Little Britain - the state of England today

The immigrants are quite safe in France and should stay there, we cannot afford any more here and don't want them. The country is full and the NHS is at breaking point. There are many ordinary, hard working people on minimum wage in the UK waiting for social housing, we just do not want any uninvited people. They are safe in France , it is our benefits that they are after, I wish they would stop trying to barge in when they are SAFE where they are, let France take of them, it is much bigger and has so much more space. I hope our Home Secretary succeeds in getting the boats towed back.
I find those comments unsavoury and utterly lacking in empathy and compassion. Most immigrants have come from countries where the living conditions are horrendous.
As to them being 'safe' in France, that is certainly not the case. I used to live there and I know from first hand experience that immigrants are not entitled to benefits, they rely mostly on charities. France is well known for its bureaucracy and without the correct paperwork, you are effectively barred from employment and medical care.
In that respect, the UK is a better option. In addition, many immigrants already speak English and not French, which is yet another barrier.

Antonia if the conditions are so awful where they've left, why have they left their wives and mothers there?

Biscuitmuncher if these people are being transported by people smugglers they won't be able to afford to bring their wives and mothers. Families raise thousands to try and send one member to the UK for a better life, hoping that one day that better life would be for all of them.

:43Biscuitmuncher. Antonia if the conditions are so awful where they've left, why have they left their wives and mothers there?
An ill thought out comment. Firstly, I would think many of the migrants are unmarried men. We know that some are unaccompanied minors. Secondly, are you seriously suggesting that old women, or even young ones, can make the perilous journeys that migrants undertake?

Yes they are all unmarried men, economic migrants, wake up

Are you saying that the only people who are truly concerned about what is happening currently in the UK are expats?

I cannot answer for MawB but this is certainly NOT what I'm saying kali2. What I was referring to was those who continually and persistently denigrate England, and it's populace, whilst glossing over similar problems and difficulties in other countries. The apparent continual need to showcase any/every example of the shortcomings of our country, whilst refusing to see that those same problems and difficulties exist, and are prevalent in every country in the world. A good example of this was your post at 21.06 on 18th July; you specifically stated: As for Little Britain, videos of the behaviour after Wembley have been seen all over the world. And now groups of drunken, belligerent idiots abusing and swearing at Police and others in Benidorm- mocking Covid restrictions and emergency lockdown (and many of them not youngsters either^) ^showed again all over the world and Press. Just a minority, of course, but a significant one- giving the whole country such a terrible image. But no one else, including you, has been able to find any evidence of this. To try to add some balance to your claims, I found 2 articles of similar poor COVID behaviour in both Spain and France but you dismissed them as "not being the same at all". Poor, unsavoury and embarrassing behaviour is prevalent in every country in the world, not just England. And kind, compassionate, caring behaviour is found in every county in the world, including England.

If you're unable to acknowledge that, I would have to question why not and what the motive is for your apparent distaste of my country.

They are migrants, full stop. They are not desperately trying to get to the UK specifically to steal jobs from UK workers. I doubt that the possibility even enters their minds. They are in search of safety, security and a better life than is possible in their home countries.
I'm fully awake, thank you.

Biscuitmuncher

Yes they are all unmarried men, economic migrants, wake up

20th July 2021:

Dozens of people, including women and young children, were seen arriving at Dungeness

It's ok, the children have been sent down the mines.
Have to earn their keep.
.

What I was referring to was those who continually and persistently denigrate England, and it's populace, whilst glossing over similar problems and difficulties in other countries.

It is getting rather boring now, you must admit, Chewbacca

Everything is wrong about England, apparently.

Whose country ''the motive is for your apparent distaste of my country.''?

You obviously have not read my posts. A massive majority of the people whose country the UK is- are hugely concerned. Because they love their country, my country too- and despair of what is happening to it recently. And despair of the image portrayed by a small minority- which is the one picked up by the world's press and TV- tragically.

Anyone who loves the UK couldn't stand by and not feel massive sadness at what is being done to it.

It is your country, but it belongs to all of us.

What an infuriating and disgraceful post. Trashing the British and Britain.

Final straw for me. Gransnet has plumbed new depths even by their biased and prejudiced standards.

It's just a couple or three posters, Kamiso.

There is much that is still wonderful about GB
Even England, although I don't live there ?

You obviously have not read my posts

Oh we have …. many, many times

For years and years and years.

Why?

kali2 I have read all your posts and they don't waiver much at all from your stance that England you rarely refer to Great Britain, actually has more than it's fair share of problems, embarrassing football fans and an unusual degree of COVID deniers who set out to cause trouble with the police. We don't. We have no more, and no less than any other country. And, unlike several countries in the world, we actually have the freedom to do that. You seem to be unaware that the world's press and tv don't focus specifically on England; it does actually investigate and report on other countries in the world too. But you're not at all interested in them are you?

We aren’t the only ones with demonstrators.

www.swissinfo.ch/eng/police-break-up-unauthorised-covid-demonstration-in-central-swiss-town/46521070

Oh goodness, yes, the perception is that Switzerland is perfect.
Mountains, lakes, chocolate, happy happy people.

But it has its problems like every country.
Some asylum-seekers, including children, put in freezing-cold steel containers - or ‘reflection rooms’

‘The Government must go beyond thinking these acts of abuse are the actions of a few bad apples’ - Alicia Giraudel

People held in federal asylum centres operated by private security companies in Switzerland have been subjected to a range of abuse at the hands of security guards, including violence and coercive measures, the use of pepper gel and being locked in a metal container resulting in hypothermia, said Amnesty International.

But they do tend to use rubber bullets and tear gas in Switzerland on their football hooligans.

Perhaps we're too soft in the UK . If we clamped down like, for example Switzerland and France, hooligans may think twice before behaving badly again.

Is that thought too authoritarian?

Not authoritarian Callistemon but possibly unpalatable.

And this.

www.france24.com/en/20200616-switzerland-grapples-with-its-own-george-floyd-case

In contrast, the death of Mike Ben Peter, a 37-year-old Nigerian man, in Lausanne in March 2018 received little attention beyond the western Swiss city, where it sparked a small demonstration against police violence.

Is racism more acceptable in Switzerland?
Or brushed under the carpet and hidden from the world press?

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Reading the comments above about immigrants I am reminded of a comment from James O'Brien this morning. He said that the number of immigrants coming into the country over the last few years was less than 85,000 lorry drivers that the UK is short of. Perhaps they should be welcomed in and trained as lorry drivers.

Kali2 this sort of behaviour in the world’s press?
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9788791/French-protest-Emmanuel-Macrons-Covid-pass-new-law-insisting-health-workers-vaccinated.html

And that is the point indeed- racism is and always has been much more ingrained in France and Switzerland. Which is why The UK was seen as a beacon of tolerance and open multiculturalism. For many reasons, partly historical- and with the 2 + UK countries mentionned very very different historical and cultural backgrounds. The UK was an example to all for such a long time, way above the rest in so many ways - including police who are trained to difuse rather than inflamme (as so often in France and Switzerland- where confrontation is the norm and makes things so much worse so often. Try and have a friendly chat and joke with the CRS in France, and see how it goes, especially if young and not white. Which is why those who loved what it stood for- find it so desperately sad currently.

Some of you will never see this- but that is OK. Why anyone would want to bring Switzerland into this thread is beyond be- what has it got to do with the OP?

As for demos in France- I will not condone any form of violence, and I totally disagree with this obsession with personal 'freedom'. I totally agree that health workers working with vulnerable people should be vaccinated. And also that to be succesful, a vaccination programme has to have at least 70% take up, and more if possible. So I am not on their side, at all. But at least they are demonstrating for a principle, not just for the hell of it.

Why anyone would want to bring Switzerland into this thread is beyond be- what has it got to do with the OP?
Well, we've mentioned England, the RUK, France, Spain, Russia, Eastern Europeans, possibly more nationalities.
Wouldn't want the Swiss to feel left out.
I forgot the Italians - the ones whose football team beat ours. Here's the captain being a little bit unsportsmanlike: