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.

Asylum Seekers only get stuff for free because the law is that they aren't allowed to work so if they didn't get stuff for free they would be dead within a few days.

If there was an official asylum seeker status which once triggered allowed an asylum seeker to work and support themselves while the claim was being processed then we would have an instant solution. Many of them are highly qualified and experienced. Even those who are unskilled could be doing useful jobs.

The number of jobs isn't a limited resource. Jobs are created all the time in response to the dynamic factors of available workforce and opportunities so this would provide an overall boost to the economy benefitting everyone. Not doing this is a deliberate political choice in order to have a category of people that can be demonised.

Over 45,000 people made that journey in 2022. That's 45,000 needing a home. How many people do you think would be arriving if they were given a ferry ticket and a complimentary lunch? A million?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/over-100-000-people-now-likely-to-have-crossed-channel-in-small-boats-since-records-began-12937171

It's not the boats but the desperate people in them that I give a damn about.

Do you have a number in mind? We could make it very easy but how many would say ok

One of the biggest drains on the public purse is our inefficient system that’s not fit for purpose processing claims.
If we had a huge overhaul, sorted out the backlog and got people into work fast we’d save crazy amounts. Tying people up jobless and dependent for years is the UK’s own fault, so I’m not sympathetic.
Get claims either in work fast and processed to be independent, or process the claim and deport quickly. Get a proper system running and save billions, not hole pluging with travel lodge for years while they wait.

I work as a support worker with assylum seekers- they absolutely don't get a free gym membership, occasionally if they're in a hotel that already had a gym they might be allowed to use that. They also don't really get access to a dentist, only the children at my hotel do, adults have access to an emergency number (same as the rest of the UK) and if they're lucky they MIGHT get an appointment somewhere, but in my experience it isn't somewhere close by to where they're staying

I think the SB are the least of our worries. They're a tiny percentage of overall population. Nothing we do is going to deter them as they're fleeing persecution, death, war.

There are no legal routes to the UK for asylum seekers or refugees apart from a few very limited exceptions so they have to come here by any means possible in order to make an asylum claim.

Rather than spending money on boats to house them or giving money to Rwanda, we should spend all the money on hiring staff to process their claims with a target of 1 month turnaround for each claim.

But the home office is such a shambolic train wreck it will never happen, it currently has a backlog of 175,000 claims waiting for a decision.

Nah not really. Loads though I imagine

They are fleeing France

I’m concerned only because of the traffickers and dangerous conditions. There should be more legal routes,faster processing and to allow processing in other countries.

Yes I'm bothered. Where the fuck are we going to put them all? No housing, no doctors, no dentists, benefits being cut, councils going bankrupt, no mental health provisions. We, as a nation, cannot look after our own at the moment, we certainly can't care for others.

More than 800 people made the journey on Saturday, bringing the total for the year so far to almost 21,000
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/03/highest-daily-number-of-channel-small-boat-crossings-for-2023-recorded

I'm bothered from the perspective that it is massively dangerous, and I don't know what the answer is.

@WWoollyguru unfortunately it's not as straight forward as that- we need the cooperation of other EU countries and as we left the EU they aren't really under any obligation to help us out.

In saying that even claims that don't require EU help are still taking a lot longer then they should unfortunately

These people are going to be your doctors, dentists, house builders and the tax payers who will fund your public services.

Sunak is “writing off” £19billion in lost public money from dodgy PPE contracts under the guise of the public not wanting to know what happened.
They’re lining their crony pockets with the funding for ridiculous and expensive “small boat asylum boats”.

If we’re worried about the cost of things let’s start there not with some poor soul braving the channel on a dinghy.

It’s incredibly dangerous to cross the channel in small boats. It absolutely is a serious issue.

@Winter2020 if you bothered to educate yourself you'll find out that they're fleeing countries like Afghanistan. It's ignorant people like you who are a much bigger problem for the UK than SB.

Yes I'm bothered. Where the fuck are we going to put them all? No housing, no doctors, no dentists, benefits being cut, councils going bankrupt, no mental health provisions. We, as a nation, cannot look after our own at the moment, we certainly can't care for others.

Do you think the lack of housing, doctors, dentists etc is down to Asylum seekers, or do accept that this is the fault of our government?

That’s not true. What’s the point of making stuff up?

So they take a dinghy from Afganistan to Kent now? They don't though do they? They take it from France

That’s kinda how I feel. They really aren’t the place to look for the wider social issues. It’s not the main drain on money.
Let those work who are able (I bet loads if they are physically able to make the journey) and it’s even less of an issue.

What would be really great is if the UK started a massive infrastructure building programme and offered jobs to migrants waiting for a decision. Might help cut down on the racism too.

France is a safe country. They should stay there.

Tbf both are factors. Same with housing. High net migration is one factor in housing shortages. There are others such as our inability to build sufficient housing for decades.

I work with asylum seekers.

Some are highly qualified eg doctors, dentists, social workers, engineers. They all want to work. But they are forced to wait. For years.

They can be moved with very little notice. If they have their children with them- once their child turns 18 they are removed mikes away from their families. It is cruel. And unnecessary.
They get a call saying a taxi is coming for you this afternoon we are moving you as you are now 18.

Their stories are horrific. And the government are focussing on the wrong thing. Should be processed faster and allowed to work.