I can fully understand why they don't want them going to Calais. Too many boat people there already that could easily try to mix in with Ukrainians. Yes we should do more and faster but we shouldn't be open house to all who want to come here. Strange some don't want to go to Switzerland, I can understand them having preferences, which is why lots of refugees want to come here, lots speak English, but I don't understand how you can leave a place under gunfire then not wanting to go anywhere that is safe, unless of course you're intention is to never go back to your own country.
I see Shell has had a change of heart regarding Russian oil. And social media played its part. Perhaps someone at Shell is a gardener!
There was a lady on the beeb the other day - she was the head of some humanitarian organisation that supports Ukrainian refugees. She has been told by the vast majority of refugees that they want a temporary safe place and then to go back to their homes as soon as they can. This is not the same as economic migrants - the refugees coming to the UK are coming here because they have family here - we shouldn't be pfaffing about with visa's - a simple signed declaration from their UK family - telling Priti that they will take responsibility for the short period that the refugees are here - that should be enough.
I don't get this, it's not just Shell. America is trying to get the whole of Europe, probably us as well, to stop gas and oil imports from Russia, but it's not that easy. Unless you walk every where and go back to using coal.
Russian oil and gas has just been banned by US, UK and EU all at the same time... this is not going to end well, for anyone. I have a feeling he will retaliate.
So what is this about? Ukraine war: UK set to ban Russian oil by the end of this year and focus on US and Middle East imports
I was wrong - it looks like the EU are going to bash Putin's oil/gas industry: The European Union reckons it can cut its import needs from Russia by about two-thirds this year, by tapping new supplies, boosting energy efficiency and using more renewables. But doing that won’t be easy. Boris - get them North Sea oil fields open.
Quite a few of those 'boat people' in Calais are in an identical situation to the Ukrainians: they have been shelled out of Aleppo. Or some hell hole in Libya. Or Afghanistan. Or Iraq/Kurdistan. I am not sure why we like the Ukrainians so much more than these others... I understand the sentiment about not being able to house everyone who wants to come, but the way we treat refugees is both immoral and illegal. I've worked extensively with refugees and I note Tony Ben's point (second time I've referenced the old codger recently): how a country treats its immigrants tells you a lot about it. Well quite. In terms of not wanting to go to Switzerland, I amagine that many hope they can go home soon, or are thinking about family left in country. Being just over a border will seem more comforting than being miles away - even if rationally it makes no sense.
I don't think that migrants split too easily into economic versus refugee. Well - in a way - maybe they do: refugee is a legal status awarded to someone who is displaced and crosses an international border. They are supposed to get sigjnificant legal rights at that point - though they often don't see those realised. Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are the same but haven't crossed a border. A lot less rights - though often just as needy. Civil wars often trigger stacks of IDPs who still get cholera, are hungry, need housing and need their kids educating... And then so called economic migrants. This is a very grey area. When I work in Switzerland, am I an economic migrant (I'm a Brit)? When Ahmed in Syria sees that there is literally nothing left there after all the bombing and decides to chance his arm trying to get to Europe to earn a living? Or a gay Gambian who officially is allowed to live in the Gambia but in practice risks his life if anyone finds out so comes to Europe to try to earn a living? Or a Dalit from India? I could go on... This is not the easy subject some of our leaders would make it I find.
Ukrainians excepted. Jimmy, how many are Jersey going to take? And maybe if they can get those houses built near you they could be housed there. Its easy to take the moral high ground if its never going to affect you in your area. Its not personal, its just that Britain has changed dramatically in the last 30 yrs or so, some say its for the better some say its not, the usual way that is split is depending on where you live and what kind of immigrant you get living near you.