So much for controlling immigration!

It is Brexit related but I'll bet you absolutely nobody will have the guts to say so.

The irony is the UK has chucked out all the useful, white immigrants and opened the doors to who knows what.

Personally, I don't care who comes to this sad little place.

Bluebelle I made it clear that I was posting this as a hot potato, meaning that it is likely to cause the kind of shenanigans that happens whenever a Brexit related thread is started.

And this IS Brexit related, I was looking forward to seeing Brexiters wriggling or denying it. I mostly avoid the political threads because of the hatchet jobs that happen, just goes to show they come from all directions. Did I say I was anti immigration or misunderstanding of why you might risk a dinghy across the Channel? NO.

Idi Amin- in mid 70s- remember it so well as so many arrived in Leicester. And of course Priti Patel's family - she does not seem to remember at all.

Totally besides the human and empathy issues- anyone who could not see that illegal immigration would not multiply massively once the French stop the massive efforts of police and CRS (SAS type force) in Calais- have never spent time in Calais in last few years, not talked to said police/CRS. Half the Hôtel we normally stay in has been commandeered by the French Government, as most of other Hôtels in the region, with staff drafted in from all over France- as part of agreements with the UK. This will stop on 31st of October if we leave with No Deal. There will be good businesses in hiring boats or taking people over.

Looking at that figure, I don't think its an awful lot. The difference between economic migrants and refugees is another discussion altogether.

Twice in our lives we have given a home for a short while to asylum seekers who were very grateful and relieved to be safe.
They missed their own countries of course but they had no alternative.
One family were thrown out of Uganda by Idi Amin who expelled many/most Asians who in turn had "originally" been brought in by the British and given preferential treatment over the Africans.

The other were victims of the civil war in what is now South Sudan.
Now we have a few families from Syria living near us. I can assure anyone that they are law abiding, gentle people whom we meet from time to time.

It was clear from the start that this is what would happen - if we leave with No Deal, the French will stop the massive checks and controls at Calais and other ports - and the numbers will multiply vastly, as no-one will be there to stop them.

So much for controlling immigration! I think the lack of compassion is in the title.

Surely, a more compassionate title would be: Rise in refugees risking lives in British channel.

I am a nobody Chewbacca, a person, a non event. I know a little bit about people who make this journey.

I agree with your sentiments, BlueBelle, and GoneGirl's point about the closure of the french refugee camps.
But as I've said in the past, the french people have done their best to welcome the refugees, but often their offers have often been rejected, because many of them only want to come to the UK .
This happened a few times in the quiet rural area where we lived. The refugees were brought down in a bus, shown very comfortable accomodation , offered agricultural work , but no, they wanted to go to the UK.
It's a complicated situation.

It appears that quite a lot of leave voters thought that "leave" meant "all the foreigners mist leave the UK" and so a few days after the fraudulent referendum they were accosting their local Pakistani corner shop owner/ Sri Lankan GP/ French teacher/ Phillipina care worker/ saying "we voted leave so why have you not left yet?"

poppyred tell that to Greece, Italy, Germany, Sweden etc etc.

Does anyone understand that illegal immigration has been going on for ever?

When at work, I used to occasionally commute to France using the shuttle and always saw loads of illegal bods walking up the M20. I never once saw one being apprehended.

I think it's a damned shame that they have such a crap life in their own countries that they risk life itself to get here Lessismore. Is that ok for you? Does my answer fit one of your "acceptable responses" tick boxes? Just who do you think you are to be demanding that anyone provides you with their thoughts on any subject?

Why here?? If they are crossing the English Channel they are boarding in safe countries so no excuse.

We have taken more than our fair share, this is getting beyond ridiculous now!

Boris Johnson proposes an amnesty for illegal immigrants who've been here more than 10 years - wonder what Farage thinks of that.

Chewbacca Elegran I certainly didn’t intend to ‘jump on’ the op. The article posted raises questions about why there is a record number of migrants entering the country. Warsan Shire is a Somali-British migrant. I feel her words add far more to the conversation than anything most of us could ever contribute.

The lines I posted have stayed with me since I first read the poem. I believed they were relevant in regards to the ‘so much for controlling immigration’ topic. To me it says everything, about why we need to welcome these poor souls into our country.

I wish they wouldn’t as they are likely to drown.

It would appear that the subject of immigration is not to be discussed at all on GN, for fear of those who seek out percieved injustices; irrespective of what the OP of a discussion actually says.

BlueBelle you owe notentirely an apology.

So chewbacca and lemongrove, since you are here....what are your thoughts on immigrants in small boats trying to get to Great Britain?

BlueBelle which post were you reading?!
The OP said nothing much at all, just the facts, no idea why you are berating her.

Beat me to it Elegran, I was thinking the same thing. OP has been jumped on, and her post picked apart for something that she never actually said.

I didn't read any thing in notentirelyallhere's post that condemned the migrants - it was just a flat statement that a record number of them crossed the channel in one day.

Have I missed a vital clue? Was there something written between the lines? Surely the responses to a post should be about what is written, not what readers inserted into the post themselves? Are you attributing sentiments to NEAH that you have transferred from somewhere else entirely?

and didn't we do our bit in trying to resolve the issues in these countries.

We did our bit in de-stabilising those countries they are fleeing from.

I cannot believe how uncaring and hard you must be notentirely No one, I mean no one goes on those sort of journeys unless they are desperate desperate to get away from bombs, killing, torture, and seeing their children have no safety or quality of life
If you haven’t got a heart then I pity you and hope you and your family are never in a bad situation with people turning their back on you
I m not religious but I do know the story of the people who turned their back in the Good Samaritan
Remember the picture of the little boys body on the beach three years ago No one takes those chances unless they are more than desperate
Grow a heart, lady