helping refugees

[wigginhall]

If you want to help refugees, there are a ton of places where you can do that now.   I've found the facebook page 'refugees welcome UK', started by Rob Ford, helpful, but there are others.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1625303634416620/

You can donate food, clothing, accommodation to various places.  You can donate money to the usual agencies, such as Red Cross, and some of the marine rescue organizations.

There are more and more local groups organizing, some of them on Rob Ford's facebook page. 

Demonstration on 12 Sept, at Marble Arch, noon; also demos in other towns.

Don't mourn, organize.

[Aruntraveller]

Thanks for that information Wiggs.

[wigginhall]

More local demonstrations, 4th Manchester, 5th Cambridge, 6th Oxford, 7th Nottingham, 12th London, Glasgow and Dover.  Check the above fb page for details.   Local groups springing up all over the place also. 

[Nearly Sane]

Some more here


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/5-practical-ways-you-can-help-refugees-trying-to-find-safety-in-europe-10482902.html

[wigginhall]

A couple local to me are actually going to Calais, to help people there; better than pontificating about it. 

http://tinyurl.com/q3devbf

[Hope]

Wiggi, how do you suggest that the housing and care for these refugees be funded?  Reduce the International Aid budget perhaps?  The problem then would be that the care and provision being provided for so many refugess in neighbouring countries to their own (such as Lebanon/Jordan/Turkey for Syrians) would be reduced resulting in even more people being forced to flee to Europe and other such places.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Hope,

What a wonderful Christian you are, our sins are coming home to roost, sins of the father, Exodus, you reap what you sow, Galatians.

But what the hell!! Let's talk pounds and pence, not human suffering.

Gonnagle.

[Harrowby Hall]

Dear Hope,

What a wonderful Christian you are, our sins are coming home to roost, sins of the father, Exodus, you reap what you sow, Galatians.

But what the hell!! Let's talk pounds and pence, not human suffering.

Gonnagle.

Karma Applaud, Gonners.

[wigginhall]

Wiggi, how do you suggest that the housing and care for these refugees be funded?  Reduce the International Aid budget perhaps?  The problem then would be that the care and provision being provided for so many refugess in neighbouring countries to their own (such as Lebanon/Jordan/Turkey for Syrians) would be reduced resulting in even more people being forced to flee to Europe and other such places.

If you don't want to help, that's fine.   There's no obligation. 

[Gordon]

I've just seen the photograph of the man carrying the body of a 3 year-old who boy who was drowned - at the time I was sitting with my 2 year old grandson on my knee: and I'm not ashamed to say it moved me to tears.

For me donating money is probably the most effective way I can help, so I'm going to do that. I have heard a few people say that it isn't 'our problem' when it seems increasingly obvious that this has escalated to a point that it isn't something that we can now reasonably ignore.
   

[Hope]

If you don't want to help, that's fine.   There's no obligation.

It's not that I dont want to help - I believe that we ought to be taking some in, though whether the 19K Cambodians and Vietnamese we took in in the 80s, is a good example to aim for or not I'm not sure (I've heard this bandied about in various conversations on the net).

What many people, both here and abroad seem to forget or conveniently ignore is that we are amongst the top contributing nations to the work that is going on in places like Lebanon and Jordan amongst displaced Syrians, Kurds, etc

[Andy]

I'm with you there, Gordon. I have a 2 year old (going on 22) and seeing that little boy... well, it killed me. Does just to think about it.

This isn't an immigration issue, this is just a basic humanitarian crisis. The former is completely irrelevant. These are people fleeing for there lives, and we all would. The images of the boy are beyond words, but just know that there are children under ISIS control who are being decapitated in front of their parents, and people being lined up and shot by youngsters who potentially have no choice.

In times like this, we should be putting petty differences aside and uniting to help these people in any way we can.

[Hope]

In times like this, we should be putting petty differences aside and uniting to help these people in any way we can.

Andy, ids taking them into a culture that is a world away from that to which they are accustomed as helpful as helping them set up home somewhere close to home from where they will be able to return to their homes once this whole thing ends (if it does)?  I'm not trying to argue against the migrants - just wondering which it is the best thing that we can do.

[Jack Knave]

I don't mind them coming here as long as they go to Cameron's constituency and stay in the houses of all the multimillionaire elites for life.

[Andy]

In times like this, we should be putting petty differences aside and uniting to help these people in any way we can.

Andy, ids taking them into a culture that is a world away from that to which they are accustomed as helpful as helping them set up home somewhere close to home from where they will be able to return to their homes once this whole thing ends (if it does)?  I'm not trying to argue against the migrants - just wondering which it is the best thing that we can do.

Issues worthy of consideration, no doubt... but secondary ones. I'm talking along the lines of saving people's lives here - not letting people, and more harrowingly, children, die unnecessary deaths that should be easily preventable.

[Hope]

Issues worthy of consideration, no doubt... but secondary ones. I'm talking along the lines of saving people's lives here - not letting people, and more harrowingly, children, die unnecessary deaths that should be easily preventable.

Do we know where the most deaths occur - in and on the way to Internal or Neighbouring-Country Displacement camps, or en route to Europe via people smuggler routes?

[Hope]

I don't mind them coming here as long as they go to Cameron's constituency and stay in the houses of all the multimillionaire elites for life.

Not sure that there are all that many 'multimillionaire elite' residences in the Witney constituency, Jack.  Most of them live in the towns and cities, and aren't actually British anyway.

[Gordon]

I don't mind them coming here as long as they go to Cameron's constituency and stay in the houses of all the multimillionaire elites for life.

So you aren't moved by the sheer inhumanity of what is happening, Jack, if trite comments are all you can manage.

A fellow Scotsman said this a while back, and the last two lines still ring true today.

Many and sharp the num'rous ills
Inwoven with our frame!
More pointed still we make ourselves
Regret, remorse, and shame!
And man, whose heav'n-erected face
The smiles of love adorn, –
Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn!

[Andy]

Issues worthy of consideration, no doubt... but secondary ones. I'm talking along the lines of saving people's lives here - not letting people, and more harrowingly, children, die unnecessary deaths that should be easily preventable.

Do we know where the most deaths occur - in and on the way to Internal or Neighbouring-Country Displacement camps, or en route to Europe via people smuggler routes?

I've no idea.

[dadvokat]

And throw your houses open to Syrian families. Why stop there surely Iraqi, afghan, Eritrean, Somali families are as deserving? How about doing the real Christian thing? Let's not have any border controls. Let's all build a fire and sing kumbaya.

[Hope]

I've no idea.

In which case, your earlier comment - "Issues worthy of consideration, no doubt... but secondary ones." seems a bit daft.  If displaced persons camps in neighbouring countries see a lower death rate than the use of people smugglers surely we ought to be concentrating more on these camps, and perhaps then doing what Cameron is expected to announce later today - taking people from those camps.

[Andy]

I've no idea.

In which case, your earlier comment - "Issues worthy of consideration, no doubt... but secondary ones." seems a bit daft.  If displaced persons camps in neighbouring countries see a lower death rate than the use of people smugglers surely we ought to be concentrating more on these camps, and perhaps then doing what Cameron is expected to announce later today - taking people from those camps.

I'm not debating over this, Hope. Let's just club together, eh.

[Udayana]

Yes, quite.

After all, it is not as if any one could have foreseen this situation or had been warned and so have put any effective policy, planning and operations in place to deal with the collapse of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and so on and on. Or helped any ruined nation to develop except where a quick profit could be made.

Or the EU had any time to think about how to manage border, immigration or asylum issues, or even movement within the EU.

[Gonnagle]

Dearest Auntie,

All our creditors are banging on the door, they are shouting, "Time to Pay Up".

Gonnagle.

[wigginhall]

Yes, quite.

After all, it is not as if any one could have foreseen this situation or had been warned and so have put any effective policy, planning and operations in place to deal with the collapse of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and so on and on. Or helped any ruined nation to develop except where a quick profit could be made.

Or the EU had any time to think about how to manage border, immigration or asylum issues, or even movement within the EU.

Yes, governments don't seem to look many moves ahead.  I suppose they expect that if you invade somewhere or start bombing, somehow things will turn out OK.    Or maybe it's not even as explicit as that.   Maybe it's hope.   If we keep bombing, something will turn up that works.