Best Posts in Thread: Approaching 2022

I am not signing in here much these days BUT will make an exception - to answer this one and support your views on the EU AND IMMIGRATION Jimlad. We were without any doubt sold a lie when we voted to join the Common Market - that term was a 'Trojan Horse' to get us in and then load us with rules and regulations we never asked for. So I also voted out and many people voted for Boris to get the process done - but that is the only purpose he served and with the job done (sort of!) it is time for him to go live with Peppa Pig.

So why do illegal immigrants travel thousands of miles, pass through many 'safe' countries, avoid the countries where they speak similar languages and have similar cultures, risk the North Sea in winter? Because the UK is a soft touch and pretty stupid with it - they know they get a house, food, clothing. In fact they do better than many who have been on the housing lists for YEARS and better than many pensioners. So it's no-brainer from their perspective.

They also know that they get free legal services and so can challenge their deportation until the cows (halal or otherwise) come home. They also get free legal services for their citizenship process - whereas many men in the UK are refused their wives coming to join them and they paid a lot out of their own pockets in trying. Furthermore, the whole process of getting themselves Visas (or the equivalent) is free whereas UK citizens pay thousands to get one (many in fact as it is a 'cash cow' tax on UK citizens) for their wives (and possibly children as many are refused, as are all other relatives). Btw, if they FAIL in their applications to stay (after spending thousands of pounds of UK taxpayers' money) they stay anyway (the recent Liverpool bomber did just that, having been refused in 2014).

One point I noticed recently is that many unaccompanied children are entering the UK (via boat and free rescue service). Unaccompanied??? So how did they travel the dangerous thousands of miles to the UK alone? And I am not talking about the 30 year old men with beards and deep voices who the stupid UK government classed as children (even put them in schools and showers with real UK 15 year olds!!!) - I am talking about 3 year olds and such. This is another 'Trojan Horse' of course - they get in and soon 'mummy and daddy' realise their dear children are now in the UK and the stupid UK rushes to reunite the family (not in their home country as they should but in the UK). So one child begets two parents (= 3), then grannies and grandads (= 7) then uncles, aunties, cousins, nephews, nieces, neighbours, the postman, butcher, etc (= millions and yes I know I am exaggerating but not far off reality).

What does the UK want? A population of 100 million, no green fields left, a few bombers in the mix? Get some brains UK, see what is happening and DO something about it.

Must add that I know @Dutchie has a very different perspective but I acknowledge him as a very genuine and ethical person and we just have different views on this.

 

We disagree on some points (even though 'estimates' and guesses' are often the same thing!) but with all the misery of people seriously affected by Odette perhaps we should just feel Blessed and have a Happy Christmas and 2022 (hopefully).

 

this goes hand in hand with the climate change topic - expect migratory movements to get much stronger in the future, once large parts of the south become even more uninhabitable than they already are due to climate change caused by us, mostly. That’s not going to stop, it’s only going to get worse.

As so-called “developed” nations that really got where they are now to at least some degree by exploiting the resources of the home countries of today’s refugees, the very least we can do is treat these people well when they reach our borders.

 

The UK (like all current member states of the EU) never needed anyone's permission to trade with any country outside the EU. You don't actually believe that Dutch exporters need permission from Brussels to sell cheese, flowers, chemicals, machines, and whatever else to Russia right?
The people voting for Brexit have been fed outright lies in the runup to the 2016 referendum by Brexiteer politicians and many of the shitty prints that sell as newspapers.
But it's fine, if 5 years later people still want to believe those lies then good luck to them.
As for the average age of the voters that decided for Brexit being rather above that of the voters who voted against Brexit, maybe it's because those over 60 on average hold more conservative views than younger people, and maybe because they're on average more xenophobe than younger people, and maybe older people are on average more gullible, I don't know why you asked for my thoughts about it anyway.

Lastly, yes sure, the European commission may be unelected, but it is the elected politicians from member states who make all of the important decisions.
To fulminate against the "bureaucrats in Brussels and their crap" is just a gimmick to sell newspapers (and convince potential voters).

My apologies to the O.P. for the hijacking of his thread.

 

Latest thoughts from some scientists is that the Covid virus may be starting to mutate into a less deadly dominant version that we can live with. Omicron may well be that (early days). Sure others more qualified here can give more detailed views, but it seems that's the way most viruses mature. If that happens over the next 12 months or so, with current vaccinations too, yep, I can see life returning pretty much back to normal, whatever that is. It will just become something else we live with. We are creatures of habit and will want to return to our normal routines, but there's bound to be some subtle changes in human behaviour after this blows over.

Halting climate change won't happen to any extent until we are on the brink, as that's the way the world tends to work.

Don't have a prayer for the rest, as good as they would be.

Too early for Christmas greetings, but wishing all good health.

 

Agree - and where do we put the bar? For the UK, is it when we have 2 million illegals (almost certainly already there!) or 5 million (possibly there) or 10 million or 20 million or 40 million? Those who say keep letting them come need to do the maths.

I also wonder where, in a catastrophe for the UK (other than having Boris as PM) where would we all go? Who would take us in our millions? I may be corrected on this, but in WW2 I think most of our own refugees went to other parts of the UK.

 

Wow the hard man speaks words of wisdom!
Compassion and accepting responsibility for the past may be the honourably thing to do, but as I have said previously you can't change history.
Yes the world is in a mess and yes it mainly due to human interference with nature.
But while war and destruction continues in many countries, you will always have refugees pouring into other places.
If the money spent on war and destruction had been spent on making this world a better place for all, we would not have the problems we have today.
Take away the need for power and greed and replace it with all that's good for mankind and the earth.

Dutchie the chart is interesting but does it show the true picture?
Turkey is a gateway to Europe, one only has to look to how they treat their Kurdish population, with a few exceptions the UK is a relatively small country within Europe, however what that chart does not show, is how many people are entering the UK under the cover of darkness.
That's why there is an ongoing dispute with France.

 

I think a big part of the attraction of the UK for those aiming to get refugee status there will be the language.
But to suggest that "they all want to go to the UK" is simply not true.
At the end of 2020 these are the numbers for people with refugee status and pending asylum across Europe ( I included Turkey to illustrate Western Europe still has only a relatively "minor problem" with refugees.


Source: UNHCR

Note that the UK is behind virtually all other western european countries on a per capita basis, so rather than being an "attractive" destination, the UK is doing a pretty good job at being the "bad boy in Europe" where relatively speaking hardly any refugees manage to go.