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

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.

‘Illegal immigrants’ wwm.

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."

Crikey.

Even now.

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

I agree Lucca. It makes me despair

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

£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.

No

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.

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.

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?

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?

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
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.

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!

Unused Army quarters will have been sold off.

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

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

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.

I'm not mentally capable of living with. To make it easier for those who arrive and for their hosts - will try to work with any community support that gets set up. Tricky to know at the moment what they will need - a lot depends on whether it turns out Mr P decides it was all a misjudgement and goes for a dignified return (I pray), or a nastier and more drawn out conflict comes. As other posters say, I have, and I know of so many who donate money and goods - as a country we are making a phenomenal contribution.

Well - today is the day when we all learn how to take in a refugee.

This is what I have gleaned so far .....
- you have to know a named refugee yourself before you can apply to host. How the heck do you achieve that? One source said look for families on social media pleading for refuge and get in contact with them .... hmmm.
- the main British NGO is Refugees at Home - they only take hosts who live in cities or big towns. That is not me.

I will contact my Ukranian friend who is currently in Bulgaria.

The system does seem to have more obstacles than opportunities.

I’ve just watched a video of some Ukrainian children being greeted at an Italian school by all the children and staff.?

I mean really it is so uplifting, but everything moves me to tears these days.