Originally Posted by Omegstrat6
I totally agree that "charity should start at home" and there is much to do in regard to this as the gap between the have and have nots in this country just gets wider. Even Boris the Buffoon has realized that the pandemic has led to a change in the mood of the country around this and that he must at least pay some lip service to it hence all his rhetoric about "levelling up" and a "well paid and skilled workforce". Such a pity that the Labour Party is such a shambles and there is no viable opposition to a party that normally doesnt give a stuff about the have-nots and just looks after its own.
Anyhow, one of the points I was trying to make was that those 13,000 crossing the channel in boats is not as large a problem as the other 32,000 who make up the total number of immigrants (legal and illegal) we accept annually. I admit that I do not know the full details of this 32,000 and many may be skilled workers that the country needs but I bet a great many more are based on family ties and so maybe we could cut back on these numbers?
From a humanitarian point of view, I guess we should accept a percentage of asylum seekers (particularly if their situation is linked to the actions of this country eg Afghanistan) but that the wealthier European countries should work together to try and ensure that they each take their fair share.
I dont doubt that some immigrants play our benefits system-but so do many Brits! Surely, a key task should be to aim to get people off benefits and into work wherever possible. This may seem a simple case of carrot/stick at heart but is obviously more complex than that and involves tackling things like culture, education and housing as well as better wages and the levelling up of areas. I still maintain that the majority of those coming over on boats would rather work to improve their lot than stay on the dole but can understand why some question their choice to come here rather than France or Spain say, and conclude that the main reason is because the UK is seen as a "softer touch". When you factor in things like the criminal people smuggling gangs the reasons may be more complex than that.
I guess the only thing that an be said with certainty is that immigration is a genuine issue but quite how that is fairly resolved is another matter.
Congrats on the discovery of paragraphs as mentioned by 68.
A welcome addition to your usually very interesting posts which had previously induced bleeding from my eyes and ears before I got half way through your content.
Nice one!
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