Refugees

Totally agree petra.

There is a man locally. A very nice man.

Week 1 - We should take all the refugees

Week 2 - It is a bit of a problem but we should take them all

Week 3 - There are a lot of refugees, not sure what should happen

Week 4 - There are millions of them, and potentially millions more. Too many to cope with. What to do?

Most of us around him, were at Week 4 from the start.

This is absolutely horrendous. With so many displaced people, half of them angry young men, there is going tp be real trouble before long.

Perhaps Angela Merkel actually has a heart, like the rest of us? Germany has only asked for a pause.

God! Some people can put the boot in quickly!

I'm sure Angela does have a heart. But I think reality has kicked in, and, a lot of Germans are NOT waving welcome flags.

Not putting the boot in but she did appear to be a bit gung ho with her decision to let unlimited numbers of refugees in. A risky move that was likely to cause chaos.

Angel Merkel saw people in total despair and acted , we saw people in despair and voiced concern on lowering our standard of living

It's not about lowering our standard of living Annie. It's how to find space in our schools and hospitals, how to find employment for them (they're not all doctors and nurses), how to find housing for them without displacing those already patiently waiting for homes here.....

Leave Fr Merkel alone! She was speaking in her own parliament and can't be blamed for the rest of the world tweeting it around. Could be she should have known better but she is woman who makes decisions and doesn't sit on the fence and this time she has realised that she has to take a new position. She is under pressure from her political coalition party

She is a scientist- a physicist and that is how scientists work.

Of course all those men are angry but if they had had a really good look at their smart phones they could have guessed that the borders are already too full.
Already some are fed up with Germany. Germany functions so well because it has so many rules and people adhere to them. Some find that irksome and I can feel for them. It is not certain that the most will be happy here.
As for Germans they are getting used to their canteens and clubs and sports faciliies being used to house refugees. I don't know how long it will be before they get impatient.

Unless these young men calm down, I foresee they'll be sloshing around Europe looking for Utopia and causing ructions for some time to come.

NFKdumpling, they were the words of the government I just repeated them

Margaret X

What do you mean when you say

"She was speaking in her own parliament and can't be blamed for the rest of the world tweeting it around". I don't understand that comment.

I have asked repeaty and never received an as answer concerning the speech Merkel and Hollande gave jointly stating Germany will take 31.000 refugees over the next two years. How can that equate to 800.000 this year , is that just a made up figure that some have chosen to believe or do you think it is feasible?

I note you say ' She realised she has had to take a new position '. 'She is under pressure from her coalition political party'

It's not a case of getting at Merkel, 'some' , not all of us ,have been raising concerns and worried the German position on the Dublin Agreement would create problems for both the numbers and Schengen and those concerns look to have been well founded albeit on 'temporary' (I'm in a mess) grounds.

She is a scientist- a physicist and that is how scientists work.

I hope not. Or else I have worked in the wrong place.
Scientists work with facts, figures, evidence and logic.

They don't put their heart before their head (not at work anyway).

Many people think that the whole of Syria is being bombarded or overrun by fanatics, this is not the case. The disruption to this rich country is only taking place in specific areas, the majority of the country is not particularly affected and therefore many could move there. At the start of the conflict, those affected moved to neighbouring countries as crossing the border was nearer than moving further inland. If you check the map you will see that in general the conflict is mainly around border regions.
The mass Exodus now is more to do with the relaxation of visa requirements and the probable false understanding that Europe equals Utopia. Support for displaced in safe havens within their own country should be a serious consideration, just as during the war here children and needy were evacuated from London and other cities to safer havens within the country.
Those able should consider what their home country should be, and should fight for it rather than allow it to be overtaken by foreign fanatics.
Okay, Germany's population is in decline so they require extra hands to maintain their workforce, but this is not the case for all of Europe and expecting other countries (who, in some instances are poorer than Syria) to accept the overflow of Germany's generous invitation is a cause for concern.
External military intervention will not achieve anything other than to escalate this civil war to global proportions.because there is no clear vision for the country due to the multi sectarian infighting.
I am not saying no to refugees, but think migration to a foreign country and culture should be the last not first resort. The UK and the U.S. Are the biggest supporters of in-country aid. Other countries globally should step up and meet their obligations to provide in-country support which is acknowledged would reduce the flow of migrants.

Well said, Joelsnan.

Money doesn't prevent bomb and gas attacks

The Bavarian interior minister has said that they ( the Germans) have had to put border restrictions in place as they have noticed that not all the migrants on route are Syrian refugees: No shit, Sherlock.
Also, it's come to his attention that some people are saying that they are Syrian when they're not!!!! Whatever next, forged documents, no, never.

Well reasoned, Joelsnan, and yes, there are millions of displaced people inside Syria too.

However - there is a flaw in the argument here:

Those able should consider what their home country should be, and should fight for it rather than allow it to be overtaken by foreign fanatics

It is mainly a civil war; President Assad is the one killing his own people and causing them to flee.
Should they just submit to a government that is intent on wiping any dissenters out?
Foreign fanatics have taken advantage of this situation.

ANniebach

No money does not prevent bombs and gas attacks. It does feed people though.

Apart from agreeing with the view Corbyn makes that we must 'talk' to those who do drop bombs and gas, slaughter their own people such as Assad , Gadaffi , Saddam Hussein when talks take years to come to no fruition or Russia and China refuse to cooperate with the other UN countries how do you suppose there can be an answer?

The problem with 'talking' is in the meantime millions are displaced or slaughtered so talk can be also an aid to loss of life too.

ROSEQUARTZ
the problem is that Assad is not killing Syrians killing indiscriminately at the outset it was action to quell an anti-government uprising, it has now developing into something resembling Shi'ite vs Sunni Muslims with the minority religions/sects Christian, Druze, Alaites, Kurds etc caught in the crossfire. As a minority Alawite, Assad had managed to keep the larger and more forceful Muslim sects reasonably quiet until the Arab spring when outside influences strengthed the resolve of each of these sects to overthrow the moderate though dictatorial government and impose their ideology. Iran supporting the Shi'ites and Saudi Arabia supporting the Sunnis (ISIL). Assad cannot win back the Syria that was, his only hope is to surrender to partition of Syria to Shi'ites on the Iranian front and ISIL on the Libyan front leaving a smaller, different country for the rest. However, I do think that Conflict would still continue because of the rich oil reserves that are currently funding the major combatants.
I think that history will, as usual reveal a different bogeyman(men) whose support of 'sides' has led to the sorry predicament Syria is in now.

Good, well reasoned posts Joelsnan

Joelsnan - I think your posts have an informed and different perspective to others on this thread and explain the internal complexity of the many factions in Syria very well.

Thanks, Joelsnan

POGS I can only say that I saw Fr Merkel in parliament when she said that the Germans would cope. That Europe had to take refugees and that as far as Germany is concerned we have taken them. No one knows at the moment just how many because the registration takes so much time.

No doubt you in her position would know excactly just how many of those thousands were in Germany and if we could take another 10,000. You seem to be obsessed more with a number than with the fact that the numbers have exceeded all expectations. No doubt you would have been able to see that all coming, but we just don't know. The situation is catastrophic but it is being dealt with.
I don't tweet myself but I know that all the refugees have smart phones and this has enabled them to undertake their treacherous journey
I assumed that Fr Merkel and M Hollande's agreement about the refugee situation was taken as encouragement.

After WW2 Germany took in 30 million refugees and it is those people who are so generous in their thinking at the moment.

So POGS no doubt you will find something wrong with my post! I thought I was in a position to report on the situation but this will be my last post because of you and ROSENQUARTZ's everlasting comments and the splitting hairs about everything I have written.
ROSENQUARTZ: I too was a scientist and know that in Quantum Physics which is the subject Fr Merkel and her husband excell in that sometimes its not all facts and logic and that research means going back and thinking it all out again.
Goodbye

However, I do think that Conflict would still continue because of the rich oil reserves that are currently funding the major combatants

Joelsnan they say that 'money is the root of all evil' but I think that oil will come a close second - or even first

ROSENQUARTZ's everlasting comments and the splitting hairs about everything I have written

Oh dear, just thought it was debate and an exchange of opinions. My mistake!

No, I'm not a quantum physicist (although BF is), so you may know more about that branch of science than I do.

But, if we are going to split hairs, please MargaretX could you get my name right.