Asylum seekers

I can’t be bothered to start a thread about anything, I’m wasting time until I can call my daughter and grandchildren in New Zealand.

After Strictly. 😄

if you must

If you want to volver. Do you want to start it?

Shall we have an ID card thread? 😉

vegansrock, I agree with you about ID cards. I have never had a problem with them. However, many people don’t agree with them, including many in all the different political parties. People think ID cards are, as you said, unBritish. I don’t understand this point of view but I do understand that many people hold this opinion. So it is probably a non starter here, unfortunately.

ID cards are a contentious issue. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with them and they could be useful in various situations. Why can't we have voluntary cards for those who don't have a passport or driving licence? Quite honestly, various authorities already have loads of data on all of us and it wouldn't be difficult for a "big brother" to link it all together.

Anyone who has the good fortune to visit Greece will find that many Albanians have settled there. They work extremely hard, long hours, often supporting the tourist industry. The aren’t given the same employment rights as Greek citizens even after several years of working and paying tax

One of the best doctors we had contact with over recent months came to the uk ten years ago, from Albania.

Criminal gangs need effective investigation. Thst means funding border force, the police and working internationally.

I’m uncertain that ID cards would be a bad idea. We all need to present forms of ID frequently. It needs an address with your name on it, so passports and driving licences are often requested. I’ve had regular exposure to this in the aftermath of mr i’s death. A utility bill with your name and address is sometimes acceptable but that doesn’t give your d.o.b. Many of the families I worked with had no pass[ort or driving licence. They moved mor frequently and with less planning than your average. Man ID card could have been useful to them.

No to ID cards.

No way. Ever.

Estonia is a global lead in digitisation of public services.
The uk could have done this but the will isn’t there.

I agree re ID cards. Hard to see why not. Of course they could be forged and sold but I'm sure a way could be found to beat that.

I have to say I don’t have a problem with ID cards (having lived in countries which use them )
Plus if they helped with controlling asylum seeker registration etc /legal migrant status that would seem to be a bonus.
Frankly just anything which could unclog the block and speed the process up….

Data to control and confirm immigration and citizenship would be boosted by having a national identity card, something that is all the more relevant post-Brexit. In the aftermath of the Windrush affair, two former Labour home secretaries, Alan Johnson and Charles Clarke, claimed that the scandal could have been prevented if identity cards had been in use. Such a system, they said, is “the best way to prove and so protect a citizen’s identity.”
ID cards could help to solve a number of other issues that have cropped up in recent years, such as voter fraud and identity theft. They could also drastically improve the ability of the state to serve its citizens, and save a meaningful amount of money at the same time.
Estonia has shown how. Its government claims that 99 percent of public services, from voting to tax to national health insurance, are available through the centralised digital identity system it has built. Not only has this improved access, it has also led to immense cost savings – a staggering eight hundred years of worktime for the state and citizens annually. Given that Estonia’s population is less than a sixth the size of London’s, this would be a considerable contribution for the United Kingdom.

In many countries you have to carry your ID card and can be asked to produce it by police. Certainly many European countries. But apparently it’s unBritish so we can’t do that.

Aveline

I've seen the videos of boatloads arriving on shores of seaside towns and the migrants running up the beaches to disappear into the streets. Not noticed or registered. Who employs them? Provides accomodation etc? These ones won't qualify for benefits etc and will always just be unregistered. Not a great life hiding from authorities.

Border Force only has one cutter for the whole of the East Coast from the Channel to Norfolk. It's impossible to monitor such a long coastline. It's been known for ages that boats arrive, not only in towns, but in quieter areas. Both Border Force and the NCA rely on undercover work and just do not have the resources to catch more than a small fraction of criminals.

No, it's not a great life, but possibly better than the life they're leaving behind.

JaneJudge

even British people have to show ID before they can work

It depends who the employer is and what work is being done.

17:22glammanana

Good grief it was said tongue in cheek she never even spoke to man how ridiculous. Was it even true.

MerylStreep

growstuff
The NCA together with the Spanish police had a success story at the beginning of October by breaking up an Albanian people smuggling gang. Albanian People Smuggling Gang are the words used by our own NCA officers.

The people landing on Shakespeare Beach have no intention of claiming asylum. For obvious reasons they don’t want our authorities to be aware of them. They certainly don’t want their photos taken or fingerprinted which is what happens when they enter a detention centre.

I know the NCA has successes, but its budget has halved since 2013. It needs more funding, so that it can have more successes like this one.

Maudi

09:34Glorianny

Oh well that's all right then one lovely Albanian gang member/people smuggler on the train who has good manners, so let's let them all in 😂

Maudi Very harsh indeed for all you know the man concerned can be here legally,he could be a trained Doctor working in our understaffed NHS.

MerylStreep

Aveline
They will be paid and accommodated. A lot will be living on the job so to speak 😉 Cuckooing.
The chances of them being pulled up in the street are next to zero.
They won’t be hiding. A lot will be doing delivery work at night. Provided the car they are driving is clean again, next to no chance of being pulled over.

If you’re right, these people are effectively being sold into slavery.
What happens to them when they are no longer able to work, I don’t imagine their ‘bosses’ continue to pay them, and they can’t claim benefits.

volver

I think we have to move away from the idea that countries are being abandoned and that all they need is a bit more money and it would be fine.

Asylum seekers are leaving countries where they feel persecuted or unsafe. There might not be war there, but it could be persecution of minorities, gay people perhaps. We could give as much money as we like to China but it won't stop them persecuting Uighurs.

In my opinion, we have to understand the difference between asylum seekers and economic migrants. There is a huge difference. I've been an economic migrant in 2 different countries, but I've never been an asylum seeker.

I agree with this volver.

but wouldn't it be better if wealthy countries such as ours helped financially the countries that are being abandoned?

Just have a think about this, Skydancer.

Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Eritrea for example?

Countries where homosexuality is illegal?

Countries where minority ethnic groups or minority religious groups are being persecuted or even eliminated?

Who would the money go to and what chance would it have of being used to mitigate the conditions these people are fleeing from?

even British people have to show ID before they can work

Aveline
They will be paid and accommodated. A lot will be living on the job so to speak 😉 Cuckooing.
The chances of them being pulled up in the street are next to zero.
They won’t be hiding. A lot will be doing delivery work at night. Provided the car they are driving is clean again, next to no chance of being pulled over.