Are you going to Greece? Help the refugees

If Nonnie is ok about it, I will continue.

62% are thought to be asylum seekers because they come from certain countries.
I would have thought there would be economic migrants in there too.
I sometimes think, when some people say groups of people are one thing, and others say they are another, that perhaps the figure is half and half.
So in this case, half of the migrants coming are asylum seekers and half are economic migrants is my guess.

I would try to legitimately leave a country if a government made me very unhappy.

I think I must be right in thinking that an asylum seeker cannot live on £36.95 a week, so that cant be the full figure. They are not all on the streets, so have been given a roof over their heads in some way.
Good if they are a genuine asylum seeker. But the £36.95 figure does need a context.

Asylum seekers are given somewhere to live (the government website says it is unlikely to be in London or the south east) and £36.95 per person per week. Those refused asylum are given somewhere to live and £35.39 on a payment card.

What, one pound less? How silly.

Sorry, one pound 56p

My last link is very much about Nonnie's OP, a humanitarian link, not a socialist one, although I do happen to think the two coincide rather a lot.

Of course you do Djen, because only Socialists can be humanitarian and kind and caring, the rest of us ( quite a few, you must admit) have no idea about these things.

So, is anyone actually going to Greece this year?

I do not think anyone has suggested here that only socialists can be humanitarian. I am sure that many of those giving their time and money to help these refugees are of many different political persuasions.

But you have to admit rosesareread that often the policies of this government do seem to be out of touch with what it feels like to be one of the disadvantaged in our society. I can understand that conclusions might be drawn from that.

I have met many Tories who are kind, thoughtful and charitable - but often just out of touch with how the other half lives.

'Out of touch with how the other half lives'? Do you really think the majority of tories were born with silver spoons in their mouths and live in big houses where they never come in contact with 'the other half'?

Not in my experience!

Not in my experience either!

Out of touch with how the other half lives??

Blimey, I didn't realise I was so rich and privileged.

Strange breed, tories

Luckygirl, the OP has little to do with what the government is either doing or not doing, really.I believe this country is doing as much as anyone, but the refugees are not landing on our shores after all, but that of Greece.which is why Nonnie started this thread, to say that if you are going there, take some toys/toiletries etc.Why must some people constantly harp on about Tories being ' out of touch' it doesn't actually make sense, plus the fact that as a country we voted for them, so hardly out of touch ( that's a lot of people we are talking about.)Were all these people born with a silver spoon in their mouths?This is nonsense.

It is much easier to dig at people than to listen and be fair. Is it really likely that any one party is right all the time and any one party always wrong? A balanced viewpoint would be good to see and far more believable.

I find it hard to believe that anyone older than a teenager actually believes it is so simple. With age should come discrimination.

I heard a Labour politician the other day talking about 'Jeremy' and then in the same sentence 'Cameron and Osbourne'. No balance there then, just politics.

I wonder how long it'll be before he becomes 'Jezzer'?

Good post Nonnie, we need a little more balance and fairness.Things are not black and white, as you say, there are grey areas in all things.I certainly do not agree with all the Tory policies, nor would I agree with all The Lib Dems or Labour's policies, so all this constant, wearying and childish Conservative bashing, should stop ( but it won't!)
Now, back to the OP.

I do think that a lot of Tories are out of touch; and that many of the votes for them this time around were because of so much propaganda that said the economy would fall apart under any other government.

Sorry can't agree luckygirl. Simply not possible to say that most Tories are out of touch. Re the economy -its crucially important. The Socialists had their chance with it (and I voted for them) - they blew it sadly. Time to give another party a chance. Time will tell.

So what has the other party done for refugees in the hundred days it has been in power, not forgetting the five years in the coalition, Jane10?

Try Googling it Djen,it saves time.

If the economy is doing well it means there is the money to do other things. There will be less unemployment therefore more tax being paid and less JSA etc. From a good economy everything else becomes possible. It took years to get us in a mess so it will take years to get us out of it.

Lucky it is clear to me that a lot of people are out of touch, in all parties and in all groups. Realistically it is quite hard to understand anyone whose life is very different from one's own whether richer or poorer, better or worse educated etc. That is why we pay all those civil servants to make recommendations to our government.