Refugees are not breaking the law. They should always be treated with respect, and with courtesy. They should not be met with armed guards and batons.
They are not the problem. They are the result of the problem.
When our countries sell arms to dictators to attack their own people, we create the problem.
When through our own lack of care those arms find their way through nefarious means to extremist groups, we create the problem.
When we prefer war-war to jaw-jaw, we create the problem.
When we allow, through our indifference, those that rule us to carve up the world into opposing camps that jostle and claw for preference, we create the problem.
When we demonise those we disagree with as sub-human, not-like-us, dirty, feckless or dangerous, we create the problem.
Every time we applaud a simple slogan uttered by a self-seeking politician or media commentator, instead of working harder and seeking to understand the depth of a situation, we create the problem.
When we keep the wealth of the world gathered into our hands instead of sharing it fairly, when we allow traders to destabilise whole country’s economies to achieve a profitable statistical blip on their trading charts, and when as night follows day when those countries dissolve into riots and civil strife, then we create the problem.
Refugees are not the problem. They are the result of the problem.
And we cause the problem.
If you want to make an immediate donation to help 4 million Syrian refugees, the most direct way will be via the UNHCR. Click here.
Well, This Is What I Think 
This week I heard the political term called ‘wedging’ which, when explained by a former very senior politician to me, essentially means compromising any values to ensure a party retains as many votes as possible in marginal seats (which determine many elections) – and it made me think how ‘we’ (people who vote) have gone along with this popularist nonsense and allowed our political system to become the farce it is now.
But Stephen I agree with you ‘we’ (that means all of us) are to blame because we haven’t done enough to change the narrative. The last few weeks have brought home to me the the terrible state the middle east is in and the image of the young lad (still wearing his white runners) being hauled out of the ocean by a Turkish soldier is incredibly distressing. I share the responsibility because I have done nothing – until today … and now it changes … as we all must do something … now
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Bravely said, Simon, and I agree.
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SorryYolly but I for one will not join the bleeding heart brigade through guilt or compassion until real ‘desperate’ refugees can be identified from the economic migrants. Trying to get on a train wearing headphones and using an iphone would be one clue.
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Paul, that’s just a nonsense. now THINK, seriously. These are people fleeing from a relatively sophisticated society in which headphones and iPhones are common. Just like when Yugoslavia went tits up – it was a sophisticated country. Why on earth shouldn’t refugees have such items? They are fleeing VIOLENCE, not economics. If you stop and THINK for a moment you’ll realise that you’ve just contradicted your own point. If they were seeking easier economic circumstances, why would they be fleeing? They are fleeing an intolerable civil war.
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You might like to consider the arguments in this article, Paul.
http://scroll.in/article/753028/europe-wont-resolve-the-migrant-crisis-until-it-faces-its-own-past
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This is nonsense these people are not fleeing Syria because they want a better life elsewhere they are fleeing Syria because it is not possible to live there the people fleeing are the rich and the middle classes and the poor essentially the country is dangerous unstable seems to have no future and no sensible human being can live there whether you have headphones or not!
The solution is for the west to stop playing global politics in the region and help countries to progress. We went into Iraq allegedly to remove a dictator, stop WMD and give the people a better life
Has any of this happened? there was no WMD, a resource rich and sophisticated ME country with 6000 years of civilized history,able to stand alone and give education and a future to its people is a shambles of its former self full of crazy militias corruption crime and constant war and yet we blame the common people for running from danger and daring to seek a life and future for them and their children which just isn’t present any more in their own countries. Libya is a very similar story from richest and most advanced African country to the dangerous basket case it is today.
You cannot blame normal people for wanting to leave ! in fact if their contries were left alone they would still be there most don’t want to leave family friends land familiarity they have been given no choice.
If you sort out their countries the majority would indeed go back. It is the heartless use of global politics and proxy wars fought by others across their lands that causes refugees they are the victims and not the perpetrators!
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Help them NOW. Sort out the details later. That is all.
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Not a either or Daisy.
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I do agree with you and Simon, Yolly. And Germany is on track to take in 800,000 migrants/refugees this year – and how many has the UK taken? 300. Three hundred. It is mortifying. There is a petition started by the Independent to protest at this vile attitude by those who govern us (with 24% of the votes) which has got 270,000 signatures in less than 24 hours
https://www.change.org/p/david-cameron-britain-must-accept-its-fair-share-of-refugees-seeking-safety-in-europe?tk=f4jvNUGN6wN-DWzQi3YIrPdj6trsxxZbgocrnYiml1A&utm_medium=email&utm_source=signature_receipt&utm_campaign=new_signature
We are SHAMED by our government’s attitude.
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As we are in Australia, Pat – thanks, as always, for adding your comment to the conversation.
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Reblogged this on Musings by George Polley.
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I couldn’t possibly say it better Yolly, so I reblogged it. Refugees don’t just “appear” for no reason, and the reasons, as you say, are very, very clear: Refugees are made by people who use weapons to fight wars.
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Thanks for sharing the story George. It’s so blindingly obvious, but it still needs to be said.
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