Why are we angry?

For the election campaign, I would have thought that would be obvious.

Anyone can join in this- and it would be well worth the energy and effort, and even make one feel better and happier. BTW, it is very possible to become involved and join the fight, AND remain a very happy, positive, funny, caring, and more - person. And feeling that one is actually doing something about what makes one angry, sad and pessimistic- can truly help with the above.

Putting head in sand rarely achieves much.

Prepare what?

Germanshepherdsmum

What can you change Fleurpepper, other than with your vote at an election (which certainly isn’t looming)?

Which is why it is important to prepare NOW.

joseanne
Comical police checks
How true. We could ( if we were inclined) stow 8 people in our motohome with no difficulty.
I can’t count the times they haven't looked in the bathroom, under the Banquette, in the large boot.

What can you change Fleurpepper, other than with your vote at an election (which certainly isn’t looming)?

Fleurpepper

Germanshepherdsmum

I agree. Getting angry about things over which you have no control is a waste of energy and life. Save your energy for things you can change.

with an election looming?

Yes, we can change a lot of things.

It isn’t looming It may not happen until October the following year.

Casdon

I’m getting the impression that some people are racist towards the French. Can somebody explain why you believe it’s acceptable to you for France to absorb all the refugees who want to live in the UK?

Racist gets chucked about too much.Actually you can’t be racist towards the French, we are the same race.
The word you are looking for is xenophobic.
Tho IMHO it isn’t even that, it’s the fact that French authorities don’t make much effort to stop the boats and don’t always rescue the small boats in trouble but turn a blind eye.

But not 'just' doctors and nurses. I know a few carpenters, builders, plumbers who can only work for expats- as they do not know the local language, and certainly not the specific language for said job.

One thing you can say for refugees is that they know they have to learn the language, and they make sure they do, and fast.

There are many wonderful exceptions btw- but the number of British expats who cannot even do a basic conversation in the language of the country they have chosen to live in, often after years, decades and more even- is staggering.

Casdon

Joseann

Casdon

I’m getting the impression that some people are racist towards the French. Can somebody explain why you believe it’s acceptable to you for France to absorb all the refugees who want to live in the UK?

Not me, love, love, love the French. If I could be born again I would be very happy happy to be French for so many reasons!

No, not you Joseann, but if you read the posts some people do seem to think it’s perfectly okay for France to take responsibility for everybody.

Or Italy, or Germany, or anyone else...

If you have friends and family in one country, and especially if you have taken years to learn ONE foreign language, which has become the lingua franca of the world- then you will aim for a country where you can use it. Where those friends and family will welcome and support you, but also where you will have the best chances to eventually access a job- as for most jobs you need to have a decent level of said language. None of those refugees would be able to integrate and access jobs in France, Italy or Germany, as they do not have any notion of the languages required.

The one reason why many British professionals who are trying to get out of UK at the moment, doctors, nurses, researchers, teachers, plumbers, carpenters, etc- is because the English school curriculum means most of them only studied a foreign language for a couple of years.

To work as a nurse or a doctor, for instance, they would have to achieve level C1 - which is practically communicative fluency (bar a few grammatical errors). Doctors have to achieve at least 3 A* in sciences- so practically none do a foreign language to A'Levels.

Whereas all EU students who stayed on at school, will have continued to do English until University entrance- and will have also learnt through films, games, IT, etc.

Having a good knowledge of the language of the country you want to emigrate to is a massive factor for success.

Since I made a new year resolution not to get my knickers in a twist at supermarket checkouts I have become a much calmer person!
It’s amazing how many people don’t realise they have to pay at the end of the transaction and begin their search for their bag after they have piled the shopping on it.
I’m cross about the boat people but I’m cross that the government can’t pay a few more people to process them quickly and get them working in some way. There must be masses that they could do that would keep them occupied and, hopefully enhance our lives a little.

Joseann

Casdon

I’m getting the impression that some people are racist towards the French. Can somebody explain why you believe it’s acceptable to you for France to absorb all the refugees who want to live in the UK?

Not me, love, love, love the French. If I could be born again I would be very happy happy to be French for so many reasons!

No, not you Joseann, but if you read the posts some people do seem to think it’s perfectly okay for France to take responsibility for everybody.

I'm angry about the people who are angry about people in dinghies!

We, other European countries and the US have, in the past, "invaded" and exploited many non-aggressive, non-threatening nations. The British shipped people over to Australia and "invaded" the space of the natural inhabitants, killing many of them, disrespecting their way of life and completely distorting their culture. Something even worse was done to India. After WW2 the British invited people to come to this country to do the jobs that our own people were less keen to do. Yet still they were vilified for "coming over here"- some people just don't like foreigners. We were a major player in the unjustified invasion of Iraq, and supported the overthrow of Gaddafi. These relatively recent events have destabilised that part of the world and had a knock-on effect in Africa too.

Yes, it is outrageous that people in the UK cannot get decent, reasonably priced housing and are struggling to meet even very basic needs. But when governments are in a fix of this nature they always use immigrants to deflect from their own inefficiencies and inadequacies.

I am angry with this government for ruining our NHS, our water services, our education system, our immigration system, our justice system, our transport system, etc, etc. It isn't a good feeling to be angry but the alternative is to passively accept things that are just not acceptable.

Casdon

I’m getting the impression that some people are racist towards the French. Can somebody explain why you believe it’s acceptable to you for France to absorb all the refugees who want to live in the UK?

Not me, love, love, love the French. If I could be born again I would be very happy happy to be French for so many reasons!

Germanshepherdsmum

I agree. Getting angry about things over which you have no control is a waste of energy and life. Save your energy for things you can change.

with an election looming?

Yes, we can change a lot of things.

No not angry..in fact very content and grateful for my life, my community is friendly and helpful on the whole... but I am saddened and shocked by news events

I’m getting the impression that some people are racist towards the French. Can somebody explain why you believe it’s acceptable to you for France to absorb all the refugees who want to live in the UK?

France houses many. many immigrants, as does Greece,Italy,Germany Spain, get the picture?

Yes I think as a whole some people are more angry and will lash out at people if they disagree with them because they know they will probably get away with it.

I've travelled on the ferry to France and Spain many times and they don't check every car, roofbox, motorhome or caravan I wish they did, they just pick vehicles out randomly I've seen many in my opinion dodgy ones going through.

The argument is with France. It makes little or no effort to stop immigrants crossing, despite subsidies from us.

If Belgium can do it,so can France.

Perhaps Macron is waiting for Rishi to give him a bit more money?

I'm travelling back to France again next month, so will see if the comical police checks have been stepped up. Roof box and all.

What has volunteering to have an immigrant in your house got to do with it? If silly non-sequiturs like that are a guide to the depth of your thinking on this subject - oh dear!

The argument is with France. It makes little or no effort to stop immigrants crossing, despite subsidies from us.

It was reported in the DT yesterday that Belgium, which admittedly has a shorter coastline has reduced the number of those crossing in little boats from its coast from nearly 13,000 to under 1,000 while other measures include increased police checks and tougher penalties for people smugglers.

If Belgium can do it,so can France.

Mom3

I live in California. I notice that none of you mention gun violence. We have that terrible problem and having to see Trump's ugly face on the news. Those things make me angry.
Otherwise, I'm fairly content.

We don't mention gun violence because it isn't an issue in the UK. We have very strict gun controls and we don't have the dead hand of a 300 year old constitution to fight. I do feel for you and your compatriots who see the idiocy and tragedy of gun violence every day but who are powerless to halt it.

BlueBelle

I ve never been an angry person but I hate inequality and unfairness so I am angry with such short sighted racist people who bleat on about refugees and immigrants, other than that
I m not angry and don’t feel much anger around me at all, I live in what is considered a deprived seaside area but most people I talk to (and I talk to a lot within my job) seem absolutely and normally fine ….sad though at the state our country has been pushed into the last 13 years but I see a lot of ‘coming together’ to try and do community projects and right some wrongs

I know this will offend some people on here but it is true .

Actually Primrose it’s absolutely the opposite of true one of the reasons we are in so much trouble is because we don’t let the potential doctors, dentists, fruit pickers, care assistants etc come here and work preferring to put them in a variety of very poor unacceptable conditions for years ..in out quest to keep England ‘to ourself’ (a horrible thought)

I did wake up reasonable happy

It's not racist, it's practical. So anyone who dares to disagree with people who think that allowing peples lives to be put at risk as well as the fact that France is not a war torn oppressive country, is racist. Have you volunteered to have an immigrant in your house?

It's mentioned all the time in our area

5% is still a large number. It makes me laugh that those who think it's OK for immigrants to be exploitation and their lives put at risk roman.people traffikers is ok. Also as far as I'm aware France is not war torn country, so why are they fleeing France. Those liberalised do Gooders, would you have immigrants in your house? People who are rightly concerned about this issue are not racists, its a practical issue only. My dad was a very poor immigrant in the 1950s, but he came over through proper channels.

Stay safe Mom3 I hope you are out of the storm.