A man of few words......
Depends on what yo
So your point from your last two posts is ?
And there we have it.....a complete demonstration of missing the point - entirely!
I was thinking in terms of visas and passport requirements. It was a real eye opener for me when I first travelled from the USA into Canada. I was part of a mixed group of Americans, Canadians, Japaneese and European travellers. It was the Europeans who had to jump through the hoops and the passage for us to get through immigration took more than ten times as long as for the other nationalities. Nothing wrong with that, it was just unexpected. If I decided that I wanted to live in the USA, Canada, Australia or NZ I would expect hurdles to be placed in my path. Being a reasonably wealthy, white European would count for nothing. Choosing to live in Europe does not, for people like me, throw up the same problems.
British citizens who want to live in a European country cannot be seen as being the same as people from the Middle East or Africa who arrive without papers and try to gain access illegally. The two groups are completely different.
Not quite with you there John. When we travel abroad, our relative wealth will often buy us some kind of welcome. But one of the reasons why some countries are poorer than others is a result of the economic and military policies of the rich. Not really a fact of life - more a result of selfishness and greed.
As British passport holding Europeans we have the right to live anywhere within the EC. This is not so for non Europeans. When we travel outside Europe we have no privilidige and have to abide by the various immigration laws that we encounter. Non Europeans entering Europe have similar hurdles to overcome. As much as anyone wishes us to all be equal that is far from the case. It’s got nothing to do with us being special. It’s just a fact.
Didn't the don, er godfather, no meant uncle invite you to the usual Sicilian get together for all us above board Western Europeans?
Heck - what's that Brian ?
By the way Simon, will you be at the 'brotherhood' meeting in Palermo this year? ;-)
Agreed Doreen but....so what about their background !???? - did anyone check out your or my background before we came to live in France? well did they?......... of course not. We're Western Europeans for goodness sake - we're special - even though we only make up about 3% of the planets' population. Who on Earth do we think we are????
We won't see refugee camps in Europe because it's just far too uncomfortable for our 'governments' to admit that we have a crisis under our noses - no no no, refuge camps are for 'them' in 'those other countries' - the ones we can't see, feel or touch.
There is an excellent website called British Influence on which true experts gives details on a wealth of subjects including this one. Britain is the target goal of a small minority of the total immigrants coming across and has taken few. I recommend this website as it is a pro-Britain in Europe which is refreshing after all the media bigoted negativity being spouted in the UK. Sign up for its newsletter and get informed. .
I do never believe in statistics, always wonder where or how collect the information!
England is lucky to be far away from the Meditaranian Sea, where countless people are floating helplessly around…having been exploited by ruthless people, they are completely dependent on - yes the question, how did the manage to get the money to flee…the word respiration comes to mind)! These immigrants (don’t forget most of us are exactly that, but it’s become a hostile word) come from countries where, as someone said, they were doctors, teacher, lawyers etc, where they were counted as being people, working for their bread and helping people at the same time!
A lot of immigrants simply cannot, as someone said ‘go back to where they cand from’ as that would mean instant death, but most likely a long term torture before death, and then who would provide for the few left of the persons families?
I come to think of a newspaper article I read sometime ago, about a man, who was/is a specialist doctor. He was trlling about the heartbreak of the loss of his wife, also a doctor, and their young daughter , who was reported drowned, when they later were following him to the UK! What heartache for him for anybody in that situation…seriously folk, I do not think anybody of us can even begins to image what thus would be like!
I also come to think of some years ago, a young man, 18years old, who was under our local mental health care. He survived the most horrible of events, by played dead, lying under most of his family who were shot by the horrible Serbian forces. Think about what that did to him, and what his has got to live with for the rest of his life!
We are talking desperation here, people are sooo willing to do anything to get to where they want to go, and as they have heard of the UK, as it treat most human beings a bit of dignity, a warm blanket and food on the table, and they have not known anything like this for years, so of course this is where they want to work!
I would hate to be the authorities in any of the countries around the Meditaranian Sea or elsewhere in Europe, as they have an impossible task to do!
All I can say is, are we not lucky we live or have chosen to live where we do, and that we could choose to live where we wanted to live, I for one has got the electricity to write this, tap with running water and a roof over my head, and yes we have worked years for this, but some of these poor people never had the chance, because of the poverty in their countries!
Wish that educated people from all parts of the world, could be sent to lots of these poor countries in Africa, educate them, and eventually they will learn how to make their country a profitable country, sadly that’s just a dream, as in Africa as so many other places, countries are run my a military, with only greed on its mind, no heart and not thinking of what it can do to help its country back on its feet!
On that long note - have - good week folks, as most of you will… 
Yes, there are lots of men trying to get to the UK, and certainly not for the right reasons. Who do you give asylum to? Who is trying the truth about their background.
By the way DRC is back in full blast on the US-aid agenda, using French NGO's which they are taking over through the backdoor... Well, Brian, I'm sure that to some degree everybody here knows that Haliburton (resp. its subs) are paying large sums for extortion. What once was the sweet Somali is now the newly democratic Berber or the from Libya kicked out Tuareg in Mali. So we send more "security-forces". That's such laughable logic!
But, and this is the biggest BUT: as this young man, Ed, lived himself through the necessity for duress and managed to give Britain people a say in Davids neo-con-qui-qui-bla-bla, it was for me a friendly reminder where the lap of democratic realities is. Poor Ed just dumped his political career, - and of course he knew it. Merkel would not have been so sovereign as Cameron and most of all she would not have been as smart as Bashar is saying in the interview. She is a dam nuke-physic, - she is thinking like that...
Regarding the speed of transition, huhuu: just look at this Estonian, Polish & Hungarian nationalists! They are not any smarter, just more dangerous! Assad knows very well that imposing such demand on speed is simply impossible in bushie's "wider-middle-east". Ironically this Bushmens are themselves a bread on old-fashioned reactionary's ("Neo"-Cons) like this ca 25.000 head SauDie bunch.
So, - have really to get rid of an anecdote: last week a German-Syrian was our guest. He is professor of politics at a university & also adviser for this increasingly ignorant Prime Minister in "Merkelstan". This was an eyeopener because while Surviving France, sometimes I'm loosing the touch to the "micro-climate". And our next guest this week was with CIMIC in Kabul. Brian, I like that and my OH is happy that I don't have to travel and she can cook Singaporean treads so does not have to feed the little Rottie with cheese...
I half-remembered reading it at the time. Syria was a tragedy that somebody needed to start. Instead of supporting stability and pushing for reform faster than Assad was saying, the west supported the opposition. Now there are several oppositions, Syria is about to divide into three that will continue to fight each other, ISIL Daesh will have its first real territory which means that there will be negotiation and recognition by other 'rogue states' and still the millions of IDPs and refugees will be on the move.
I am now going to quote a colleague who intended to write this as part of a book about modern wars but was killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (eh???? that first word!!!!). He was saying that political intervention that causes wars is about making money. The devil is in the detail but the money is in the pipelines. Look at how much damage is done and people's lives destroyed but how well the pipelines survive. When they are damaged, miraculously repair teams seem to materialise out of thin air to repair them and are not taken hostage. He questioned why more people do not question this kind of thing.
OK, before somebody says 'Oh no, not the Guardian AGAIN!', in fact I found this on Facebook, James linked it there. Although the Graun is one of four papers I read daily, it does have a development supplement that the likes of my OH and I are 'members' of. Anyway, although journalism look at this: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/07/britain-refugee-magnet-sudanese-channel-tunnel?CMP=share_btn_fb
The author, Owen Jones, is only quoting very accessible statistics anyway, so nothing contentious in the numbers.
Brian, if I would be history teacher I would explain it with your words:
"Nor do they believe they need it (expertise) because they are experts..." & "The problem is that some of those people then ask questions" and yes, the 3 month of retiered professionals who are working for free are not beining considered as important; - like those French med profs working right now in Yemen in the rubble created by Saudi-American bombing. As much I condem the war crimes commited by Saudi Arabia and its supporters, people there need help to survive in the rubble, otherwise also they will come to go to the UK (historically understandable).
And in my lessons I would also use this Interview published in Wallstreet Journal in Januar 2011, so very clearly before this disgusting people begun their mumbles about austing Assad. But as usual; they only listen to the arms manufacturer and financial pundits...
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703833204576114712441122894
Actually Simon, what the 85% also says is that the vast majority go to one of the countries surrounding their own borders. I do not know any exact figures given for that but in the case of several countries in Africa and Asia it actually means the first place they can seek refuge is itself a nation with a national emergency, conflict or such like. The ones who make it this far often make themselves huge debts to get this far. For those of us working in the children's rights domain there is a direct correlation between 'enslavement' of and most likely trafficking of children and youth to those debts. It is not the people taking out the debts to blame but the word of those convincing them to take out loans to be repaid once they have a fantastic job in Knightsbridge who then take family members as 'security'. It is not my work area directly but because I have to use it I will ensure you that if you wish to see some, simply web search and get a bucket ready for when your stomach turns.
The difference is that Hammond is an MP and minister which gives him the responsibility to not say such things, even if he too thinks them. As for how people who live here or any other country other than within the UK can say as you do, simply implies ignorance and the scale to which they are addicted to the very same media most of them will deny influencing them. So, basically yes, I share your sentiments entirely.
I have said it elsewhere, but the myth that charities are big corporations is simply not possible under charity law. Yes, the CEOs and fundraisers who come from the corporate sector are overpaid, worse is that they do not actually understand the work and methods the NGOs employ. Because of what I do I have been a trustee and board member of a number of charities, in my case small charities but certainly on the UK board of one large international organisation. Too many trustees come out of the corporate sector and had those of us who stood up for the aims and objectives of those organisations virtually pulling our hair out at times. For all of that it is a relatively small part of funding that pays the fat cats. Charity regulators such as the Charity Commission in England and Wales would not tolerate otherwise. Media have been sharp at criticising the overpayment of these people but avoid mentioning that the vast majority of all donations, grants and so on actually do go into operations rather than pockets. Despite the oversized salaries, the CEO and other executives actually do have to toe the line, so actually looking after themselves is another myth. If you had said that they are not competent to do their job then that I would have agreed with. I know that it is always a tooth and nail fight for large scale funding but the approach some organisations have used are disgraceful. People out there in the street with their dayglo vest stick a bucket under your nose or going door to door aggressively are often there because the DWP allocates them that work. They only get paid in line with what they collect. That is a total disgrace and I find it hypocritical that any charity goes along with that. But then they have a gun at their head I imagine. No accepting 'volunteers' and 'assistants' means no government funding in return. So, please give politicians their fair share and let the likes of Richard Desmond who appear to think of all people involved with charitable work dangerous lefties sink in their own mire.
Oh I don't know Brian - I don't think Philip Hammond is much different to the bulk of the UK population in his lack of compassion. He's certainly no different to many UK ex-pats in France I come into contact with who constantly bleat on about immigrants arriving into the UK. You know the ones - 'bloody immigrants, taking our jobs, our benefits and our women!' - ok possibly not the women :-) - in fact they are blamed for just about every woe imaginable. Of course the joke is on the ex-pats - they are immigrants themselves - just blessed with the golden ticket of free movement not afforded to the poor buggers fleeing purgatory. How immigration to the UK affects UK ex-pats living in France I have no blinking idea!! Nutters.....
Your statement '....UNHCR estimates that show that around 85% of refugees go to developing countries where they are far less able to cope than European nations' is not borne out by current events in the UK, France and the Greek islands - the evidence shows that refugees fleeing to developing countries are much better looked after and are in fact bombarded (eventually!) with a veritable bounty of aid, shelter and medical supplies from around the Globe! The poor souls don't quite grasp that their arrival in Europe will be treated with disdain and apathy.
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