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cheez0 - Member
Let the bleeding heart landlords on here open their doors to homing some of the people in that case?
spare room? Take one in.make no mistake, when these people have got their feet under the table they will want to turn this country into a replica of the place they fled.
The problem needs to be stopped at source.
its a stealth IS invasion.
how do you think they feel? They will be clapping their hands.
Let migrants settle, give them benefits, voting etc, then send the radical preachers in.as others say, this country needs to look after itself first.
Where is your outrage for our homeless in this country?
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cheez0 - Membermake no mistake, when these people have got their feet under the table they will want to turn this country into a replica of the place they fled.
The problem needs to be stopped at source.
its a stealth IS invasion.
how do you think they feel? They will be clapping their hands.
Let migrants settle, give them benefits, voting etc, then send the radical preachers in.
That dead toddler washed up on a beach was part of an IS invasion hell bent on destroying our country?
Well they didn't tell us that on the TV news last night!
Perhaps we should be celebrating that he didn't make it cheez0 ?
****
Incidentally I posted the picture of the Syrian boy on my Facebook page, and it was removed on the grounds that it "contained graphic violence". You have to wonder what's going on sometimes.
Cheez0 - word of warning. Your words are racist and you've just published them on a public forum. Your identity is not anonymous.
Is there anything else to do other than welcome them throughout Europe, in our societies. Make them colleagues, friends and neighbors. Make the world a better place not through hate and war, but through solidarity and common sense of purpose?
I feel this is a defining moment. It is no longer a couple of immigrants, or a couple of thousand, we are looking at a mass migration of populations that are escaping from hell. FFS, is there any other answer than to stop thinking about 'us' and 'them', and instead just 'we'
I fear for this country. Not because of some refugees, but because I'm worried that the views exhibited by some on this thread will prevail.
Look at that little boy. He had a name, Aylan Kurdi, he had a big brother, his mother lovingly tied his shoelaces that morning - and now they're all dead.
And some people seriously think he was the spearhead of an IS invasion.
The callousness, ignorance and heartlessness of some people is breathtaking.
Lady Anelay’s statement – “We understand that by withdrawing this rescue cover we will be leaving innocent children, women and men to drown who we would otherwise have saved. But eventually word will get around the war-torn communities of Syria and Libya and the other unstable nations of the region that we are indeed leaving innocent children, women and men to drown. And when it does, they will think twice about making the journey. And so eventually, over time, more lives will be saved.”
Lady Anelay is one of Cameron's Foreign Office Ministers the quote comes from the announcement of the Governments decision to withdraw maritime rescue in the Med last October. The picture that horifies is the embodiment of our government's deliberate policy.
Ashamed to share the same planet as some of you let alone the same country. Sickening beyond belief.
cheezO you are a deluded and hateful individual.
It is terrible that anyone should suffer in this way but no one has the right to suggest that others should have the same sympathy as themself. It would be polite at the least to prefix many of the above comments with "in my opinion" and not try to impose selfish/self indulgent views on others. Bit like the helmet debate really.
Whilst I am moaning would people stop trying to slap their left wing moaning onto rather more important topics.
Ever noticed that its the so called goody two shoes, social minded, kind hearted socialists who preach consideration for all, who are the least considerate of other peoples views?
If you want to have a go at UK politicians start your own topic.
So you don't really give a shit, and you expect other people not to either because it makes some tiny part of you feel slightly ashamed to realise how lacking you are in basic human decency? That's how I read it.
As the population of our planet continues to increase we will keep having more and more people in need. We have to face the fact the the planet is reaching the point of no return in terms of resources.
Global media gives every one an insight into the way that other people live and often a desire to emulate that standard of living. There have been wars and conflict from the day humans started to populate earth over resources and religion etc. and signing a petition on Facebook is not going to solve that.
Whilst I applaud the efforts of individuals to want to do something, there are plenty of kids already in the UK that need foster care or adoption and we don't all rush to sort that issue because it is not a current media topic.
I have no idea what the solution to the current refugee situation is but I don't think opening our country to anyone and everyone that wants to live here is the solution.
Feel free to flame me. This is just my opinion and that doesn't make it any more or less valid than yours.
Feel free to flame me.
What's the point? It's the reaction you want. I just have to hope that yours is a minority opinion, or you're just a sad troll.
The way I understand it is that a troll is someone who deliberately bates people on the internet. I am actually expressing my opinion on this issue which may not be the same as yours. For your information I am actually a fairly happy person but I am sad that you feel the need to personally insult me.
adoption and we don't all rush to sort that issue because it is not a current media topic.
There's a shortage of and high demand for babies and very young children for adoption.
Whilst I applaud the efforts of individuals to want to do something, there are plenty of kids already in the UK that need foster care or adoption and we don't all rush to sort that issue because it is not a current media topic.
You see, it doesn't sound like you are 'applauding the efforts of individuals who want to do something', it sounds like you are engaging in some pretty low whataboutery to try and justify your own lack of compassion. Amazingly enough it's possible to care about more than one thing at the same time.
This is just my opinion and that doesn't make it any more or less valid than yours.
Yes it would be great if more people were willing to be foster carers or adopt - but grim as it may be sometimes generally speaking kids in the care system in this country are at least having their basic needs met: food, water, shelter, safety etc. You can't say the same for many of these refugees, which is why people appear to feel quite passionately about the issue.
Taking in, feeding, housing and clothing those fleeing from war, politics and famine is laudable and of course should be done.
But its throwing money at a symptom while ignoring the cause, which seems to be that the whole middle east has descended into new levels of barbarity and anarchy.
Leaving aside whose fault it is, what can be done to turn back into an area where one can live, work and bring up families in peace and moderate prosperity?
The area's population has increased while resources become more stretched. The area has been getting more and more arid since the climatic optimum due to over use of farm land and climatic change which man is now enhancing. So fund projects that will make a green revolution possible in the area and cut your carbon footprint.
Leaving aside whose fault it is, what can be done to turn back into an area where one can live, work and bring up families in peace and moderate prosperity?
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But its throwing money at a symptom while ignoring the cause, which seems to be that the whole middle east has descended into new levels of barbarity and anarchy.
It's not either/or - that's Cameron's big mistake. We can do all we can to help people now, fishing them out of the water and letting them into our country to build new lives. At the same time, we can ask what we can do to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Saying we shouldn't save lives now because we have to solve the Middle East's problems first is avoiding our human responsibility on an epic scale.
In the long run, what's the worst that can happen if we let in thousands of refugees? We let in 30,000 Ugandan Asians when Idi Amin expelled them, did that have a negative impact on the UK's way of life. Far from it.
But its throwing money at a symptom while ignoring the cause, which seems to be that the whole middle east has descended into new levels of barbarity and anarchy.
No one is saying you can't do both
Look at the picture of Homs up there ^^^
Do you really think people in that situation don't have legitimate reasons to flee, don't they need immediate help?
Yes, our government should engage in a long term plan to help the region (although their attempts at "help" so far seem to have failed) but that doesn't stop us extending help to people in genuine need right now.
If it had been a picture of a dead puppy on the news yesterday, instead of a little brown boy, the outcry would have seen the problem solved already.
I was going to buy a new lens for my camera this week. I really don't need it so the money I was going to spend went to Save The Children this morning. If it makes even one child's life a little more bearable it'll be worth it, but it's just nowhere near enough.
I have unfriended a couple of people this morning for posting that picture on FB unheralded. Its not that I don't care, I just don't really want to see pictures of dead children. Or perhaps I want a choice in whether I look at them. How desensitized are you people ?
Anyways, I have been thinking quite hard about offering my spare room as temporary accommodation to some refugees, for free. I guess the local council would be the place to make enquiries about that ?
I just don't really want to see pictures of dead children. Or perhaps I want a choice in whether I look at them. How desensitized are you people ?
It seemed to be on all the front pages of the newspapers in the newsagents today. I don't want to see pictures of dead children either, not many people do. Unfortunately in some countries people (and other children) are forced to see dead children for real - they are not pictures in newspapers, including countries which we have bombed.
I think it's the lack of reality, or even pictures of reality, which desensitizes people with regards to war. More graphic images is what is most likely to sensitize people imo.
The tragic picture of Aylan's lifeless body has certainly done that.
And sadly it is like the Roman Empire - only sustainable due to expansion. The pictures will just get more distressing to bait more clicks. I'm not playing.
OP, there are some maybe useful links/suggestions as to what you can do over on mumsnet
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_campaigns/2459825-Refugee-children
It feels odd swanning around Canary Wharf in a turmoil because the queue to Wasabi is a little long and I've made do with a curry from the office canteen. Elsewhere in Europe there might be a man desperately trying to stop his young child from drowning after their overcrowded boat into Europe capsized.
There needs to be a European wide joint effort to manage the refugees - the fact that there are people in Hungary desperately trying to get to Germany shows that these people aren't treated equally in all European member states.
I have unfriended a couple of people this morning for posting that picture on FB unheralded. Its not that I don't care, I just don't really want to see pictures of dead children. Or perhaps I want a choice in whether I look at them.
That is, in a nutshell, the problem that we have in the west.
Lady Anelay’s statement – “We understand that by withdrawing this rescue cover we will be leaving innocent children, women and men to drown who we would otherwise have saved. But eventually word will get around the war-torn communities of Syria and Libya and the other unstable nations of the region that we are indeed leaving innocent children, women and men to drown. And when it does, they will think twice about making the journey. And so eventually, over time, more lives will be saved.”
She didn't that is Dan Hodges's attempt to make a point paraphrasing what she said - the article in which he did it is [url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11192208/Drown-an-immigrant-to-save-an-immigrant-why-is-the-Government-borrowing-policy-from-the-BNP.html ]here[/url]
Yes peterfile, my repugnance at being forced looking at pictures of dead children leads directly to the bombing of innocent civilians in Syria. My objection is to the titillation and revenue generation. These were real people with real families.
Did you really think that the war in Syria was all made up until you opened your facebook feed this morning ??
Should I also be watching all the executions of gays on youtube - would that make me a better person too ? Would it also solve all the problems with ISIS - how has nobody cottoned on to that yet ??
Even the Guardian didn't show the kids face. Which was slightly better.
my repugnance at being forced looking at pictures of dead children .....
Well I said earlier many people have been forced to look at dead children as the direct result of the actions of our governments.
But fair enough, here's a picture of Aylan in happier times with his older brother Galip who also drowned.
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I have posted this in the other thread currently discussing similar things, I'll post it here too.
Anyone who genuinely thinks the tide is turning and compassion for fellow man in regards to the refugee scenario in Calais is coming to the fore should take a look at the utterly vitriolic hatred being spouted on the Facebook comments of this Justgiving page.
People are actually willing to put their names to these comments. The privileged scum that resides in this country is making me feel sick.
https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/solidarity
Badly worded above on my behalf but the outright ignorant hatred of some of those comments has me waffling a bit.
Saw this earlier - lead in paraphrased
The photography expert Patricia Holland wrote about this in What Is A Child?: Popular Images of Childhood in the 1990s. She said the focus on kids in disaster or war zones was, weirdly, about making Westerners feel good:
‘As the children in the image reveal their vulnerability, we long to protect them and provide for their needs. Paradoxically, while we are moved by the image of the sorrowful child, we also welcome it, for it can arouse pleasurable emotions of tenderness.’
But fair enough, here's a picture of Aylan in happier times with his older brother Galip who also drowned.
I don't know if it's the point hels was making, but there appears to be different levels of respect being shown because they are random foreigners.
If those were pictures of a friend's son, people wouldn't be posting pictures of their dead offspring being picked up off the beach all over facebook. What makes it acceptable when you don't know them?
Yes peterfile, my repugnance at being forced looking at pictures of dead children leads directly to the bombing of innocent civilians in Syria. My objection is to the titillation and revenue generation. These were real people with real families.Did you really think that the war in Syria was all made up until you opened your facebook feed this morning ??
Should I also be watching all the executions of gays on youtube - would that make me a better person too ? Would it also solve all the problems with ISIS - how has nobody cottoned on to that yet ??
Even the Guardian didn't show the kids face. Which was slightly better.
Calm down, it wasn't a personal attack.
The point was that it's easy for us in the west to just "turn off" what we don't want to see.
For some people, not seeing it just means it's another story in the paper. I'm not an advocate for shock type media (i.e. this photo), but it's a poignant reminder that this is not just economic zone commuters we're talking about, it's not [i]herds[/i] of nameless and faceless migrants, it's real people and real kids like our own.
Sorry hels, I wasn't trying to suggest that was applicable to you.
Thanks Ian, that is kind of what I was trying to say.
With the added thought that the more pictures of dead children we see, the less we care about the dead children. Its cheap, and its exploitative, in a world where page views means money.
If those were pictures of a friend's son, people wouldn't be posting pictures of their dead offspring being picked up off the beach all over facebook. What makes it acceptable when you don't know them?
It's fairly normal for newspapers to publish pictures of corpses in war zones, certainly going back to at least the Vietnam War.
In fact up to that point the Vietnam War was the most photographed and filmed war in history. And it was precisely because people were receiving images on their TV screens and in their newspapers that the tide of public opinion turned against the war and eventually led to US withdrawal.
Without the power of photography and film the Vietnam War would remained much more remote from US public opinion.
Never underestimate the power of a photograph. This photograph taken after a US napalm attack in Vietnam helped to speed up the end of the war :
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I hope that the picture of Aylan's tragic lifeless body being washed up a beach helps to jolt some compassion in world leaders. The unprecedented coverage it has received not just on newspapers front pages but also on TV stations (I've never seen that before) suggests that others hope so too.
So mefty I am prepared to be corrected about the quote but what did Lady Anelay say the rationale for, and effect of, removing the maritime rescue was?
[url= http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldhansrd/text/141015w0001.htm ]Here you go[/url]
We do not support planned search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. We believe that they create an unintended “pull factor”, encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing and thereby leading to more tragic and unnecessary deaths. The Government believes the most effective way to prevent refugees and migrants attempting this dangerous crossing is to focus our attention on countries of origin and transit, as well as taking steps to fight the people smugglers who wilfully put lives at risk by packing migrants into unseaworthy boats.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Many bits of my American heritage bother me, but some bits the USA got absolutely, completely spot on. The UK as much as the USA is built on wave after wave of immigration, and both countries are all the better for it.
The UK as much as the USA is built on wave after wave of immigration, and both countries are all the better for it.
Every one of which was opposed by roughly the same bunch of Knuts.
We do not support planned search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. We believe that they create an unintended “pull factor”, encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing and thereby leading to more tragic and unnecessary deaths. The Government believes the most effective way to prevent refugees and migrants attempting this dangerous crossing is to focus our attention on countries of origin and transit, as well as taking steps to fight the people smugglers who wilfully put lives at risk by packing migrants into unseaworthy boats.
Given the scale of this whole thing - the biggest movement of people since World War 2 - that statement looks more and more ridiculous by the day
Despite opposing views on this, I personally believe that this is where the worlds media play a vital role in reminding us of our humanity, of the core morals that should be instilled in every living person lucky enough to be born into this world - those traits of compassion, responsibility and love.
The world is quite frankly impotent at acting on anything that will be classed as potentially "politically damaging" or controversial. Immigration is the biggest divisive issue in all western nations with varying views from "open the doors to all of gods children" to "I'm all right Jack and don't want anyone messing with my status quo".
As per my first sentence, capturing raw, devastating, heart-breaking images like that of this young boy are important and should not be censored. We should not allow ourselves to be wrapped in a warm blinkered blanket away from desperate humanitarian issues which are quite literally on our doorstep.
Why are our lives more important than those people fleeing Syria? Because we were fortunate to be born in the countries we live? Does that give us a privilege in the eyes of what is right and wrong to accept that it is inevitable, not our problem and we need to fix the problems in our own country first?
Do we really have problems on this scale? In the UK there are estimated to be around 185,000 homeless people of which almost 8000 at one point during the course of the last year slept rough on the streets for at least 1 night. This is an issue, yes. It needs to be addressed, yes. But, they have access to healthcare, food, charity, shelter, financial assistance. They are not at risk of having their children gunned down in the streets or wifes and daughters taken away to be used as sex slaves.
11 million people have left Syria since the crisis, 50% of whom are unaccounted for, either dead or not registered for asylum / support etc.
What do you think drives a mother and father to leave their entire world, family, home, friends and everything they have ever owned, sell their entire belongings, give the proceeds to people they can't trust to travel to somewhere where as a minimum they can be safe. What do you think drives them to make the risk judgment to put their own blood onto flimsy rafts knowing there is a high likelihood they will drown?
Because the alternative is orders of magnitude worse.
I don't expect many to share my views, I won't be concentrating anymore to this conversation but what I want to express is that yes we do need vivid images of these atrocities. Why? To remind us we are human. To remind us of our moral core believes that are gradually being eroded.
Living the lives we do is not a right, it's a privilege.
I really dont know what to say or comment on a solution but what i do know is that the world is now a hate filled place fueled by greed/money and religeous hatred. I really feel for the unfortunate victims.
the world is now a hate filled place fueled by greed/money and religeous hatred.
I think it always has been, it's just that nowadays it's easier for people to see it.
I also think it's easier for the corrupted to get away with it to the extent they no longer feel the need to hide the fact.
Unfortunately with an increasing world population, higher levels of inequality and diminishing natural resources, it's not going to get better anytime soon.
Either no government has the balls to stand up to root source of the problem in the middle east or thay think the problem will be solved by the locals just wiping each other off the face of the earth. it won't end I'm afraid, European and USA policy makers must be on holiday.
Hungry looks awful people being shipped off to encampments and finger printed. Mass migration always leads too right wing movements growing sadly it's human nature of the lowest level.
When there are nutbars running around not just killing but removing every trace your historical presence I guess a dingy ride to lesbos seems like better odds.
It's a tragic mess that will shape the region for years to come, there was a German minster on the radio last week suggesting dialog with IS or what ever they arecalled this week.
The problem with humanity is that we're very inconsistent with when we decide to apply it. Where was our humanity when we saw the horrific images in the media when Assad was gassing children? We saw them, all were horrified by them and decided that we would do nothing. This situation was predicted back then, though not the sheer scale that we're seeing.
I think that we were always going to contributed our fair share to dealing with the refugees, but as is the political way in Europe there has to be some political posturing to be done first - a multinational agreement has to be struck. But dealing with the refugees is only one half of the problem. What they really want is for us (i.e. the west) to intervene and sort out the root cause - after all it is basically our fault as we created the modern Middle East when we carved up the region after the war and put in power those that ultimately turned out to be the brutal dictators we have been so keen to de-throne over recent decades...Assad included. We need to decide the best way to intervene and just get on with it. One thing is for sure, the solution is going to be long term - i.e. several generations long.
In fact up to that point the Vietnam War was the most photographed and filmed war in history. And it was precisely because people were receiving images on their TV screens and in their newspapers that the tide of public opinion turned against the war and eventually led to US withdrawalFantastic radio program about that very photo on radio 4 last week highly recommend. The Girl in the Picture. She talks to a young boy who suffered in the first gulf war
The problem with humanity is that we're very inconsistent with when we decide to apply it. Where was our humanity when we saw the horrific images in the media when Assad was gassing children? We saw them, all were horrified by them and decided that we would do nothing.
We are indeed. Thousands turn out after Charlie Hebdo (spouting nonsense about freedom of speech) while happily ignoring the hundreds of innocent people killed by Boko Haram at the same time. Great (pardon the choice of word) if an appalling picture proves to be the needed catalyst for proper action, but doesn't take away the collective shame that equally awful suffering has been going on without comment or reaction for ages. Inconsistent and highly selective.
Good for Merkel for reacting but the rest of the political noise is pretty nauseating - there is a scale and speed of movement of people that has overwhelmed politicians. They are not that competent at the best of times, but a bit unrealistic to expect fast and simple solutions to an awful situation.
Mefty so given we have done none of the "better focus" stuff our government's policy has been just to withdraw the maritime resuce in the hope that dead bodies in the sea will reduce the " pull factor."
You will find that it was a general EU policy, you will also find the rescue missions stopped for a few days only before the policy was reversed.
scandal42 - Member
The privileged scum that resides in this country is making me feel sick.
Crikey ... now everyone is privileged scum. 😯
See deep down I have always been right when I refer to mankind (male and female) as zombie maggot and now you just proved my point.
Privileged scum = ZM? Yes?
Btw are your nostrils flaring when you called them privileged scum? 😮
if as many suggest, this conflict was caused, or at least significantly exasperated by a climate change event then one of the reasons we need to act and act quickly is that this is likely to be a first wave of mass migration as the world around us changes
jonah tonto - Memberif as many suggest, this conflict was caused, or at least significantly exasperated by a climate change event then one of the reasons we need to act and act quickly is that this is likely to be a first wave of mass migration as the world around us changes
😯 What climate change? You really lost me on that now ...
In the other thread you said the cause was due to UK/West/we/whoever bombing all the civilians ... make up your mind.
I have not posted a reply because I doubt UK has any B-52s (not the band) to carpet bomb the entire country.
Which side did they bombed anyway? Assad or civilian or ISIS etc? 😮
no chewkw i didnt i said that the uk arms manufacturing industry have been arming multiple sides.
but britsh pilots have been bombing in syria as google will explain to you im sure
if you dont want to read a link i put up please just ignore everything i post. it really will be fine with me
Jonah, British pilots attached to the US airforce have attacked Daesh targets, along with a handful of Dedicated strikes from RAF jets.
The Coalition government gave authorisation for the financing for arms sales to some of the groups who have now aligned themselves and become Daesh.
jonah tonto - Memberno chewkw i didnt i said that the uk arms manufacturing industry have been arming multiple sides.
but britsh pilots have been bombing in syria as google will explain to you im sure
if you dont want to read a link i put up please just ignore everything i post. it really will be fine with me
hmmm ... I remember everyone was trying to get rid of Assad ...
Mefty I probably got the wrong answer but we suspended involvement in November 2014 since when Bulwark did 8 weeks before being replaced by Enterprise which didn't do much . The Government have not committed to anything aproching the scale of our or Europes pre November operations. Not exactly a few days before reversal.
In answer to the what you can do question lots of local groups are trying to do things in Leeds " no borders " will take whatever you can give to Calais eg old unused camping stuff or food . what is not of use they divert to charity shops. There are a number of e- petitions to sign sufficient numbers force a parliamentary debate. Write to your MP . Given the mass of empty properties in this country there is no reason to offer a bedroom.
Odd how the Germans can do so much but Cameron offers nothing . His argument appears to be the fire brigade should not try to rescue the people trapped in a burning building but solely focus on putting the fire out.
i do understand that moose at no point did i suggest our air force was carpet bombing the entirety of Syria especially not with b52 bombers, chewkw is just cross with me as i told him not to think like a zombie maggot
as you say we have sold weapons to groups who have become Daesh, but we have sold alot more to russia who have armed assad with them. i wrote a post referring to this yesterday as it seemed cruel to me to arm both sides of a conflict where the majority of casualties are civilian
I get that. But what is done is done. The circle jerk that is some threads on here and what is the current state of UK politics is going to change that. What we do to move forward is where the conversation needs to be.
jonah tonto - Memberi do understand that moose at no point did i suggest our air force was carpet bombing the entirety of Syria especially not with b52 bombers, chewkw is just cross with me as i told him not to think like a zombie maggot
😆 I am not crossed btw or just put it another way you have used the term nicely. 😛
Now please use that term more often when you are addressing politicians, bureaucrats, people that you think deserve the terms ZM ...
How do we move forward? Open discussions with Daesh and negotiate a settlement? Have an all out war with them and hope nothing else springs up to take their place? If they are indeed not Islamic nor a State, do we try to knock the wind out of their sails and set up, fund, and support an official Islamic State?
No-one seems to be coming up with [u]any[/u] sort of plan for the future, never mind a credible one.
Well rene59, my plan isn't the best, but I hate bullies so it involves considerable shoe-pie for them.
The world has evolved, I think we will be at 'war' in some form or another for a great many years yet. Which makes me sad for humanity. But there is a serious amount of hate in the world.
The white house is reporting tonight that Russian troops are operational in Syria - so we better get used to military action.
moose - MemberI get that. But what is done is done. The circle jerk that is some threads on here and what is the current state of UK politics is going to change that. What we do to move forward is where the conversation needs to be.
I still remember very clearly that I was the only one on STW that supported Dear Leaders in that region simply because they could contain their population.
However, everyone started to call for Freedooommmm! Freedom for the people there and down with Dear Leaders or Assad etc. The situation snowball domino into the entire region and now you get mass exodus.
Ya, they get their freedom now but see what have happened to the people? Ya, those kept calling for freedom ... ya, you just murdered them.
Ya, I saw that coming and now you have to feed the entire population.
Oh ya ... wait, that's not the end coz there will be many more coming. Many. The situation will not stop now. Bear in mind, they all speak "Arabic" and you have no way to distinguish one from the others.
Luckily Jordan is still intact but Jordan falls you will need to feed the entire population of middle east ...
😯
p/s: My Taiwanese friend once told me if China wanted to get back Taiwan all China needed to do was to let Taiwan ruled China and Taiwan would be doomed ...
Bloody hell LHS posted something that I agree with (I think).
Don't get used to it! 😉
[i]no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well
your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
is holding a gun bigger than his body
you only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.
no one leaves home unless home chases you
fire under feet
hot blood in your belly
it’s not something you ever thought of doing
until the blade burnt threats into
your neck
and even then you carried the anthem under
your breath
only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets
sobbing as each mouthful of paper
made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.
you have to understand,
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land
no one burns their palms
under trains
beneath carriages
no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck
feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled
means something more than journey.
no one crawls under fences
no one wants to be beaten
pitied
no one chooses refugee camps
or strip searches where your
body is left aching
or prison,
because prison is safer
than a city of fire
and one prison guard
in the night
is better than a truckload
of men who look like your father
no one could take it
no one could stomach it
no one skin would be tough enough
the
go home blacks
refugees
dirty immigrants
asylum seekers
sucking our country dry
****s with their hands out
they smell strange
savage
messed up their country and now they want
to mess ours up
how do the words
the dirty looks
roll off your backs
maybe because the blow is softer
than a limb torn off
or the words are more tender
than fourteen men between
your legs
or the insults are easier
to swallow
than rubble
than bone
than your child body
in pieces.
i want to go home,
but home is the mouth of a shark
home is the barrel of the gun
and no one would leave home
unless home chased you to the shore
unless home told you
to quicken your legs
leave your clothes behind
crawl through the desert
wade through the oceans
drown
save
be hunger
beg
forget pride
your survival is more important
no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear
saying-
leave,
run away from me now
i dont know what i’ve become
but i know that anywhere
is safer than here[/i]
i first saw the initial article on Wednesday afternoon and was shocked and saddened by the tragedy that has unfolded...like the OP i wonder what it is that i can do to help...first thing you can do is sign the petition here:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/105991
there are already more than 360,000 names on there so it is now going to parliament for debate but it shouldn't stop there as the more names that go on in support of the petition the better to truly reflect on public opinion in the UK.
while i accept something needs to be done to address the situation at source, that's a long term plan that isn't going to help those who need help right now
more needs to be done to help those trying to escape the bloodshed in Syria
if Germany can accept 800,000 refugees with open arms i don't see why the UK cant offer something of a comparable nature
yes we have our own problems in the UK that also need addressing but when you compare the two there isn't much of a comparison really IMO
even Sweden, France and Italy are doing their fair share and beyond in some cases....even the Greek who are financially on their arses are dong their bit
however i don't see the problem just being one for Europe to solely address....its one for all the other countries to take responsibility for
i'm shocked and disgusted by the lack of action from the surrounding Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain etc....oil rich countries who could and should do more
with regards to addressing the issues at source...the majority of this stems from meddling in political affairs by the west...the UK to some extent but mainly the USA and its foreign policy.
its insistence to go to "war" under false pretences of making the world a better place has in fact done the opposite...the US and UK went to war over some "alleged" claim that Iraq had WMD's and could deploy them within 45 minutes started things off in the region, they then from a distance arm the insurgents in Libya to overthrow their government leading to chaos, they then try the same in Syria but it didn't work there and instead the insurgents they so helpfully armed to the teeth got ideas of their own and formed their own caliphate in the region taking most of what's left of Iraq and are driving out the people form Syria, which leads us where we are today.
those that stay behind get butchered by ISIS...if you were in that situation i would blame you for wanting to escape either
i'm not going to blame this solely on the UK government but it has had a significant part to play in the events that lead to this...but most of the blame should go on the US as they have been the one key denominator in all of this and even now they stay very much silent on what is currently happening with the refugee crisis.
the US makes the mess and Europe cleans up after it
as for the image of that poor child...his death could have been avoidable but his family were trying to escape to a better life for a reason...sadly that didn't happen and they've paid the ultimate price
Abdullah Kurdi now has to return to Syria to bury his dead wife and 2 dead sons...no parent should ever have to go through that
he'll be doing this with the whole world watching on and i would hope that our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time, and with all those who have suffered a similar fate.
Crikey ... now everyone is privileged scum.
Obviously I never said that all privileged people are scum, but whatever floats your boat fella.
We are all privileged, it was the scum element of our privileged population I was clearly referring too, like the person who simply stated 'We should let them all drown'
Not sure why I have bothered to explain this 😐
Listening peoples opinions on the Radio2 phone-in on this subject now. Jesus wept, I despair at how callous some people come across. I know it is my bad for doing so.
I'm so sad because of all this. Feel totally helpless and worse still completely hopeless and not expecting it to end. 🙁
I think the best suggestion was that of a 'world-wide' / UN type response to this, the media/political pressure seems to be directed at the destination countries and the transit routes. This is a humanitarian crisis and needs solving by humanity overall, I think it is adding to the problem focusing on where these poor people currently are and where they are trying to go.
RM.
^^ thats a very good article
BBC reports that he has now buried his family...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34150364
the last bit of the video is hard to watch
[url= http://globalnews.ca/news/2201568/in-photos-world-mourns-drowned-syrian-boy-aylan-kurdi/ ]Sleep sweet prince, you are safe now[/url]
I'm firmly in the humanitarian camp on this subject but find it hard understand the surge of outrage over a photo of a dead child, when the internet is full of people including children beheaded and blown to bits by muslim fanatics or those who oppose them and theres also been regular stories of migrant fatalities by the hundreds for several years do we think they're just numbers?
do we think they're just numbers?
Yes. Various studies have shown that, contrary to what you might think, as the body count goes up people tend to be less emotionally affected by the tragedy. You hear that another 50 people have drowned, you turn the page. You see one dead toddler, with a name and a grieving father, and the impact is much greater.
I don't think it's that people are callous (apart from Daily Mail readers of course), it's that it's hard to process numbers - humans are better at connecting with individual stories.
but find it hard understand the surge of outrage over a photo of a dead child.....been regular stories of migrant fatalities by the hundreds for several years do we think they're just numbers?
My advice, don't question it, embrace it. You will never understand or explain 100% what it takes to kick-start action, it is always too late and happens after too many have suffered but it should be celebrated that the "surge" is happening.
gonzy - Member
there are already more than 360,000 names on there so it is now going to parliament for debate but it shouldn't stop there as the more names that go on in support of the petition the better to truly reflect on public opinion in the UK.
There are about 58 million people in the UK if I can recall so let's assume we have 58 million.
360,000 is not even 1% of the UK population so are you suggesting that in a democracy the minority rules over the majority?
I like Politburo me. 😛
scandal42 - Member
Crikey ... now everyone is privileged scum.Obviously I never said that all privileged people are scum, but whatever floats your boat fella.
We are all privileged, it was the scum element of our privileged population I was clearly referring too, like the person who simply stated 'We should let them all drown'
Not sure why I have bothered to explain this
😆 Deep down you know something is not right innit!