I don’t discriminate, but ….

As I and many others have said many multiple times on this site, a lot or most or many dont have a problem with those who go through the proper channels.
Indeed they are needed.

It is not them that most people object about.

You have some unusual experiences Wyllow.

Wyllow3

Now Sago, that is ignoring the many who do stay and make a good and useful life. Frankly, shame on you - "they" are just simply not all the same^!

Now, should your son fall ill - god forbid, but should it happen - he may need the care that country provides. Or carers at home.

And some of those carers - will be immigrants.

A large proportion of his salary goes on healthcare.

It is also perfectly reasonable to express views on legal immigration, those people dont need re education ( a chilling familiar phrase) by others.

Sago

LemonJam

In the year ending December 2025, 642,000 people emigrated long term from the UK- to be foreigners in another country as it were.

54,887 people were granted refugee protection in the year ending December 2025 according to the UK Home Office statistics.

The number of those granted refugee protection is far lower than the number emigrating thus UK infrastructure problems are not caused by the number of asylum seekers arriving in the UK and granted refugee protection.

Yes my son is one of them, he has lived it two European cities and is now in Canada, he applied for a visa, got a job and paid for his own flight and accommodation, he also had to prove who he was and register with local Police.

He has never been a burden on another country’s economy and has abided by the laws of that country.

We are losing people like my son and gaining a lot of dubious men who are not contributing.

Migrants that come to the UK also apply for visas, get a job and pay for their own flights and accommodation, prove who they are. This is controlled migration in both countries. The UK controls the number of visas it grants.

Coming back to asylum seekers- a different category- Canada received 173,000 asylum seekers in 2024 and 114,515 in 2025- as many posters have outlined before asylum seekers travel to all safe countries and have the legal right to do so.

The argument that asylum seekers should not come because of the pressure they place on our infrastructure, housing etc etc does not hold up when the number migrating is far higher than the number of asylum seekers arriving.

Once processed asylum seekers can work and earn a living and contribute to society as the vast majority wish to do.

In the year ending December 2025, 80,264 people received a refusal on their asylum claim in the UK according to the Home office statistics. That is far higher than the number, 54,887 granted refugee status. 'Dubious' people arriving are screened evidently as is right and proper.

Galaxy

You have some unusual experiences Wyllow.

I dot really think so: I may be expressing the more optimistic ones on certain topics, but I never, ever lie, if that is where you are going. its agains the code of all I live by. I didnt lie about the coercively abisuve marriage/police nor about the sexual assault last October police et all gain, nor do I lie about the communist parents and early life experiences, and never about my knowledge or oyheerwsie on Mental Heal, and nor do I lie about my qualifications educational backgrounds, nor contact with interfaith groups or family experiences of.

So exactly what topics do you find "too many" related experiences exactly?

You have carefully worded your post so that it is not moddable, oh the other hand I believe we all including you have a wealth of experiences to bring to bear on a topic if you have a curious mind and have been around the block a bit politically?

Excuse my grammar, am in a rush but felt peeved.

Nope I didnt carefully word my post that's not really my style, I said the first thing that came into my head. I didnt use the term too many.
I just find monitoring people's views and educating people a bit bizarre. My children hold all sorts of views, and my dad and myself argue like crazy on all sorts of topic. I wouldnt dream of educating or shaming them, after all they may be right and I may be wrong.

It is not possible to sit on the fence all the time though, and it is a parents' role to socialise their children, and many grandparents play a part in that, too. Fair enough, when they are adults it is more about discussion than education, but I would have felt negligent had I not 'educated' my children into what I believed were decent and tolerant opinions.

Disagreeing with someone's views is not 'monitoring' them, and there are times when it is important that people make a stand against things like racism. Of course we can't force views on others, but I think it is perfectly ok to nudge younger relatives in the direction of good behaviour - in fact it is what parents/grandparents are supposed to do, even though we may get things wrong sometimes. There is still space for acknowledgment of other perspectives, but not everything has to be scrupulously even-handed, does it? Some things are worth more than that.

MT62,
There actually are areas in the UK where the population is aging so much and schools are threatened with closure.
Immigrants bring new life to these areas, and some schools have been saved, to the benefit of the children already there.

A simple example that springs to mind is when parents and/or grandparents or any adults seek to educate/inform/ debate/discuss with children/teenagers the facts of the dangers of smoking and nicotine . The facts how smoking may damage a young person's health long term.

Facts are a legitimate contribution in discussions and debate. Not everyone welcomes or values facts and that is what it is. Facts for them evidently may carry little weight or importance. Facts may not be persuasive in any way or cause anyone to change their mind or behaviours.

Twas ever the case as people form their own views and opinions. That is their right. Teenagers seek to disparage and shrug off facts from well meaning adults as they wish to continue risky behaviours no matter what adults may present as facts. It's not that there is anything wrong with facts - they are simply that- facts.

But calling people racist and using words like shame towards another poster isnt even handed and it doesn't help, in fact it is more likely to not move people in the direction 'you' want.

t one er wrong to introduce other ways of seeing your world when a child is 10 and has been heavily lent on by some school pals who ‘know not what they do’’ in repeating parental points of view: she only needed to actually meet and mix with her grandads Neighbours and their children.

Personally of course I fell out with certain pov of my parents, but am glad that in the 50s and early 60’s I learnt about international matters and humanity coming in various forms and socialism being sharing things out more fairly.

And here, on GN, when we present an article, a quote, what are we doing but educating? Or a personal but ‘telling’ experience.

Am on mobile so struggling with grammar and presentation

100% agree

Those 'reform' children are children, though. And 5 minutes ago their parents were likely voting Labour or tory. When I used to vote Labour it was many of those children I had in mind as wanting to support with my vote ( that sounds patronising but I cant think of another way to express it). And in county durham many many of those adult reform voters will be working in elderly care, schools and even the NHS.

Hmmm.

I think we all have "Red lines". On trans matters for example?

I think it is shameful to think that because some people of a certain culture do or are such and such, they all must be. It goes against everything I believe in - labelling people who may have given and be giving a great deal to our society?

Our children may be very successful, or not: (we mostly care that they are happy). but fortunate or misfortune can play a part in learning that what you thought before ain't so.

Debate in N and P isn't all about trying to "win people over" now, is it?

Given a lot to society - like the reform voters workkng in the schools, care homes, etc.
I would argue vehemently with those who believe men can be women but I would i hope never shame, my closest friend believes transwomen are women.

As you can imagine we tend not to discuss that a great deal

Lemonjam
The home office might monitor the amount of visas it issues, but up until July 25 it had no records of people who had over stayed their visa.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwykw93d393o

Yup, Galaxy.

and I have a close friend whose eldest son works for a right wing think tank and doubt it will be a topic 🙄

Time to draw this disagreement on the specific issue I think. Of course some Reform workers where family live work in care and so on and are lovely people in many ways but tbh most have actually no experience of other cultures in this more or less all very long term all white zone:

and anyway, getting your children to parrot race hate views is not something all parents do whatever they vote or whatever their job is.

They just have different experiences to you that's all Wyllow.

Well the point is they have not had the experiences - it's hearsay.

But I was blessed with a good education that many have not had the opportunity for and am thankful for now. Yes, they are kind and lovely to each other and I recall lovely conversations about dear disabled DGd who after all is in their care, and the children in playgrounds and soft play are often curious and I just say, "her legs don't work very well, you see. Why, they ask, well, I say.....I just picked up on one boy whose was pushing vapes on other children but a local man agreed with me and we put a stop to it.

petra

Lemonjam
The home office might monitor the amount of visas it issues, but up until July 25 it had no records of people who had over stayed their visa.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwykw93d393o

What no government has ever monitored visa overstays? If that is the case a good time to start?

There is nothing wrong with trying to see different points of view, but equally, if everyone sat on the fence and let all sorts of discriminatory or hateful behaviour pass on the grounds that all viewpoints are valid, it would take no time before nefarious forces took advantage of the lack of moral compass and took over.

Yes, that sometimes means that certain values are deemed ‘wrong’ (eg rape, murder, racism) which some may consider to be imposing one set of values on those who don’t hold them. I think that’s a fair price to pay for living in a society where those things are acceptable.

The fence may be a comfortable place to sit for the privileged, but there are times when someone has to step up and make a stand for one direction or another.