Care4 Calais

[On Balance]

Very good point Epsom!

From what I understand Leicester, it is the crossing itself that has traumatised these immigrant people of the water, it is not that they had a fear of water prior to commencement of their journey across the Mediterranean Sea or the English Channel.

[Leicesterbaggie]

From what I understand Leicester, it is the crossing itself that has traumatised these immigrant people of the water, it is not that they had a fear of water prior to commencement of their journey across the Mediterranean Sea or the English Channel.

I’m sorry but I don’t buy into that. As far as I can see it’s a ruse by these ‘rogue’ lawyers to make a quick buck and for the immigrants to get what they want.

[On Balance]

I’m sorry but I don’t buy into that. As far as I can see it’s a ruse by these ‘rogue’ lawyers to make a quick buck and for the immigrants to get what they want.

Understood, I was just trying to clarify the situation as I understood it.

I think being on a dinghy and watching people die due to malnutrition, babies being still born and others drowning is understandably traumatic. I have twice witnessed these people in precarious situations whilst holidaying. If they are putting their lives on the line then they have to be in an awful situation.

Whilst I’ll agree some may be of ill ilk, most are likely to be absolutely desperate. We should feel so luck that we do not have to make these decisions.

[Leicesterbaggie]

Understood, I was just trying to clarify the situation as I understood it.

I think being on a dinghy and watching people die due to malnutrition, babies being still born and others drowning is understandably traumatic. I have twice witnessed these people in precarious situations whilst holidaying. If they are putting their lives on the line then they have to be in an awful situation.

Whilst I’ll agree some may be of ill ilk, most are likely to be absolutely desperate. We should feel so luck that we do not have to make these decisions.

While agreeing with many of your above observations my two major points are that the majority of those making the crossing are young men and that the accommodation provided on the barge looks pretty comfortable to me. Many people who are living on the streets in this country would jump at the opportunity of such accommodation.

[WBA123]

While agreeing with many of your above observations my two major points are that the majority of those making the crossing are young men and that the accommodation provided on the barge looks pretty comfortable to me. Many people who are living on the streets in this country would jump at the opportunity of such accommodation.

The accommodation sounds more like a prison to me. No idea why people would compare people living on streets to asylum seekers...the 'divide and conquer' is working well with you I see.

Anyway, here's what I took off social media earlier if you're interested...



Get to Know the Bibby Stockholm...

- 500+ single adult men crammed onto a barge with a capacity of 222 in normal use (e.g. as accommodation for oil workers)

Single rooms:
- 2 strangers, sharing an austere metal bunk bed
- TV (as mocking and useless as a paperweight: they've been deliberately detuned so they won't pick up anything, to "encourage socialising" apparently)
- 1 chair, 1 desk, 1 wardrobe
- A window (it's supposed to be able to open; this is touted as a major plus by the barge's owners)
- Shower and toilet

Slightly larger rooms:
- 4 strangers, in 2 bunk beds

Communal areas:
(Most of the larger ones have been repurposed into dormitories. The thin list below is pretty much all that's left.)
- Narrow corridors
- TV room with sofas, seating up to 12 people max
- Tiny gym
- Classroom with seating for perhaps 20, some sort of laptops, and "wifi access"
- Bar (off-limits to asylum seekers, and reserved as a "staff lounge")
- Multi-faith prayer room
- Games room with a pool table and a few chairs
- "Outdoor" space surrounded on all four sides by massive walls made up of the 3-storeys of cabins, so you can't see anything other than sky
- Can**** dining area (not nearly big enough for 500 people)

Other facilities:
- Basic meals 3x a day (but note that the can**** seems far too small to seat everyone at once, so presumably there will be shifts coming and going all the time)
- Laundry service
- On-site nurse 5 days a week
- Access to GP if referred by the nurse

Beyond the ship:
- Airport-style security (metal detectors etc.)
- 24/7 guards conducting "robust security checks"
- 15ft high fence all around
- No pedestrian access to the port or the wider area
- Only way to get to Weymouth and beyond is on the occasional shuttle buses
- Have to sign register every time they leave

The asylum seekers on board are likely to be there between six months and a year or more.

They can't work.

They will be fed and their clothes washed, but they will have just over a pound a day for absolutely everything else they need.

They are expected to spend the overwhelming majority of their time on the barge, where as we've seen there are leisure and learning facilities for maybe 1/10th of people if we're being extremely generous with how we estimate it.