Saturday 5 September 2015

An island nation, but not Kos

Football supporters.

I am sorry to go on about the refugee business again, because I am as fatigued with it as everyone else, but I am heartened to see all the people who are going out and telling their governments to stop fixating on the financial crisis and bloody well do something about the real one, which needs immediate action, not long-term planning for the future. Once those families are reasonably safe, then everyone can sit down and plan what to do next, and I bet you that most of the families that have been forced to flee will be very keen on returning to their home country, once it is safe to do so.

I have just heard that 40 British town councils have told central government that they are willing and able to accept a lot of refugees from Syria. That's a good start. The much-maligned Angela Merkel has said that all refugees are welcome, but is appealing to other EU countries to help as well. Munich is awaiting the imminent arrival of a further 6000, and Germany as a whole has taken more of them than all of the other EU countries put together.

Of course the refugees will head for Europe, precisely because of the freedom of movement which is written into its constitution - it has very little to do with some idiotic notion that they think the streets are paved with gold. They are not as stupid as the nimbyists and generally nationalist, right-wing elements would have you believe. What kind of an idiot would take their family to a country which leads to a cul-de-sac and an immediate repatriation order? Think about it.

What kind of parents would put their children through the hell and danger of overloaded and rickety boats followed by a 200 mile walk upon arrival - if they make it -  just to improve their standard of living?

If we had no army to speak of and ISIS and the Taliban had formed somewhere in the Arctic Circle and were making their way down via Scotland, I bet the whole of the Home Counties would be in the South of France by now, and not just for a Summer break to visit their holiday homes.

In Afghanistan before the Russians moved in and before the Taliban were seen as heroes for opposing them, many British, European and U.S. hippies would arrive there without enough money to see them through the 6 month+ stay which they had planned in advance from their comfortable homes.

They knew that the Afghan rules on hospitality meant that they would be fed and supported by the extremely poor villagers who they had landed themselves upon, and they were not disappointed. They spent much of the 1960s exploiting the poor of Afghanistan, because they knew they could.

Those hippies are now around 60 years old - the same baby-boomers who now form the governments of their countries - the ones who destabilised those regions in the very recent past, and who de-legislated the banking system which caused the drying-up of resources which makes the military opposition of forces like ISIS impossible on the ground.

53 comments:

  1. It does also need that 'long-term planning'. This crisis isn't going to go away tomorrow, experts are predicting that it could last for at least 20 years.

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    1. Of course it does, but the refugees cannot wait 20 years for help, which is why everyone is appealing for immediate action.

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  2. What happens when ISIS reach here? Where will we run to?

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    1. The same pace we ran to when the Nazis tried to invade 70 years ago. The difference is that we were only suffering a short-term depression at that time - we had not benefitted from the friendly fire of well-meaning but stupid allies, nor was our government being destabilised by partisans.

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    2. Come to us Rachel, I think Isis is all ready there.

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    3. It certainly is, Yael. Not many, but some. Some of them want to go over from here and fight, and others want to stay with darker intent. We have water all around us, which helps a little.

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    4. I want an army to go in on the ground to finish the ISIS off and then we might have some peace in the Middle East and North Africa. If not it will never end.

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    5. Sell off your arms shares and contribute toward it then,

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  3. My heart goes out to those who have to leave their homes and their countries and find a totally new place in which to reside & raise a family.
    Throughout my life I have known families who have done just that and listened to their stories - it is probably why I (quietly) became a supporter of Human Rights.

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    1. We did the same thing to the Scots in the 18th century, and the same thing to the Jews in the 15th. That's just in our own back yards.

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    2. One who calls to boycott Israel, like Heron does in his blog is an hypocrite who can not understand such things.

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    3. Yael, be constructive with criticism of me please. I boycott Israeli products because of Gaza and the mistreatment of it's inhabitants.

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    4. Who do you think provide Gaza with their products? only Israel.You are motivated by hate and some ignorance.

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    5. Now let me think... I am no fan of Hamas, but I am no fan of the Israeli blockade either.

      Both Israeli and Palestinian children are suffering because of both Hamas and Zionist Israel.

      Hamas have come to power because of the heavy-handedness of the israeli government, and although they should be condemned for denying the legitimate existence of Israel, both sides must back down for the sake of the children.

      Palestinian kids have stones - like David - but the Israelis have tanks and even nuclear weapons.

      King David fought and beat a giant. This will never happen again.

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    6. If Israel are the only ones to supply products to Gaza, then why? Whose fault is this? Not Egypt's.

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    7. Do you know that peoplr from Gaza can not stay more than 24 hours in Egypt? but they can get medical treatment in Israel's hospital as long as it needed. I am tiered of your's and your Irish friend's righteousness.

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    8. In your imagination , cause in reality it's very different. I was in Gaza with a humanitarian organization , so ask to visit and you will see.

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    9. Go and visit Israeli hospitals and see, it is real.

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    10. 180,000 Palestinians treated in Israeli hospitals in 2014. You can check for yourself.
      Did you see in Gaza how the Hamas used the people as human shields in 2014?

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    11. He's not Irish, which is the only thing I can authoritatively confirm. I really don't want to get into an argument with you about the mess that is the fight between Israel and Hamas, Yael, but I think I am right in saying that the Israeli military makes it very difficult to bring medical supplies into Gaza for fear that they will be disguised weapons, so whose hospital are they supposed to use?

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    12. Some of us think he is Irish but we have our ways to check.It is more than one.

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    13. He is an ex-accountant (I think) who used to live in Bath. I don't need to check. I would have thought that you may have responded about the medical supplies, rather than him.

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  4. Not a single crisis of civilization that was resolved in a moment. The resolution of the mid east the same. I think the citizens of the world kicking government butt with a grass roots solution has started the trains moving. More butt kicking will happen.

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    1. Yes. They are, after all, supposed to represent the majority of the people. This is why it is important to express your views about things and encourage everyone to do the same. They want to get voted back in, and the crisis will last longer than the time of the next elections. So far, the government (ours) has been worried about being seen to spend a load of money on foreigners at the same time as cutting back with its own people. It is finally realising that this problem is a global one and the vast majority of ordinary people want to see it sorted before any further long-term problems develop. If that means further cut backs, then that will have to be. I would like to say we are all in the same boat, but - under the circumstances - that would not be a good image.

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    2. I think of my daughter's mother-in-law, who was a little Lithuanian slave labor girl on a German farm during the last humanitarian upheaval. (Yes, sadly, they seem to be cyclical!). She is 79 now, and she tells me anything I ask, but volunteers little. She was part of a wave of homeless with no safe place, even when the war ended. Millions were still forced from their homes, especially eastern Europeans. She wound up in East German, escaped to West Germany. Eventually crossed the ocean. She is to me a symbol of what can be endured.
      A small apology for one more clamber on the soap box. It seems small trickles of refugees are moving now. I think of them as millions of Ruth's.

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    3. We have many middle and old aged Hungarians that came here in 1956. They should remember that when they shout at the refugees.

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    4. Yes, and that's why it all is insane now. No one remembers.

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    5. 30,000 Hungarians came to the UK in 1957. The ones who returned were executed.

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Tell me protect yourself against who ? I have a problem to understand. How can you call people who help that they have a refugee pet ? Shame on you. But probably cause they are Arabs, Somalies (I know you do not like them, your great supporter Harry all calls them hordes). Go back to your own history , people who helped Jews during the Holocaust did they have a Jew pet. To feel emphasis is what makes us human.

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    2. You are not very smart mr more. I dont hate Arabs or any one else in the world, I am not like you full of negative emotion as you show here for lonhg time in blogland.

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    3. Stop moaning you spoke about refugee pets and I reacted. A person who agrees with Harry Flashman should give no lessons. I recommend that your followers go on harry flashman 's blog to see who you consider as a good friend who understands you. Mr.or Miss what's your problem, may be you're a guy Mr. Yael.

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    4. I was commenting to TS not to your twisted brain m more.

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    5. And deleted that comment because sick brains can misunderstand it.

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    6. You are a really funny person. Keep on. Why are you removing your comments. Embarresed ?

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    7. Sick brains ? Are you speaking about your troubles ? What you are answering says a lot about you.

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    1. Now see what you have done, Yael - you have brought Mrs More over to my blog, when for a long time I have been free of her.

      Oh, I know. It's not your fault. I've just remembered that Rachel has pulled her blog off-air so you have to have your fights here instead of over there.

      Please come back, Rachel. You were doing everyone else a great service by hosting these argumentative people.

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    2. Sorry. M more is on my blog now. I shall keep quiet here no matter what the trolls say. I emailed Rachel. i miss her too.

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    3. You are more than welcome to respond to anything here, and I reserve the right to disagree if I need to.

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  7. Mr. Stephenson I think I commented in a polite way , so do why accuse me ?

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    1. I haven't accused you of anything here. In this case I am grateful for your support. I just don't like prolonged and personal arguments on my blog, that's all. Having said that, they increase my comments rate so I should be grateful for that too.

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  8. Yes I'm sorry for that, but Muss Yael.is extremeky touchy when one tries to defend another opinion and she can get quite insulting, in deleting her comments she gave no possibility to see what she wrote.

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    1. We have to make allowances for Israelis, who are becoming more and more isolated by their government. I have had many good Israeli friends and I know that they have a very strong urge to defend their country in the same way as Americans do. The trouble is that we in Europe usually only hear the loudest voices, and Israel feels constantly under attack - even as a nation. I think that Hamas are awful and have contributed to Palestinians misery by continuing to chuck useless missiles over the fence. It is a very complicated situation and I don't know the answer to it. I feel sorry for both nations, but Israel are the stronger.

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  9. I would broadly go along with what you have said above. It is the Hawks and not the Doves that are bringing Israel into disrepute.

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  10. Yes it's a government problem, but how can we accept that this government doesn't respect international conventions , is continuing illegal settlements etc., as long as the Israelis.are voting for such a government., they must accept critical voices. I have many friends on.both sides and my father is a German Jew , so I just cannot bear what Miss Y . said. There are hawks and doves on both sides.

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    1. I thought I was Jewish up until a few weeks ago - does that help? No, of course not. I like hawks and I like eating doves.

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  11. It is amazing how all the trolls have a German Jewish father, Aron and all the rest.(sorry i could not keep quiet this time. I promis i shall from now).

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    1. Should I deny my father's origin to please you ? You should really be ashamed and as I saw that you are alreafy older and have grandchildren let me say that they can be proud of a grandma like you. As you are a smart person.I think you understand. And are you member of the Mossad ..what let you think that I ' m a troll ?

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    2. I don't think we should assume that Mrs More is a troll any more that Yael is Mossad, myself. Just calm down, all of you. This is a civilised space you are inhabiting.

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    1. I know. The problem with blogging, eh?

      Why don't you all calm down?

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