That it's a massive waste of time, effort, money, lives and we should just bring them over by coach and ferry.

[Ablondiebutagoody]

I have just watched the video from earlier today/yesterday of a migrant boat departing Boulogne. The one where the Dad (presumably) ditches his toddler in the sea in order to get onto the boat. The kid was instantly picked up by French emergency workers and it struck me that this whole situation is completely bizarre.

There were approximately half a dozen lifeguards around the boat on jet skis and paddle boards, probably also a load of police out of frame. The boat will then be shadowed by French coastguard vessels until halfway across the channel, at which point border force/RNLI will pick them up and bring them to the UK. They will then be greated by coaches, a couple of hundred riot police and some gammons before continuing to their destination.

AIBU to think that this is all a total farce and we should simply provide the coaches from the outset?

YABU - The current arrangement is best.

YANBU - Coach and ferry would be better for everyone.

@EmeraldRoulette so deserving immigration vs bad immigration? I thought we had moved from the empirical shite.....

No, just the actual legal definition of being a refugee vs an economic migrant entering a country illegally.

There doesn't need to be any law to define simple common sense. It's clear as day that, if you escape from a genuinely dangerous country to a safe country, you very probably are a legitimate asylum seeker (and would presumably care enough for your family to bring them with you to safety too). However, if you then move on to another safe country that you happen to like better for whatever reason, you have now become an economic migrant, whatever you were previously.

Important distinctions, yes. I find them important. Clearly, you don’t and you’re entitled to your point of view.

Why do the men come on their own, then, if they're fleeing life-threatening danger? If your house was on fire, would you just run to safety yourself and leave your kids in the house to burn to death?

you should be able to apply for asylum from outside the UK and then we could take the most genuine cases via safe routes, rather than whoever has the most money to pay for crossings

Let's not forget the amount of rapes and sexual assaults happening in the UK, by non descript men.......when did our media change that it no longer mentions skin colour unless the person of interest is white?

its making me feel sick having 2 teenage daughters. These "men" have no concept of legal and consenting sex.

700 people apparently entered today, how much did that cost us legitimate taxpayers? House them, feed them, yes we do also cloth them and give them phones, people that think its a conspiracy need to give their heads a wobble.

I don't understand why the Government's doing nothing to protect itself and its citizens? Also why is our media not reporting accurately? Apparently 200 protesters in Portsmouth......any live stream on any media platform clearly shows 100s if not at least 1000+

Lots of families who settled here whilst we are in the EU who were our care workers and laborers have moved back because of Brexit and like it or not, these countries are doing better than we are. The families left behind I still work with are mostly Roma, and whilst the UK is not great for them, a tiny bit of research will inform people of how shite life is for them back in central Europe- the racism is off the scale and people here are not particularly understanding.

A lot of men in many parts of the world are at risk of death because of their sexuality. This includes Albania and there is also a lot of contining threats in certain areas to certain faiths/ethnicities since/before the Balkan war. There is information out there for those who want to read up on it.

As for those trying to get here from the middle east, I really cannot understand why people object. If it was your family- what would you do? Most people cannot even begin to contemplate making these decisions. Again, the privilege of being born into a safe country. However, the UK really does need to take accountability for our role in destabilizing other countries and colonialism.

@BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows really after all these years people are still raising this? The family pay to get someone here and they send the person who they think can survive the crossing. These are desperate people in fear for their family. What would you do?

I agree it’s an absolute farce

process the applications could be done quicker but it is still a long process so what country will hold them in the mean time

I wish governments would work together along with parties in this country. There is shorter term solutions and long term solutions that need to be put into place

Then how do they get the rest of the family over? Even if the husband can gain the entitlement to bring his family over, they still have to find the money to pay for their travel.

If they're coming from Asia or Africa, why do they actually NEED to come all the way to western Europe, if they genuinely are refugees fleeing danger in their own country? Is there really no safe country in the whole of their continent, that would be much, much cheaper to travel to? Especially considering that they will likely be passing through multiple of those supposedly equally-dangerous countries on their way?

Just out of interest, how many people on this thread have much to do with actual real-life asylum seekers? Because those of us who do have very few issues, maybe too much empathy for you folks, but apart from that I have just found them to be actual people who have survived in situations I could not begin to imagine. In the case of women, often with a child/ren with them and leaving extended support behind. Most men have been very respectful and wanting to work and contribute to the UK, having escaped what ever they left their whole life for.

No not just the illegal immigrants but compounded with no growth, high unemployment, NHS waiting lists, cost of living we cannot afford all these ‘doctors and scientists’ Immigrants who arrive legally and who contribute to the economy, embrace our culture, follow the same laws we abide by, then that is great. Think we all appreciate that. What is not acceptable is people arriving with no documentation, behaving badly, not following our rules, costing the taxpayer and disrupting our way of life. Also Brexit did not cause this problem, look at the figures on returns before Brexit, 200/300 per year. Germany, France, Ireland, Spain all have the same problem. And I voted remain.

I used to live near one of the hotels. It was a truly awful experience. This was years before it became so talked about.

I’m not gonna go into it again but I have posted about it a little bit on here.

i’m not sure I’d call them real asylum seekers.

We had some refugees who arrived under an official system at the church where I used to volunteer.

Personally, I don't have any problem with them as individuals: people are people and you get good and bad folk from all countries and cultures.

It's just that, if I wanted to move to another country and make it my new home, I would pay them the very basic respect of applying and organising it through the legitimate channels.

i certainly would not save up a lot of money and give it all to criminal gangs to send me over there in a dangerous boat, expecting to turn up on their shores, announce my arrival and be welcomed right on in.

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows why should they not come to the UK? Particularly if they are coming from colonised Asia or Africa and English is their language. They are very likely to have family/friends here because we asked them to come here as part of the bloody commonwealth. This is why history being taught in schools is so important. I have Burmese heritage on one side of my family, most of who had to leave considerable wealth and settled here after WW2 and have grown up in post war schemes to be high rate tax payers. Most people banging on about immigration and sticking up flags these days are completely clueless. The UK is built on immigration and a lot of exploitation. When it suits, bring in the brown and black people, then the former soviet block to prop up the economy. I think the UK is mainly not racist, however the very vocal dimwits who buy into the whole Nigel Farage/it all immigrants fault have far too much leverage. It is horrible to witness, my mixed race child is really scared about her future (she is British btw).

Now that is totally untrue. The Albanians come because they are corrupted by ruthless crime gangs. They are told they will work for them and will be paid a lot of money, as the pay is so low in Albania. When they get here they are sold for sexual exploitation or drug dealing. They do no not leave because they are at risk in Albania! There is also a reciprocal returns policy with Albania. So no they are not fleeing persecution or war. So FYI please research a bit more before bashing everyone with the self righteous stick.

@Dameputtingonabraveface ”This is why history being taught in schools is so important”

It is important, but I would like to see more emphasis on the good things about Britain.

My own heritage involves ancestors coming from a Commonwealth country. They were very excited to be here in the mother country.

I feel like that story isn’t told at all anymore now. There’s an assumption by some about how I might think on account of my skin colour. I suppose they’re the same ones to call me a coconut.

The flag waving, well it’s my flag too. The union flag is anyway.

@EmeraldRoulette, I agree- my relative made Scotland her home and was very proud to to do so. She married a working class Edinburgh lad and all her children are fiercely Scottish. However, it does not take away the fact that growing up there was racism because of skin colour, hair smelling of coconut oil etc. She worked all her career in the NHS, volunteered at Brownies and the church for 40 years as well as just being a lovely neighbour and friend. She was very loved and is very missed. However these days she would just be lumped in with 'all these immigrants' that people seem so worried about, even though I am pretty sure they have no impact on most people's lives. The power of the right wing press.