Asylum Seekers

I guess that if these people are not French/Belgian or EU national’s, then as the UK will have fully left the EU, then the French/Belgians or EU are under no obligation to accommodate them. They will be the responsibility of an Independent UK which is not part of the EU. We have taken control of our borders and it is up to the UK to patrol them and ensure we have sufficient security measures in place. We would have to try to repatriate them to their country of origin, or one which they hold citizenship.

 

It's interesting how the asylum seeker agenda has been so badly distorted by certain media and a couple of particular political parties and many people have falling for it without asking why. The number of asylum seekers in the EU was 676,000. Of those and despite what the media likes to imply, 44,000 claimed asylum in the UK, the land of milk and honey for asylum seekers according to some. It's a fraction of the total. It's less than 7% of the total number seeking asylum in the EU. You'd think it was the other way round according to the likes of the Express, Mail, Sun and Farage.

We could equally send many of those who claim asylum in the UK back to France, Belgium, Italy or wherever. We are pathetic at it. Last month 3 flights were commissioned by the Govt to take a total of 46 asylum seekers back to an EU country where they could have claimed asylum earlier. And that's by a Home Secretary who supposedly takes a tough line on asylum seekers. We could if we were better organised and had a desire to do it return many, many more asylum seekers justifiably back to other EU countries. But we don't.

Just to complete the picture, last year, more than half of UK asylum seekers were granted asylum. And that number has been going up from single digits when Blunkett was Home Secretary to now around 52%. The UK Govt could have done much better over the last 25 years but choose not to do so for all sorts of reasons but of course, still want to play the populist card of being tough on asylum seekers. In comparison, EU27 countries granted asylum to 38% of all applications or nearly 30% fewer than what we do. EU27 countries really are tougher on asylum seekers than we are despite taking proportionately significantly more applications than the UK.

 

It's nothing of the sort. The size of the UK's economy is about £2.0 trillion, coincidentally the same as the lastest Govt debt figure. Latest figures from HMRC, IMF, OECD and lots of other bodies is that the shadow economy in the UK is around 10% of GDP. That's smaller than many other developed countries but in fairness can never be an accurate number. Taking that as a reasonable extimate, the shadow economy is around £200bn.

The analysis such as it is suggests that the vast bulk of that is a result of tax evasion, ie UK people and businesses not paying the proper amount of tax on their income. That might be industrial scale tax evasion by inviduals or businesses or many many people and businesses getting paid cash in hand in certain sectors, not declaring their full income to HMRC or VAT fraud. Successive Govts have claimed they have done good work on reducing tax evasion and in fairness, it has slightly improved over the past 20 years or so but there are still too many people who feel they don't need to pay as much tax as others. That's far more important to our economy than a few illegal immigrants who are largely exploited by unscrupulous employers who I suspect might also be part of the tax evasion industry.

 

They do stand a massive chance if they are legit. The rejections after all include those who have no valid refugeee status so are migrants.

And yes we take less than many of the European countries but we also have less available housing and the likes than many of them. And we may not take in many but we provide significant amounts of cash to help with refugees in other countries

 

I am sure the arrangement where ‘we pay them millions’ could well stop.

The people who are in France can choose to claim asylum there, should they wish.

Those who attempt to cross the channel, usually are not French/Belgian/EU citizens.

In all fairness to the French/Belgians and EU, it is not their problem.

We have taken ‘control of our borders’, it is up to the UK to ‘police’ it’s territory not the EU. We have left them.

If we are concerned about black lives and slavery, then perhaps we should be inviting people to come to the UK, if we can offer a better life than in the EU.

I am not sure it is illegal to buy a dinghy in France, if you are not French or an EU citizen!

 

Why is it illegal to buy a dinghy and an outboard in France?

You and I could buy a dinghy in most parts of the world unless there are laws preventing the purchase.

Frankly, I can see a lot more people buying these craft in the future.

Now we are out of the EU, well it will be the UK’s responsibility for taking responsibility for it’s borders.

No interference from the EU, we have left so they cannot become involved, stand on our own two feet!