Why no mention on the disaster in the Channel?

[DCI Harry Batt]

I'm not aware of any country that does, island or otherwise. What's the particular relevance of islandity?

[ursus arctos]

The US effectively did for decades, and continued to do so except for Chinese for decades more until after World War One.

[Guy Profumo]

Frankly, I didn't say anything for fear of losing my temper and coming across as a twat

(But at least not a callous and unfeeling one)

[Foot of Astaire's]

I'm not aware of any country that does, island or otherwise. What's the particular relevance of islandity?

I was just thinking that free movement exists across many land borders in trading zones like the EU. I don't know enough about economics to say what would happen if the UK were to allow safe passage for everyone that wanted to come. There's an oft heard argument that immigration has an overall economic benefit which begs the question why do countries have any restrictions?

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

There's a pleasing elegance about the idea of open borders, and a strong element of how would I like to be treated if I found myself as a refugee, or simply wanted to live somewhere better. But do you think the proposition "I believe that there should be completely free and unlimited migration to my country, and I'm prepared to pay the necessary level of taxes, and forego the necessary amount of spending on me, in order to make this work" would receive more than 2 or 3% support in any country in the world?

Do you know what proportion of people in Britain supported Britain taking in Ugandan Asians who possessed British passports? 6%. That's 6% supported Britain honouring its own legal obligations to its citizens when those citizens aren't white.

I don't think the British people would ever support open borders but I also don't think creating the possibility of open borders requires British people voting for it. the more the infrastructure of genoicde is allowed to expand, the more support there will be for it - but equally, the more it is challenged, forcefully, wherever it exists the less sustainable it is. If immigration enforcement officers were regularly being driven out of communities with maximum possible force no-one would do it.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

I was just thinking that free movement exists across many land borders in trading zones like the EU. I don't know enough about economics to say what would happen if the UK were to allow safe passage for everyone that wanted to come. There's an oft heard argument that immigration has an overall economic benefit which begs the question why do countries have any restrictions?

Racism. Britain's immigration policy since the second world war has been (originally explicitly, later implicitly) about preventing non-white immigration, while encouraging white immigration (Britain needs immigration to sustain its economy). The same is just as true of most other western countries especially e.g. Australia, South Africa, Argentina and the USA

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

don't think the British people would ever support open borders but I also don't think creating the possibility of open borders requires British people voting for it. the more the infrastructure of genoicde is allowed to expand, the more support there will be for it - but equally, the more it is challenged, forcefully, wherever it exists the less sustainable it is. If immigration enforcement officers were regularly being driven out of communities with maximum possible force no-one would do it

This is a bit of a stretch isn't it?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Borders have tightened everywhere in my lifetime. Twenty years ago all you needed was a drivers license to go between the US and Canada. Twenty years before that, at the local crossings, they didn't even bother with them. Fear eats our souls.

[ursus arctos]

You didn't even need a license if you were on foot.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

This is a bit of a stretch isn't it?

Either that or embrace the death cult isn't it?

[E10 Rifle]

Free movement in the EU exists on the back of pretty racist policies towards people outside it, and being intensely relaxed about people drowning off the coast of Libya

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

No, free movement in europe exists on the back of reciprocity between member states and is based on treaties between member states, in the same way that the Customs union and the single market work. Neither of those remotely imply freedom of trade for goods or services from outside the EU. If the european union didn't exist, then there wouldn't be free movement within europe, and I'm going to hazard a guess here, and I suspect that the only reason there would be any fewer people drowning in the med would be because southern europe would likely still be fully fascist, and economically indistinguishable from north aftrica

This isn't on the EU, this is on the member govts who make up the EU and who drive its direction. Those countries in turn are following policies grounded in the knowledge that people on an individual level either don't care about this or think this is fine, or worse, say it's terrible, and someone should do something about it, as long as nothing happens. they,re actually the worst

[San Bernardhinault]

I just want to agree with most of you. Open the borders. The fear that Britain will suddenly have two billion inhabitants because everyone is so desperate to live in Britain and doesn’t want to live where they grew up and have family and know the culture is nonsense, and particularly arrogant nonsense of thinking that my damp mossy rock in the North Sea is so much better than anywhere else.

[Gangster Octopus]

Do you know what proportion of people in Britain supported Britain taking in Ugandan Asians who possessed British passports? 6%. That's 6% supported Britain honouring its own legal obligations to its citizens when those citizens aren't white.

I was probably one of the 6%, however in one case I believe that I was wrong...

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

The fear that Britain will suddenly have two billion inhabitants because everyone is so desperate to live in Britain and doesn’t want to live where they grew up and have family and know the culture is nonsense, and particularly arrogant nonsense of thinking that my damp mossy rock in the North Sea is so much better than anywhere else.

The history of irish mass emigration between 1845 and 1995 would suggest that this thought could do with a little tweaking. We had free access to England and america for 150 years (120 in the case of america) and more than one in two people born here emigrated. The migration induced collapse in the bulgarian population over the last 20 years would suggest that not much has changed.

[E10 Rifle]

If the european union didn't exist, then there wouldn't be free movement within europe, and I'm going to hazard a guess here, and I suspect that the only reason there would be any fewer people drowning in the med would be because southern europe would likely still be fully fascist, and economically indistinguishable from north aftrica

I'm not particularly interested in hypotheticals here, only the here and now of opposing racist policies that kill people, though I might observe that Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece return left of centre governments more frequently than we do. But you're right, the EUs' policies are a product of its member-governments' decisions, which are racist.

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak/status/1464142488441085962?t=okdr7c37eM6eMgLo9jgfsg&s=19

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://bylinetimes.com/2021/11/26/h...eid=663640fb3f

Lord Dubs. No need to say anything else.

[San Bernardhinault]

I was probably one of the 6%, however in one case I believe that I was wrong...

Nope. Her parents should have been let in. She is currently the figurehead but if she wasn't someone else just as vile would be home secretary doing just as vile stuff. It's not her that's the problem. It's the British public, the British media and the British electoral system. (Or do I mean English?).

[Lang Spoon]

There's plenty of racist shits supporting this in all "home nations" (even if all parties in Holyrood bar the Scottish Tories support increased immigration to Scotland, though of course SLab don't want the power devolved but somehow Westminster to just gift a bit of leeway to the Scottish Govt). Though if Home Office attempted evictions and deportations were dealt with by mass mobilisation and resistance as seen in Glasgow earlier this year the Home Office bastards and their pig bastard enablers wouldn't be able to do their evil work.

[Jimski]

https://twitter.com/natalieben/status/1464262672699043850

[Guy Profumo]

I was probably one of the 6%, however in one case I believe that I was wrong...

If that's a snide dig at the cunt who is Priti Patel's father, they came into the country in the 60s, before Amin's expulsions in the early 70s

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://twitter.com/natalieben/status/1464262672699043850

That's excellent, I've no idea who he is but he's clearly a decent man. The references to Peter Lilley and Kate Hoey show they are not, put them on a dinghy and swap them for those waiting in Calais.

[Antepli Ejderha]

The first victim was named today, an Iraqi Kurd trying to join their fiancé.

[Gangster Octopus]

If that's a snide dig at the cunt who is Priti Patel's father, they came into the country in the 60s, before Amin's expulsions in the early 70s

It was a snide dig at Patel herself, but as that's the second objection, I withdraw it.