The refugee crisis.

[Reg Smeeton]

We need to take more refugees/migrants than we do currently, I think everyone on here is agreed on that.

Clearly I don't want any of them living anywhere near me causing congestion and lowering house prices but there are plenty of places in Britain I never visit and any of them would be fine.

Here's the thoughts of someone at the pointy end of the debate....

David Simmonds, of the LGA’s asylum, refugee and migrant taskforce, said English councils were already taking 2,000 unaccompanied refugee children a year at a cost of £50,000 per child. A further £150m a year was being spent supporting destitute families whose asylum applications have been turned down.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If we are going to scale those numbers up significantly, we need to make sure that those kinds of resources are available to England’s councils and also other public services to make sure we have what is required in terms of school places, hospital beds, GPs, that sort of thing.”

Simmonds said councils would be delighted by any families who follow Bob Geldof’s example and offer to put up refugees in their homes. But he suggested that the priority would be to rehouse families already in the UK, rather than those who are to be resettled from the camps bordering Syria.

[Matchworn Shirts]

Tricky road to go down, a tiny minority visibly politicising a whole fan base, and because of that its not something I particularly agree with, irrelevant of my views on the subject.

I agree with that comment.
My view is that somebody who wants to hold up a banner or such like should not think he/she represents the whole of a support-base and/or their opinions

[Red Frog]

I agree with that comment.
My view is that somebody who wants to hold up a banner or such like should not think he/she represents the whole of a support-base and/or their opinions

Maybe the banner should be held only by people who agree with it. And you get some people to hold your "I want nothing to do with this" banner. I think that's how banners work.

[Ironside]

Maybe the banner should be held only by people who agree with it. And you get some people to hold your "I want nothing to do with this" banner. I think that's how banners work.

Yeah that's gonna work well.

Banner 1 'refugees welcome'

Banner 2 'no refugees here'

You'd get your knickers in a twist about banner 2 but support banner 1, whether or not banner 2 actually reflects public opinion.

No doubt your opposition to banner 2 will be accompanied by howls of 'racism' and 'evil tories' along with references to Thatcher (who's still dead) while begging everyone to vote for Corbyn.

You sound like a bandwagon jumper who likes to attach himself to anything that's trending on twatter and is deemed trendy by some cunt who's opinion is equally as misguided - or as it should be called, intellectualy retarded - as yours.

Irrespective of your opinion on whether the EU, or individual members of it, should accommodate these people, there's one thing you cannot argue with.

My post referred to the ridiculous idea of waving a piece of cloth around at a football game. Unless you've been in a coma for the last 6 weeks, you cannot have failed to have seen what's happening. It's on every news bulletin, on every channel. It's on every rolling news channel. It's been on the front page of every paper on the continent every day this week. Every cunt on twatter and Facebook have been constantly banging on about it. If you still think waving a small rag at a third division football match is going to 'raise awareness' then you clearly are stupid.

If Jaygay cares so much, then perhaps he should rethink his empty gesture and do something different, something that can actually effect someone's life and immediate circumstances. A flag won't do that.

[Red Frog]

And... breathe. You really do have more hate than you know what to do with. Oh, and well done for "Jaygay". You tick all the boxes don't you.

Meanwhile, still no alternatives to suggest? But that's not what you do is it.

[Flashheart]

6 pages of this?

I can feel a twitch coming on.....

[Honkytonk]

I have never felt so proud of a nation as Germany today. The news footage of smiling residents greeting refugees is honestly one of the best things I have ever seen.

[Christy]

Banner 3 - "Whatever I think about banners 1 and 2, I'm terribly disappointed with Reg happily aligning himself with Ironside"

I'll hold one end.

[Ells]

Banner 3 - "Whatever I think about banners 1 and 2, I'm terribly disappointed with Reg happily aligning himself with Ironside"

I'll hold one end.

fantastic.

[RobertT]

Here's the thoughts of someone at the pointy end of the debate....

David Simmonds, of the LGA’s asylum, refugee and migrant taskforce, said English councils were already taking 2,000 unaccompanied refugee children a year at a cost of £50,000 per child. A further £150m a year was being spent supporting destitute families whose asylum applications have been turned down.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If we are going to scale those numbers up significantly, we need to make sure that those kinds of resources are available to England’s councils and also other public services to make sure we have what is required in terms of school places, hospital beds, GPs, that sort of thing.”

Simmonds said councils would be delighted by any families who follow Bob Geldof’s example and offer to put up refugees in their homes. But he suggested that the priority would be to rehouse families already in the UK, rather than those who are to be resettled from the camps bordering Syria.

A drop in the ocean compared to the billions spent on pointless nuclear weapons (yes, I know this a lazy argument stance to take).  It's all about value based decisions, I'm not sure I see many things that outweigh the support of people in danger thanks to a situation my country helped create.

I have no opinion on the use of banners to support this, but I'd like to think a country that can afford to lavish millions per year on average footballers can set aside a little of our national income to help people in need.  Fuck borders - if we suffer pain as a nation it should focus the minds on doing something positive to solve the issue.

[stfc1975]

This is obviously a major debate with a lot of contradicting views.

What annoys me is the hypocrisy ( and I am probably as guilty as anyone ) where all of a sudden we want to help after seeing a dead child but unless you are willing to actually let them live with you (Honkytonk) we are doing nothing.

[Honkytonk]

This is obviously a major debate with a lot of contradicting views.

What annoys me is the hypocrisy ( and I am probably as guilty as anyone ) where all of a sudden we want to help after seeing a dead child but unless you are willing to actually let them live with you (Honkytonk) we are doing nothing.

Sorry, what's hypocritical of me? Saying Germany has done a good thing? Therefore inferring somehow that if someone in need turned up on my doorstep I would tell them to fuck off?

I have a paddock so I suppose I could get thirty or so migrants in there in tents but I don't think they'd appreciate the two buses a week we get round here, the fact the nearest passport office is at least 4 hours away, and the severe lack of jobs. On the plus side I could feel very middle class smug and self satisfied. Maureen over the fence only gave money to the red cross. I'd have a full on refugee camp! She and all the upper middle class people who try to outdo each other on the council will be so jealous...

[stfc1975]

Germany has done a thing whether it's good or bad is yet to be seen. My point is sre you going to let these poor refugees live with you?

I am sur the lack of buses would be the least of their worries.

[Honkytonk]

Practicalities. I would help someone who turned up on my doorstep in need as I hope you would do. Whether lodging refugees in a place such as where I live is a sensible idea is another thing entirely.

It's all very well and good pointing the finger and going 'WOULD YOU HELP THEM?! ' at people but it doesnt help them one jot just scores easy points.

And I don't know about you but I think those people greeted with smiling faces and gifts from the locals after travelling thousands of miles in squalor and fear with people assaulting them would prefer the German reaction. It's positive and a genuine touch of humanity that is often missing from the news. And on a practical note makes processing them easier. Happy people are more willing to be sheparded about than those whose backs are up because the police or locals have been aggressive.

[Reg Smeeton]

A drop in the ocean compared to the billions spent on pointless nuclear weapons (yes, I know this a lazy argument stance to take).  It's all about value based decisions, I'm not sure I see many things that outweigh the support of people in danger thanks to a situation my country helped create.

I have no opinion on the use of banners to support this, but I'd like to think a country that can afford to lavish millions per year on average footballers can set aside a little of our national income to help people in need.  Fuck borders - if we suffer pain as a nation it should focus the minds on doing something positive to solve the issue.

Are you thinking of the likes of Sterling here....the UAE spend this summer could probably help refugees already here let alone those to come, that the Emirates as pointed out by Amnesty does next to fuck all does raise questions.

Amnesty International recently pointed out, the "six Gulf countries -- Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain -- have offered zero resettlement places to Syrian refugees."