What is so horrible / terrible / dangerous about France / Belgium / Holland / the EU that people are willing to pay £thousands to gangsters and risk their lives and the lives of their families to escape to a post-brexit-bankrupt Britain?
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A Question For Remainians
(11 posts) (8 voices)
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The real answer is family, friends and language
A lot of the countries they were ck Jung from were British colonies and they speak English. They have people from their villages who are already in Britain and they often have family here as well.
France has the biggest Muslim population in Europe with people who are happy to live there because they come from old French colonies and speak French.
Germany has a lot of Turkish immigrants.
People like to go where other people they know or have an affinity with are staying.
The numbers trying to get into Britain are relatively very small out of the numbers arriving in Europe. Most are comfortable staying in other countries.
Posted 5 months ago # -
I know perfectly well why they might prefer to settle in one country rather than another.
But a preference is not quite the same as desperation / terror. Many of these people fled initially from persecution, war, the destruction of their homes/towns/villages, and imminent risk of terrorism, rape, torture & death. Faced with these horrors, seeking any method of escape, however dangerous, is perfectly understandable.
But these hideous dangers are not present in Europe. Having reached the safety of Europe, to risk your life and the lives of your family and its entire life savings in attempting to move illegally from one European country to another is like someone floundering desperately in a raging sea, having fled a blazing ship, managing to reach the safety of seaworthy, adequately-sized, well-equipped, competently-crewed lifeboat.
And then risking all, all over again, by diving back into the raging sea again, in the hope of reaching another, similar but different lifeboat where you think you can see some mates and where the lifeboat crew happen to speak a language you are more familiar with. Why would you think it worthwhile, risking so much - your life and the lives of your family - when you are already perfectly safe?
"Help! Help! We're drowning!"
"Climb aboard, Monsieur. We will rescue you."
"No, no, I demand to be rescued by an English lifeboat."
Posted 5 months ago # -
Let's put it in terms a Brexiter might understand.
They are being treated badly in Europe; they don't have any control.
They're told by a bunch of unscrupulous gangsters that everything will be better if they leave Europe, and being insufficiently informed to critically analyse that statement they take it as fact.
They leave Europe under the belief that the risk of staying outweighs the risk of leaving.
Posted 5 months ago # -
They'll have been racially abused by nationalist morons in France - except that they don't know that the UK racist morons are just as skilled. They incorrectly think that the UK is better than that - well, it used to be so
Obviously, they don't know they're risking their lives with the crossing. Even if they did, they've seen far worse
As Ben says, they don't know how dangerous the journey is - the gangsters are hardly going to give them the truth, are they ?
You have to separate the components of the problem:
1) Should France be looking after them? Yes, it's their legal responsibility, and I suspect they do, in most cases
2) Should France be stopping these journeys? Yes, it's their moral responsibility, and I'd guess many are indeed stopped
3) Should the UK look after refugees, once they've crossed? Yes, it's our moral responsibilityOther European nations look after numerous refugees from war zones, so why shouldn't we do just a fraction of what they do? It's inhumane not to make an effort
Posted 5 months ago # -
Agree strongly with both Ben and Sinnick. What also needs to be taken into account is the fact that most people are not entirely rational creatures. Some people have set their course on wanting to come to the UK and that's that. They may be terribly disappointed when they get here and wish they'd given the matter more thought beforehand but it's too late by then. The wonderful picture this country projects of itself doesn't help. Perhaps we should try telling the truth about the UK occasionally but that would certainly upset the natives.
As for the dangers of the journey how many people jump in their car and drive away expecting to be killed or injured? They all know in their heart of hearts that such a thing couldn't possibly happen to them whilst their appalling driving ensures that for many of them it most certainly will.Posted 5 months ago # -
All good answers.
(The only other possibility is that the lure of the UK is down to the power of subliminal advertising. Its our fault for continuously dropping bombs on them, with big 'Made in Britain' stickers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54435335)
Posted 5 months ago # -
I very much doubt they care whether the UK stayed or left the EU, or whether France was still in either for that matter. Quite possibly while sheltering from bombs they failed to keep up to date on the Brexit negotiations. I'm confident the reason has nothing to do with our membership of the EU.
I also can't speculate on why they decide to make the final leg of their journey across the Channel at great risk to themselves and their families, but I doubt it is because the UK has a reputation for looking after them. If we have, then the government must be spending a fortune on spin doctors over in France.
Posted 5 months ago # -
I think this explains the thrust of the original question. BTW, the BBC is a reasonably available resource for this kind of information, funded by those who choose to buy a TV licence.
Posted 5 months ago # -
Love Ben's explanation...
BTW Titus do you not see that if people had to stay in the first safe country they came to, those countries (Turkey? Greece? Spain?) would be saying to the rest of us "oi, take your share of these people!". (In fact most refugees do stay in the first country -c90% Syrian refugees are in Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey.) Why should an accident of geography determine where people have to stay? Doesn't it make more sense to share them out and let them be the judge of where is best for them? After all, as others have said, in practice refugees settle in a wide range of countries and relatively few come to the UK.
Posted 5 months ago #
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