Refugee crisis: please take our survey to let us know where you stand

[SarahMumsnet]

Good afternoon, everyone.

Many of you will have seen the thread started by Theremustbesomething suggesting that Mumsnet consider campaigning for the government to change its policy towards asylum seekers fleeing from war zones.

Justine posted this morning to say that "we think that the best way forward is to poll all users to gauge support for this. While it's clear from this thread that many feel extremely passionately about the need to do more, we've had a look at other threads on the subject, and there are a range of views. As a rule we don't campaign for political change unless we're clear that it's something that a substantial majority of Mumsnetters support, so we'd need to be sure of that before committing to an 'official' campaign."

We've now set up the poll; you can fill it in here. We'd be grateful if as many of you as possible could take it, to let us know your views. We'll make sure this thread is prominently displayed across the site.

Thanks very much,
MNHQ

Thanks for the link MyrtleMoaning

I am "pending"....didn't realise his teeth were pulled out due to torture!!! I kept reading tweets that he was fleeing to get his teeth done just knew there was more to it....HORRIFIC

Yesterday, picture of drowned child (WHEN, exactly was this taken?)

It was taken on Wednesday morning. It hit the media Wednesday night, and was front page news on Thursday morning. It's not hard to find that information out.

Many of those who have fled Syria (remember only 6% are in Europe) live in tents in camps. They are desperate to return home as soon as it's safe to do so.

Some of the posts on this thread are making me ill.

Sorry if said earlier but I think HMG are spot on in supporting refugee provision in adjacent safe countries rather than in the EU. It sounds harsh to say it but it was the child's father that decided to risk his life

Also, why aren't all those young fit men in the army fighting the bad men? As our ancestors fought the Germans (and their allies the Hungarians) in WW1 and WW2 to safeguard our freedom.

My point is this the worst gender imbalance of any humanitarian crisis the world has ever seen. It is the invisible, the disabled, the women and children the people too poor to pay for people traffickers, why isn't the spotlight on helping them?

I have read today that they were given "life jackets" by the traffickers but they turned out to be no good.

I've also read that it was actually another brother's application to Canada that was turned down - due to missing paperwork.

I don't think there's any doubt that what happened to this particular little family was a tragedy & I can't imagine how their poor father will go on.

The mother of the tiny boys who drowned did not want to go. She could not swim. But in a culture where women are second class to the men she was forced to go by her husband and take her babies with her. He has blood on his hands. No wonder he has returned to Syria. They were already safe in Turkey and he knew well about the dangers of trying to cross a sea at night without life jackets for his children

I think that link totally refutes your post. If you're going to make emotive statements, at least make them factually correct.

If w stand back and do nothing, we have leaned NOTHING from history.

why aren't all those young fit men in the army fighting the bad men?

the Syrian army is killing Syrians, isn't it? Which are the bad men?

I think people should make up their minds whether it's bad that men go alone and leave women and children behind or it's bad that they take them.

As for young men fighting. With what? Who trains them?
In WWII most unprepared armies retreated. It was only after regrouping in the UK, Hitler's army took a beating in Russia (thanks in great part to the Russian winter) and when the US joined in that the Allies really started fighting back.

Done!

Other countries are doing much, much more than us!

Actually they're not. Britain has provided more money to the countries hosting Syrian refugees than any other nation in Europe and its just pledged another £100 million. We may not have taken as many refugees as some other nations, but we are helping in other ways. We've also provided a war ship in the Med for months to help with search and rescue.

The media (which is well known for its liberal, left-leaning bias), is reporting things in an utterly skewed fashion and the press if full of ill-informed talking heads. Today there was some idiot on Radio 4 saying that its a disgrace and that Britain should to take its lead from Germany. FFS Germany has its reasons for doing this - it NEEDS people to boost its falling population. Germany is not being the humanitarian hero it would like us all to think it is - its doing what all powerful nations do, which is to follow an agenda of self-interest. More fool everyone if they think Germany is doing this for purely altruistic reasons.

On the day its announced that 25 cancer drug treatments are being cut because of lack of funding we hear we are going to be taking in thousands of refugees. Sorry but there is only so much we can do, if we cannot even fund treatments that our own people need than we cannot afford to take in more and more people. What will you do if you get cancer and the drug you need is now no longer available that could prolong your life yet we are spending more money on taking in thousands of people who quite frankly have traveled to a safe country but refuse to act in a responsible lawful manner because they don't want to stay in that safe country they reached and have to come to England.

The money that is needed to fund those cancer drugs is only £340m a drop i ocean of the foreign aid budget...why can't some of it be diverted to help the countries own citizens. This is the first time I have actually started to consider getting private medical insurance.

I think as this is Mumsnet what would make the best difference is to focus on what women need in all this.

People need.

Women need to be safe and for their families to be safe. Sons, fathers and husbands too.

People above are saying it all - we should be very proud we are doing much much more than other nations and we are providing aid where it is needed, not on fit young men who have illegally entered the EU. Instead the Government is supporting those displaced where they now are as most of them want to get back to Syria when it is safe.

The position in Syria is not at all straight forward. Assad was our enemy and still is to an extent. Yet he is keeping IS at bay or trying too - the so called Islamic Caliphate has taken a lot of territory. IS are worse than Assad. There are very few reasonable states in the middle east who treat people right, respect human rights and there are none who give equality to women. Even Turkey is going backwards on that front - it is supposedly not a Muslim state. We have this vast tide of the spread of this very sexist pernicious religion and even assuming ISIS do not get as far as the Moor did in taking parts of

Spain, instead at least 1 million muslims who belive the Koran when it says women are second to men are coming to live in Europe to change the face of our territory for ever and bringing with them the values of the middle east as to the position of women. Yes we are a tolerant nation who have usually tolerated veiled women, the jews of Stamford Hill and all the rest never mind the workding class white male but the sheer numbers (600,000 new immigrants to the UK last year of which 200,000 were from the EU and hopefully weren't sexist men (and 300,000 British left) is changing many areas. My son is the only white boy in his class this term which is not a particular problem for me and many of those boys will be English by birth but it does mean most believe in invented Gods and are not happy with equality for women so it makes for some interesting class discussions. Obviously one hopes he will convert them to his atheist feminism but it is an uphill struggle due to the sheer weight of numbers. I am an optimist. In time liberal Western values will prevail because they are fair and right but allowing say 1m new Muslims in here is not going to help the cause of feminism and women's rights. Even the kurds who have female fighters have many an honour killing.

www.huffingtonpost.com/the-groundtruth-project/kurdish-teenagers-honor-k_b_5596318.html

Help on the grounds in Turkey and other refugee areas needs to be our priority not patting in the back those who illegally enter and reward them which only encourages others to break the law.

Is the survey closed now, hq?

I hope this thread is deleted as soon as it is closed. Some of these posts are extremely offensive and I'd be more worried about those affecting the reputation of MN, than anything it does to try to help people in crisis.

And [crying with laughter]

'The media (which is well known for its liberal, left-leaning bias)'

Are we both in the U.K?

I did laugh at that too hanna, thought it would be a bit to 'predictable leftie' to point out that murdoch et al are not known for their green party membership

They were already safe in Turkey and he knew well about the dangers of trying to cross a sea at night without life jackets for his children

Preciesly

Yes quite. There have been so many political comments I've deliberately ignored, because this isn't about politics however much some posters are trying to make it but that was just a joke too far. Some very, very funny people on MN LOLZZZZZZZZ

Amazing that he was that well educated!

Enough to know that crossing the sea, at night, with kids, in dodgy life jackets (they did have some btw) was dangerous.
I thought all they taught in non white countries was how to invade the U.K and turn us all into burka wearing Muslims?

Or for all the young men -the ones without kids because we have to cover all bases here- are taught and trained from when they are foetuses, to invade the U.K spreading themselves far and wide, raping and pillaging as they go, to then form the biggest ring o roses around the coastline before blowing us all to smithereens with the bombs they've smuggled in, in their bumbags.
Good teacher! Must be white British.

And yet, he was still stupid enough to think it was a good idea? Fancy that.

Definitely include me! I don't separate my life into compartments and so don't see why we shouldn't discuss the refugee crisis in here. Also, I don't think it's a political issue so much as a human issue!

Hello

Right - thanks very much for all your views, for your patience, and - to 3,151 of you, which is a pretty huge number - for taking the survey.

Here are the results:

Q1: In light of the numbers of people fleeing difficult situations in the Middle East and other regions, would you support or oppose Mumsnet campaigning for the government to allow more asylum seekers to settle in the UK?

Support - 78%
Oppose - 13%
Neither - 4%
Don't know - 3%
Other - 2%

Q2. Would you support or oppose Mumsnet campaigning for the government to commit more UK resources to carrying out rescue operations in the Mediterranean?

Support - 82%
Oppose - 9%
Neither - 4%
Don't know - 3%
Other - 2%

Events have overtaken us a little bit over the last few days; David Cameron is expected to make a statement today in Parliament outlining extra measures that the UK government will take.

We're also mindful that while only 9-13% of survey respondents actively oppose making a political call on the government, that opposition is very strong and heartfelt - which hasn't really been the case on previous 'official' MNHQ campaigns (such as We Believe You, Miscarriage Care and so on).

So: we're going to promote MNers' activity (such as participation in the September 12 march, the Woolly Hugs project, and donation drives) across the site and social media, so that as many people as possible are aware of what's being done. We'll also offer free advertising space to one of the big charities collecting financial donations for refugees in all geographical areas.

We'll set up the separate topic; use editorial opportunities such as Guest Posts on the Bloggers Network to keep the issue at the forefront of people's minds; and ask our Local Editors to think about adding stickied threads to their sites allowing local MNers to share info on local initiatives (such as community donation drives).

Hope that sounds useful and thanks again for all your input.

MNHQ x

Thanks rowan :)

Could i be really nosy and ask if it is possible to know what the 'other' responses were? Just wondering if there are any ideas that we may not have thought of?

@iamaboveandBeyond

Thanks rowan :)

Could i be really nosy and ask if it is possible to know what the 'other' responses were? Just wondering if there are any ideas that we may not have thought of?

Just reading through them now - very interesting!

So far it seems to be a mix of:

-Reasons for strongly supporting/opposing the proposals
-Reservations about impact on net migration; eg, supporting giving asylum to more people, so long as numbers of economic migrants are reduced
-Expressing a preference for addressing the issue at source (ie the conditions that are driving people away from their home countries)
-Support for the principle of accepting more refugees, but in a specific way/with specific criteria
-Some concern expressed about accepting groups of unaccompanied men, as opposed to children, women or family groups; also lots of people concerned about sufficient vetting of prospective refugees
-Lots of concern about the impact on Mumsnet itself - the community - if this were to become a campaign

...and lots of other quite finely nuanced things.