Gransnet forums

News & politics

Will you open your door and host Ukrainian refugees- mothers, grand-mothers and their children?

(423 Posts)
Kali2 Sun 27-Feb-22 16:07:27

I will.

Callistemon21 Mon 14-Mar-22 16:20:32

Whitewavemark2

The police are making utter idiots of themselves, turning up in such large numbers at the absent oligarchs mansion, now earmarked for Ukrainian refugees.

1 or 2 policemen would have been quite sufficient.

I did hope the police had come to help transform the mansion into a house fit for refugees and to change the locks.

No such luck.

Aspen Mon 14-Mar-22 16:50:15

When the Ugandan Asians came to this country they arrived by the plane load. The government could organise such transport by flying into Poland for example, picking up a planeload, on return to UK accommodate then in unused holiday camps, army camps etc. Among these refugees are doctors, nurses teachers and many other useful people, they are not stupid and could quickly organise themselves into a small village community. Locals would soon offer help when needed. This idea of the Government organising anything is laughable if it wasn't so serious. Why do the British always have to form some sort of committee, tied neatly up with red tape, before they do anything

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 14-Mar-22 16:55:31

Unused holiday camps, if there are any, will be privately owned (not by oligarchs) and probably derelict. Unused army camps, if any, also probably derelict

DaisyAnne Mon 14-Mar-22 17:06:04

Unused Army quarters will have been sold off.

Aspen Mon 14-Mar-22 17:19:57

I listen to LBC and the army camp suggestion came from a serving soldier, these places are occasionally used for training, holiday camps the owners could be compensated out of this £350 being paid to homeowners.
I immediately thought of Victoria Wood's song "Can't do it, can't do it" when I read Germanshepherd's comment!

Callistemon21 Mon 14-Mar-22 18:10:59

Aspen

I listen to LBC and the army camp suggestion came from a serving soldier, these places are occasionally used for training, holiday camps the owners could be compensated out of this £350 being paid to homeowners.
I immediately thought of Victoria Wood's song "Can't do it, can't do it" when I read Germanshepherd's comment!

Which owners? I'm confused
Army quarters and other Forces quarters are owned by the MOD.
Even if the serviceman or woman is away, their family might well be still living there.

Empty ones will probably be sold off as DaisyAnne said.

Some asylum seekers (male) were put into cold disused barracks in Wales in dormitories and they do not seem to be at all satisfactory.

These refugees are mainly women and children, we can't just plonk them in old Nissen huts miles from anywhere after what they have been through.

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 14-Mar-22 18:27:01

Aspen

I listen to LBC and the army camp suggestion came from a serving soldier, these places are occasionally used for training, holiday camps the owners could be compensated out of this £350 being paid to homeowners.
I immediately thought of Victoria Wood's song "Can't do it, can't do it" when I read Germanshepherd's comment!

It's not 'can't do it at all'. But requisitioning private property would require statutory authorisation and any disused and derelict premises would need to be brought up to a satisfactory standard, unless anyone wants a planeload of refugees to be left in squalor. Practicalities! I don't care what a soldier says about disused army premises being 'occasionally used for training', would he want his family to live in them?

eazybee Mon 14-Mar-22 18:41:42

In the south-west region army barracks, still occupied, feature regularly on the local news because of the substandard living accommodation they provide. They won't be turned round overnight.
I don't know of unused holiday camps; the ones in this area have either been revamped or the land sold for building.

I would think caravans, mobile homes are the best solution, particularly the ones mobile home owners are forced to replace every ten years by the site owners; lot of that going on down here. The problem{ where to place them; land prices at a premium.
And when does a community become a ghetto?

Callistemon21 Mon 14-Mar-22 22:39:03

I don't care what a soldier says about disused army premises being 'occasionally used for training', would he want his family to live in them?
Absolutely not - soldiers are used to roughing it especially when undergoing field training.

eazybee
Married Quarters are often substandard too.

Looking at some of the Council and private rentals in this country that tenants are having to endure already, we really need to improve standards for them too.
They really are shameful.

Why on earth have police sent in so many squad cars to arrest those people who have managed to enter an oligarch's mansion? They are only doing what the state should be doing.

DaisyAnne Mon 14-Mar-22 23:17:31

As I heard on one of the news programmes - a paper review. "All those police sent into pne house that has been invaded. No soldiers sent into a country that has been invaded."

I know the argument for not doing so but Russia is behaving like a terrorist and I do wonder if we are not becoming complicit.

Clio Mon 14-Mar-22 23:50:44

No

biglouis Tue 15-Mar-22 02:33:09

£350 if you take in a refugee and thousands of pounds to local councils per refugee. Im just wondering where all this money is coming from. No doubt lots of contracts will be handed out by those in power to their mates for organizing this merry go round with the "magic money tree" again sustained by the British tax payer.

I dont recall anyone giving me a vote on this.

Its time this government of millionaire cronies got its priorities right and looked after its own people who are on the breadline -

pensioners on a fixed income who have done their bit for the community but getting the most shit pensions in Europe

working families who have to visit food banks to feed their kids

These are the people we need to look after before taking in thousands of strangers.

Plenty of room in Poland, Germany and France which are much larger countries. We are a small island nation and already full up.

mumofmadboys Tue 15-Mar-22 05:00:30

Poland are overwhelmed by refugees.
Surely we need to care for the whole of humanity not just those people who are fortunate to be born in the UK. The refugees have lost everything including loved ones. There is no comparison.

vegansrock Tue 15-Mar-22 06:28:46

Just because Poland is a bigger country doesn’t mean they can cope with millions of extra people overnight. it shouldn’t be beyond us to take a few thousand. We should definitely be using empty luxury homes owned by money launderers and not using our police as free security for them. The Italian video showing theUkrainian children starting school there is lovely.

vegansrock Tue 15-Mar-22 07:06:41

Why has Michael Gove taken over the refugee organisation? Could it be because Patel has made a complete mess of it so far? What’s the betting the organisation of this scheme is sold off to someone like Dido Harding.

GrannyGravy13 Tue 15-Mar-22 07:16:45

We are due to move out of our home in the coming weeks due to massive structural repairs, so we haven’t got a home to offer.
We will continue to donate and help in other ways,

Lucca Tue 15-Mar-22 07:17:02

biglouis

£350 if you take in a refugee and thousands of pounds to local councils per refugee. Im just wondering where all this money is coming from. No doubt lots of contracts will be handed out by those in power to their mates for organizing this merry go round with the "magic money tree" again sustained by the British tax payer.

I dont recall anyone giving me a vote on this.

Its time this government of millionaire cronies got its priorities right and looked after its own people who are on the breadline -

pensioners on a fixed income who have done their bit for the community but getting the most shit pensions in Europe

working families who have to visit food banks to feed their kids

These are the people we need to look after before taking in thousands of strangers.

Plenty of room in Poland, Germany and France which are much larger countries. We are a small island nation and already full up.

Oh dear what a depressing post.

mumofmadboys Tue 15-Mar-22 07:41:09

I agree Lucca. It makes me despair

volver Tue 15-Mar-22 07:43:41

Crikey.

Even now. sad

Do people really think a country's ability to take in refugees depends on its physical size?

Whitewavemark2 Tue 15-Mar-22 07:56:00

Yesterday in the HoC

Michael Gove said it was a Labour Home Secretary that created the hostile environment.

Not true.

Theresa May, Home Secretary at the time, introduced it in 2012, saying: "The aim is to create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants."

Germanshepherdsmum Tue 15-Mar-22 08:10:54

Illegal immigrants’ wwm.

Luckygirl3 Tue 15-Mar-22 08:21:58

biglouis These are fellow human beings - just like us. Imagine if we were being bombed out of our homes?

There is a lot that is imperfect about the UK social systems, and there are indeed people here who are at the bottom of the heap - and that is wrong. But as a nation we can and should offer sanctuary to these people.

biglouis Tue 15-Mar-22 09:02:00

Some deeper thinking observers may notice that female reporters were brought in to hail the families who were taking in migrants. They were, at times delighted, upbeat, bright and all-good-times to the stories they were buying out.

Yes, it does seem there's nothing but good news in bad news for the press. Jobs and salaries assured! At the moment the auditory amateur dramatics and players seem to be on steroids.

More comedy and self righteousness to follow.

As with the canting politicos, follow the money. Our money!

Whitewavemark2 Tue 15-Mar-22 09:04:03

Germanshepherdsmum

Illegal immigrants’ wwm.

They used and still use the term “illegal” for those seeking asylum, it was a propaganda tool.

May used a hammer to crack what was at the time a nut. It was a very unpleasant way to proceed.

volver Tue 15-Mar-22 09:05:31

Good lord.

Have you had a word with Lise Doucet, Lindsey Hilsum etc?

They're all just eye candy in it for the money, are they?

(My vicarious claim to fame - Lindsey Hilsum's dad used to be my boss.)