the way the Tories mean. I'm concerned that we have a refugee system that doesn't work. It is completely unfit for purpose and both the Tories and Labour are too busy throwing stones at each other and posturing - to put in the time, effort and finances to create local, national and global solutions.
I'm also concerned that people are being exploited by traffickers and that refugee camps in Europe are increasingly unsafe.
And then yy I'm concerned for the people in the boats because they're at high risk of exploitation and disappearing.
For there to be any workable, safe solution, then the small boats do need to be stopped. But all the supportive resources and administrative infrastructure need to be in place first.

Very few migrants come from France, most stay in the first country they land in. France has far more refugees than we do and (after working for the UN) refugees only come for pressing reasons. This is overwhelmingly because they have family in the UK, or close friends who can help them. The other reason is that English is the only language they can speak fluently and they feel they will have a better chance of quickly adapting getting settled here.
Particularly unaccompanied minors- many are orphans trying to reach the only family they have left (uncle, brother, sister, grandad).

@Lastchancechica - thousands of them are, but the Government generally won't let them work whilst their applications are awaiting processing.

The weird anti UK sentiment on this thread is so strange.

It is obviously going to be controversial to house asylum seekers in better conditions than a lot of UK citizens and to give them access to things like gyms that are out of reach for a large proportion of the native population. Many of the British people that can't afford these things will have worked all their lives, paid their taxes so arguably feel they should be further up the pecking order for assistance than someone that has just arrived and hasn't contributed anything to the country. I'm not really arguing the rights or wrongs of this sentiment, but more that I think anyone with an ounce of empathy can understand why people will feel disgruntled and how it is often those with the least that will feel the most hard done when they see the asylum seekers housed in fancy hotels with swimming pools and gyms.

ok then, sorry, my mistake. ALL these unchecked males arriving will all be Doctors & Dentists😇

Got you!

There are gyms in some of the accommodation asylum seekers are placed in which they are not charged to use. No need to be sneery- there is some truth in that poster’s comment.