Why is our Home Office so toxic?

Riggie

*Here in North Warwickshire we don't have your problems.*
But that's because North Warwickshire is predominantly rural.

We do have hotels in the sticks, there is one large Time Share property nearby that is being used for Afghan refugees.

Nothing wrong with the Home Office---it's the people inside it.

Here in North Warwickshire we don't have your problems.
But that's because North Warwickshire is predominantly rural.

Allsorts

So Amber, the 43.6 percent of the population that voted in Conservative in 2019, the biggest landslide victory since 1979, are all lacking compassion, don’t care about refugees, as in previous post you answered, is quite frankly a sweepingly accurate post, insulting to half the population. I wonder if you could tell us how many you have housed and helped with your huge compassionate heart?
Just because we remain private on here does not mean you should insult people.

Sorry Allsorts your maths is awry.
Under 30% of the people who could have voted, voted Tory. But as under 70% of those people actually voted, it means that 43% of the people who actually voted, voted Tory.
There are many reasons why people don't vote, change of address, illness, lost postal votes, they don't see any point in voting as they live in a seat with a huge majority, apathy with politicians general etc, it's not just laziness.

vegansrock

We’ve got 1 million job vacancies so it would make sense to allow asylum seekers to work. We’ve had an asylum seeker next door - he’s been here for years and his case is not resolved so despite being keen to work he’s not allowed. Patel can’t be doing an excellent job as a) she hasn’t got control of the borders b) she has no grip on the asylum system which the Tories have had years to sort out, Perhaps those who think she is doing so well could let us know what exactly she has done that is actually proving successful.

I agree with you about allowing them to work. Growers are desperate for crop pickers. Otherwise they might be easy targets for the criminal element.

Perhaps those who post that Conservatives have no compassion or empathy could list what they do for charities. It is very easy to sit back and say, my house is too small or I would house someone or I only have my pension so I can't do anything. Shelters and homeless charities are crying out for volunteers

?

I seem to remember JohnReid, a Labour politician, saying the Home Offuce wasn’t fit for purpose many many years ago. Nothing changes as no matter who the minister the civil service scupper change.

I think that, if you read Maizies post, you will see that people have been pouring into the country unchecked for years thanks to useless Home Secretaries, reduction in funding and inefficiency. Even May sacked Patel for acting unlawfully a few years ago. The standard of our ministers just gets lower and lower.

We’ve got 1 million job vacancies so it would make sense to allow asylum seekers to work. We’ve had an asylum seeker next door - he’s been here for years and his case is not resolved so despite being keen to work he’s not allowed. Patel can’t be doing an excellent job as a) she hasn’t got control of the borders b) she has no grip on the asylum system which the Tories have had years to sort out, Perhaps those who think she is doing so well could let us know what exactly she has done that is actually proving successful.

boat

Wow Allsorts That must be quite a humungous number of hotels catering for refugees if you live anywhere near London or in a holiday area. How do you know?

Here in North Warwickshire we don't have your problems.

Personally I would be housing refugees if I didn't live on a 47 foot narrow boat. Take off the aft and front bell deck it's like living in a really small one bedroom flat.

No excuse that your boat is too small. Give it up, get a sleeping bag and sleep on the streets and let a poor immigrant family live in your boat. You know it’s the compassionate thing to do.

Priti Patel is doing an excellent job as Home Secretary and she knows that the vast majority are economic migrants, not refugees.

If you are all so keen on them pouring into the country unchecked, presumably you will be happy to share your homes with them?

Allsorts

All the hotels with 20 miles of where I live , even 5 star, are homing immigrants, yet youngsters sleep on the streets. I would suggest you do your research and find a solution, contact Shelter and see low many homeless we have.

I thought that, during the first lockdown, the government had agreed to get homeless people off the streets? What happened to that initiative?

Sarnia

Katie59

It’s not so much lacking compassion, it controlling our borders.
All countries have border controls, it is very difficult to get admitted into the UK legally, most other western countries are similar.
If you are from another country even if you are married to a citizen it is still very difficult, if you ask the liberal minded posters how many migrants should be let into the UK you don’t get an answer. Wether they say they are are Assylum seekers or economic migrants millions would flood into the UK if they could, those that arrive illegally are investigated, they use every device to avoid being deported because they want to take advantage of our society.

We paid for what we have, we struggle to pay for the services our own residents need, many live in poverty, even die because resources are not available.

So I ask again how many migrants should we allow

It is no use putting a figure to it because even the Government cannot keep to their own estimates. Geographically we are a small country and realistically we cannot keep absorbing so many immigrants into the UK. I worked in the NHS for years and with so many lovely people from other countries who came here for a better life. They were working hard to provide that for their families. That's all fine with me. What I don't want to see are the criminal gangs entering our country freely. Prostitution, drugs, human trafficking, terrorists, pickpocketing, grooming to name a few. The vast majority of people involved in these organisations are immigrant somewhere along the line. We have enough white criminals we don't need to import them.

Home grown criminals come in all sorts of guises.

Katie59

It’s not so much lacking compassion, it controlling our borders.
All countries have border controls, it is very difficult to get admitted into the UK legally, most other western countries are similar.
If you are from another country even if you are married to a citizen it is still very difficult, if you ask the liberal minded posters how many migrants should be let into the UK you don’t get an answer. Wether they say they are are Assylum seekers or economic migrants millions would flood into the UK if they could, those that arrive illegally are investigated, they use every device to avoid being deported because they want to take advantage of our society.

We paid for what we have, we struggle to pay for the services our own residents need, many live in poverty, even die because resources are not available.

So I ask again how many migrants should we allow

It is no use putting a figure to it because even the Government cannot keep to their own estimates. Geographically we are a small country and realistically we cannot keep absorbing so many immigrants into the UK. I worked in the NHS for years and with so many lovely people from other countries who came here for a better life. They were working hard to provide that for their families. That's all fine with me. What I don't want to see are the criminal gangs entering our country freely. Prostitution, drugs, human trafficking, terrorists, pickpocketing, grooming to name a few. The vast majority of people involved in these organisations are immigrant somewhere along the line. We have enough white criminals we don't need to import them.

Allsorts

All the hotels with 20 miles of where I live , even 5 star, are homing immigrants, yet youngsters sleep on the streets. I would suggest you do your research and find a solution, contact Shelter and see low many homeless we have.

You do have a point. The towns nearest me have all taken immigrants into hotels and flats. Successive Governments have ignored our homeless people. It makes me see red where ex-servicemen and many other people, often through no fault of their own, are sleeping rough yet we find homes for immigrants. The Home Office hasn't been fit for purpose for donkey's years and most of the Home Secretaries have been as weak as water. The only time the homeless get noticed by the powers that be is when the UK is hosting something like the Olympics, then they get given temporary accommodation so they don't clutter up the place. Shameful.

Good post Katie59 and I just don't understand how people think we can accommodate unlimited numbers of people. It has nothing to do with the colour of their skin, it's the numbers. We would have the same problem if there were the same number of white people trying to get into the country. There are just too many, and it's endless. As Katie59 says, when would you draw the line? Already we have countless homeless people so how can we accommodate more? Every person who comes here needs a home, education, medical care etc. etc. We are already struggling to provide all these things and it's unfair on those already here who have no home. A country the size of the UK cannot take migrants from 50 other countries.

One of the reasons why the HO is toxic is because it has been hopelessly inefficient for many years.

E.g. It failed to implement EU rules on Freedom of Movement because it kept no records of who was coming into the UK from the EU and whether or not they were in work or self supporting, so were unable to ask people to leave who didn't fulfil those necessary conditions. Leaving us wide open to the Leave campaign's assertions that the UK was being 'over run' with EU citizens who had to be supported by the UK. When it came to Brexit the HO had no idea how many EU citizens were in the UK or how many were, or were not, entitled to be here.

Now it is just pandering to a populist agenda that claims we are being swamped by foreigners. Quite a potent claim as can be seen by some responses on this thread.

Of course, the fact that it has, like other public services, been badly affected by the cuts to public expenditure implemented tory governments over the past decade as part of their 'austerity' policies doesn't help. A department that is short of resources cannot work effectively.

I really believe that most people are compassionate and that whatever their political persuasion the vast majority of us are generous, kind and contribute all they can to society. Just look at how many of us Grans volunteer and/or work or worked in the caring professions.

The thing I struggle with is that it seems to me that many Conservative policies seem uncompassionate or seem to result it situations that the compassionate people I know vote Conservative can't possibly want e.g. the school dinner thing, the rising need for food banks, ex-servicemen having no home to call their own.

I don't know what Pritti Patel and the Home Office are trying to achieve with their policies, but more information, calmly and clearly, put plus a joined up plan communicated well would help us all understand this awful situation better than the current situation of spin, soundbites and headlines designed to create animosity.

It’s not so much lacking compassion, it controlling our borders.
All countries have border controls, it is very difficult to get admitted into the UK legally, most other western countries are similar.
If you are from another country even if you are married to a citizen it is still very difficult, if you ask the liberal minded posters how many migrants should be let into the UK you don’t get an answer. Wether they say they are are Assylum seekers or economic migrants millions would flood into the UK if they could, those that arrive illegally are investigated, they use every device to avoid being deported because they want to take advantage of our society.

We paid for what we have, we struggle to pay for the services our own residents need, many live in poverty, even die because resources are not available.

So I ask again how many migrants should we allow

As someone who voted Conservative I object to being labelled as not having "an ounce of compassion".

I actively support a charity which helps homeless ex-service personnel, I hand out warm clothing to those I see living on the streets, I am fortunate enough to be able to donate to several charities (including those working with refugees). I would add I was once castigated by a Labour supporting friend for handing money to a man begging on the street. She said because he was reasonably clean he couldn't be homeless - does that mean ALL Labour supporters judge people by their appearance?

The Home Office has quite an unpleasant reputation in the civil service, always made worse by a toxic minister.

With luck, they won’t have to endure such a toxic bullying minister for too much longer, and perhaps a more progressive minister will begin a change of culture.

I really thought I had seen the last of the spiteful “misnamed
Pritti Patel comment but sadly you have proved me wrong boat.

Won’t bother with the rest of your views as I agree with what lemongrove has already said.

Amber, it is everyone’s responsibility if you live in this country and quite understandable if you are in a bed sit that you cannot take in a refugee. You have to have a spare bed and the wish to do your bit if thats what you want.
Boat, over 100 refugees are housed in a hotel in North Warwickshire , that is the hotels business I know, they have to go somewhere and you cannot magic accommodation in such
numbers, don’t know how you hadn’t heard. It is unfortunate we cannot house all the homeless we have. There is a massive problem in London and Cornwall, people sleeping rough in the streets or in the woods, been a problem for years. People sleep on the street for many reasons and it’s very difficult when sleeping rough to get a normal life again without access to facilities to keep clean, to eat with no money. I am interested in their welfare, but there’s a severe lack of hostels etc to get them on their feet.

Wow Allsorts That must be quite a humungous number of hotels catering for refugees if you live anywhere near London or in a holiday area. How do you know?

Here in North Warwickshire we don't have your problems.

Personally I would be housing refugees if I didn't live on a 47 foot narrow boat. Take off the aft and front bell deck it's like living in a really small one bedroom flat.