villaglint Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 br />A war criminal,a drunk and a man with a touch of the night about him walked into an election...There was no alternative.From memory I voted for the drunk.Parliamentary democracy the least worst option available. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted September 7, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted September 7, 2015 In any case, the US and the UK and a few others (notably Australia) bear blame for the refugee crisis, but the US holds the lion's share, and my only point is that we (in the US) need to "step up to the plate" (gotta have a baseball reference) and take in the refugees from Syria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw_nuff Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 As a dual-national US-UK, I think all the Syrian refugees should be offered resettlement in the USA. When Bush and Bliar destroyed Saddam's regime without thinking through the long-term consequences, we "bought" Iraq -- and what's driving people out of Syria now is mostly fear of ISIS, a monster created, in large part, by American foreign policy in Iraq.I also think Russia should be stepping forward, 'cause Putin has played no small part in narrowing the options available to Syrians, but if I were Syrian, there's no **** way I would go to racist Russia (and it's worse than the US, believe me!) if offered a chance to settle in the US.The USA has some interesting Syrian communities, too, and they are healthy and vibrant. I buy spinach pies and hummus all the time from a Syrian grocer.they were right to destroy Saddam (imo) ... but it should have been done first time around had Blair not done it on the basis of a lie he wouldn't be so reviled but America wanted it's revenge for 11/9 so badly they attacked the wrong country and Blair (and Bush) should have to pay the consequences for that Saddam was a CIA puppet who got too big for his boots.Yeah, but that's going WAY back ... to the early 1960s, right? Control was gone by the late 80s. And in that earlier era, MI6's hands in the mideast were pretty filthy, too -- Operation Boot, anyone?I didn't say we didn'i. By the way. anyone wanting to know what the hell is going on in the middle east search 'Bitter Lake' on youtube. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted September 7, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted September 7, 2015 they were right to destroy Saddam (imo) ... but it should have been done first time around had Blair not done it on the basis of a lie he wouldn't be so reviled but America wanted it's revenge for 11/9 so badly they attacked the wrong country and Blair (and Bush) should have to pay the consequences for that Saddam was a CIA puppet who got too big for his boots. Yeah, but that's going WAY back ... to the early 1960s, right? Control was gone by the late 80s. And in that earlier era, MI6's hands in the mideast were pretty filthy, too -- Operation Boot, anyone? I didn't say we didn'i. By the way. anyone wanting to know what the hell is going on in the middle east search 'Bitter Lake' on youtube. Noted! Sorry, I rarely seem to miss chances to put words in others' mouths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshVilla Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 So all i keep hearing in the media recently is that the reason these people are fleeing is because there is a war in their country?Last time i looked Hungary Serbia Macedonia Austria e.t.c all the other countries between us and the likes of Germany and France are not at war but i guess these countries are not economically vibrant enough for them.I do hear the odd news report suggesting the reason for them moving is economic migration they want a better life and are using the war as an excuse but all these stories appear to be sweeped under the rug or chastised whenever mentioned.I know we will need to take in a quota of them but the media can sod off with all the sob story propaganda it just doesn't wash with me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villakram Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 As a dual-national US-UK, I think all the Syrian refugees should be offered resettlement in the USA. When Bush and Bliar destroyed Saddam's regime without thinking through the long-term consequences, we "bought" Iraq -- and what's driving people out of Syria now is mostly fear of ISIS, a monster created, in large part, by American foreign policy in Iraq. I also think Russia should be stepping forward, 'cause Putin has played no small part in narrowing the options available to Syrians, but if I were Syrian, there's no **** way I would go to racist Russia (and it's worse than the US, believe me!) if offered a chance to settle in the US. The USA has some interesting Syrian communities, too, and they are healthy and vibrant. I buy spinach pies and hummus all the time from a Syrian grocer. they were right to destroy Saddam (imo) ... but it should have been done first time around had Blair not done it on the basis of a lie he wouldn't be so reviled but America wanted it's revenge for 11/9 so badly they attacked the wrong country and Blair (and Bush) should have to pay the consequences for that Blair needs a trial and a date with the hangman for what he did. Sorry, I don't agree with death penalty. What you're describing is a kangaroo court. There's been enough death. And I don't agree with the Blair is war criminal brigade because I think it let's the British people off the hook. They knew what the **** they were doing. And the same goes for us in the USA. I am so sick of ordinary British and American people pretending they were gullibly deceived by their leaders. I actually protested in the streets in 2003 right before the bombs started in Iraq, in NYC. It wasn't hard to get the real facts. But there weren't many people helping out with the protests. I was mostly with grannies from Connecticut and old hippies. The young weren't there. I still feel really really angry about how relatively alone we were. I went on a couple of marches around here over the summer related to the BLM protests and it the crowd was pretty devoid of youth, except those with obvious stereotype hippy leanings. Marching through town, the typical reaction was people taking selfies with the protest in the background and then ignoring it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikantcpell Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJQ1a0Cmsk4Safe in germany but still not very happy, i wonder why, no halal food? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post snowychap Posted September 7, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) What rubbish. Edited September 7, 2015 by snowychap 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJQ1a0Cmsk4Safe in germany but still not very happy, i wonder why, no halal food?Looked like England fans for a second there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 What rubbish. I haven't actually read enough about the situation to have formed an opinion as of yet but came across this on twitter and thought it echoed a few opinions on here. Just out of interest, what is rubbish about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) Just out of interest, what is rubbish about it?The claim that the people leaving Syria are on their way to various (specific) parts of northern europe for 'benefits'.I also wonder whether it's a bit of a straw man to have 'These are refugees who simply want to get to safety' under the picture. Who has been claiming that? Edited September 7, 2015 by snowychap Calamitous error! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackpotForeigner Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 people leaving Syria are on there wayhe he he. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villakram Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) What rubbish. I haven't actually read enough about the situation to have formed an opinion as of yet but came across this on twitter and thought it echoed a few opinions on here. Just out of interest, what is rubbish about it? Kinda has that whole Daily Mail editorial vibe to it. I mean what would English people do if a whole host of nations decided to play risk with your little Island and bombed/armed the hell out of it? Oh, of course, you are special and would fight yada yada yada. It's them there damn furrernerss!!! Edited September 7, 2015 by villakram spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 7, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted September 7, 2015 But... but... I thought we only had benefits to keep in line with that pesky EU? Turns out that only we have a benefit system, and THEY DON'T! Also - Ukraine? No war? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Zen Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJQ1a0Cmsk4Safe in germany but still not very happy, i wonder why, no halal food?What, exactly, is your point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post El Zen Posted September 7, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) Why on earth wouldn't these so-called victims of war, suppression and persecution wish to settle in the bastion of stability and ethnic tolerance that is the Former Yugoslavia? Or culturally hospitable beacons of peace and enlightenment such as Turkey, Hungary or Russia? I'll tell you why, it's because they're only after our precious fookin monies innit? Or maybe they'd like a chance of settling somewhere they're welcome by at least someone, where there is at least a slight chance of not spending the rest of your life as a second rate citizen? What do you think life would be like for an Arabic muslim in a country like Serbia? Edited September 7, 2015 by Michelsen 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post HanoiVillan Posted September 7, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2015 What rubbish. I haven't actually read enough about the situation to have formed an opinion as of yet but came across this on twitter and thought it echoed a few opinions on here. Just out of interest, what is rubbish about it? You can't have any knowledge of the asylum system if you think that's the case. Have you ever met an asylum seeker? I used to teach English to some a while back. Here's the reality of life for most asylum seekers: You can't work for at least a year after your arrival. Most asylum seekers aren't given any cash money. They are given a card, called an Azure card, which is automatically topped up each week. They have no other legal source of income. A single asylum seeker without dependents is given approximately £35 a week. Basically only supermarkets accept Azure cards, so they can't buy food from anywhere or go anywhere else that costs money. Buses and trains don't accept Azure cards so asylum seekers have to manage to do anything they need to within walking distance from their accommodation. They aren't given great accommodation, and the notion that they 'push to the front of the queue' is nonsense - they are mostly either housed in hotels or 'hard let' council houses that everybody else has turned down. They are frequently moved from their accommodation, often multiple times while waiting for their judgement. They are generally given no more than a weekend's notice before being moved. The recent scrapping of legal aid means that asylum seekers are given a Home Office-appointed lawyer/case-worker, and there is effectively no appeals process for rejected applicants. Applicants can be moved into detention centres at any point during the process, especially when their verdict nears. 60% of applications are rejected, and many of those who are rejected are deported in fairly short order (though for administrative reasons, this doesn't happen to all). Honestly, the notion that asylum seekers are welcomed to a land of honey and that we bend over backwards to shower them with benefits and gifts is a sick nonsense. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 I should add that research by the Refugee Council suggests that more than 2/3 of asylum seekers didn't even specifically choose to come to the UK themselves (largely, their doing so was the result of a decision by the agent they paid money to in their country of origin) and around 3/4 had 'no knowledge of welfare benefits or support before coming to the UK'. Many didn't know they were coming to the UK before they arrived, and some weren't even aware that 'Europe' wasn't all one country. Almost none of those questioned had any pre-existing knowledge of UK government policy towards asylum seekers, and generally the discovery that they are forbidden from working comes as a huge psychological blow. See the executive summary from p4 onwards:http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/assets/0001/5702/rcchance.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted September 8, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted September 8, 2015 Kinda has that whole Daily Mail editorial vibe to it. The Daily Mail has a vibe? When did that happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts