Piddington Roars

[dreamingofgoodhair]

Can I draw your attention to this please ?
A village of 400 people in Oxfordshire, the government want to house 1200 migrants in an old RAF barracks nearby. No consultation and no infrastructure to support.
Before anyone accuses me of being racist, my family make up negates that.

https://thevillagethatroared.org/

No point writing to MPs outside of your constituency usually, it’s not about the issue it’s about the levers they have to do anything. Braverman will see the political capital in supporting them but she won’t do anything or achieve anything.

They’d be better making the positive case for another location and/or the site to be properly resourced so that men aren’t hanging around all day with nothing to do.

In the real world they’re basically screaming into a void. We all know that.

The local objections to the Waterlooville asylum plan came from a mix of residents, political figures, and the local authority itself. While the core arguments ranged from safety concerns to town regeneration, the opposition effectively created a united front that forced the Home Office to back down. 1, 2, 3]
The main objections were grouped into three primary areas:

1. Safety and Structural Concerns (The Council's Stance)

• Fire Regulation Violations: Havant Borough Council formally objected after an assessment revealed that the proposed building at 286-288 London Road did not comply with basic fire safety regulations. 1]
• Lack of Support Infrastructure: The council raised serious concerns regarding whether there was an adequate level of oversight, support staff, and safety measures in place to protect both the building's occupants and the wider community. 1]

1. High Street Regeneration & Resources (The Residents' Stance)

• Impact on High Street Renewal: Residents argued that housing asylum seekers in newly built flats directly above the high street went against long-term plans to economically regenerate and revive the rundown town centre. 1]
• Strain on Services: Local campaigns highlighted that Waterlooville’s infrastructure—particularly healthcare, schools, and policing—was already under severe pressure and could not handle additional public service demands. 1, 2]
• Bypassing Local Consent: There was widespread local anger that the Home Office and its procurement partner, Clearsprings, initially attempted to push the plan through without proper community consultation or warning. 1, 2]

1. Political Opposition & Public Protests

• The Petition and Rallies: Local MP Suella Braverman championed the community's opposition, launching a petition that rapidly gathered over 10,000 signatures. This culminated in a peaceful anti-immigration protest in the town centre where more than 1,000 people gathered to voice their disapproval.
• The "Inappropriate Location" Argument: Opposing politicians called the town-centre flats "utterly inappropriate," with some conservative councillors arguing that placing a concentrated group of individuals in the heart of a shopping district was the wrong approach for the local community.
• 1, 2, 3, ]

Ultimately, the Home Office conceded that the combination of intense community pushback and the structural unsuitability of the building meant the project was unviable. 1, 2]

Well yes, they chose a void rather than anything that could ever make a difference. Faced with a choice of no chance or slim chance, probably better to take the latter no?

Just a few weeks left to learn self defence. Grim.

I’m familiar with what happened. I asked your opinion on solutions, not a stream of AI.

When they have an MP who actively supports the government then I guess the next thing they’ll do in the hope of making a difference will be to vote the government out when the next election comes round. That’s what people do.

Absolutely, that’s democracy. They voted them in, they can vote them out.

There's more than you on this thread. I provided information about how an MP did influence the decision in conjunction with a local authority and the constituency for posters to read.

You wrote this:

"So what are her actionable solutions?"

That's definitely not asking my "opinion" is it?

Oh I see, it looked like you were replying to me, my mistake.

Well yes, it is - I’m not randomly asking anyone’s views that I can look up myself. It’s not obvious to me that she has any solutions, she’s just vocal on what she doesn’t want.
You posted a story about her, you seem to support her, so what do you think are her solutions?

This!

Sadly, it is precisely the middle class Piddington folks who were in support of illegal migration, when these men were being dumped in working class areas. They were quick to call those who oppose it “far right”.
If a lot of white people were dumped in a small village in Afghanistan it would be called “colonialism” rather than “multiculturalism”.
This wake up call is needed.

If you are correct then using that logic Andy is about to cause one hell of a revolution.

I don't 'think' her solutions, they are written down.

The debate very quickly disappears down the rabbit hole of “racist, no I’m not, yes you are”, when the more important questions are being avoided.

Many of these young men come from countries where women do not enjoy the same legal rights, freedoms or social position that women do in the UK. Many also come from societies in which religion plays a much greater role in law, family life and social expectations than it does here.

Surely the serious question is integration.

How is placing more than 1,000 single men from predominantly Muslim countries, beside a tiny rural community supposed to achieve that?

What happens after they have been processed? Those successful claims will need housing, they will need to learn English, they will need employment (where will they work?) and then they will be free to enter British society.

Putting such a large group together on one site and calling it accommodation is not an integration policy.

One poster suggested the site would create jobs. Perhaps it will, but who for and does that compensate for the scale of change being imposed on the local community?

I have the means to demonstrate in Piddington if anyone wants to join me for weeks months could be fun!

What do you suggest they do? It’s not just write to your MP is it?

Because they’re opening more and most people near to them don’t like it.

You said you didn’t mind mass accommodation nearby (not sure what number it is if it’s 1000 plus) but generally most do.

Of course, because they’re in government and the policy has been in place since 2020 and people have protested about hotels.

Do you think a Reform or Conservative government would have done something different?

I’ve said already what I would do in their position.

Last year, Zia Yusuf advocated for military bases to be used, and Kemi Badenoch has also called for camps to be built (though she’s vague on where)

Kemi Badenoch and Zia Yusuf have both talked about 'detention centres'. Presumably then, asylum seekers could be detained in such camps/military bases until their applications are processed.

Was it write to your MP? I thought you were happy with mass accommodation anyway. So you’d welcome it right?

No, I didn’t suggest that.

Well you’d be fine with it anyway.

Perhaps - the article links to Badenoch’s comments where she does say detention centres.

‘Senior Reform UK politician Zia Yusuf suggested to Sky News on Wednesday that migrants should be housed in "modular accommodation at military bases". Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called on the government to "build proper camps where we keep people safe" last week.’

Would the people of Piddington be content if the men there were detained rather than free to leave?