Afghanistan

[BLUEMATT23]

I am 100% anti Farage and his racist followers who are anti immigration at all costs

Our country is built on immigration and it’s something we should be very proud of.

but! And there is a but - we can’t forever be saying ‘there’s plenty of room’ ‘maybe deport those who don’t like it’ ‘we can build more roads, houses ‘ etc etc.

It isn’t credible when so many millions can not get on the housing ladder, despite so many new estates being built at a rapid pace.
So many woodland areas and open spaces are being built upon.
Roads and traffic gridlocked everywhere.
I’ve just been on train back from London (where hardly anyone back to the office) and even that was packed.
Doctors appointment impossible.
A+E 4/5 hours wait at best.

I think for many , they see this as unsustainable- and it’s a worthy debate rather than being accused as ‘Farage lover’ or ‘racist’

for many people, it’s a genuine concern and their voices should be heard.

Bang on.
Many years ago after renting for years I asked Trafford Council about getting a flat.
They basically said to me because I was single and had 0 kids that I would be bottom of the list and would stand little chance. I was staggered at their response.
After 3 years I gave up. After another 15 years I finally saved for my 1st mortgage, I was 44.

The point I'm making is I don't think it's fair that hard working people can't get houses or flats yet we continue to let thousands and thousands of people who have not paid into the system. And they are entitled to benefits tv licences, discounts on other things.
The government doesn't care enough for its own people and its treatment of single men is appalling.

 

[hilts]

Pity he wasn’t about when Blair took us into Iraq to stop them using their weapons of mass destruction. You are obviously a Labour supporter so you must admit that party is as bad if not worse than the Conservatives?

He is not a fan of Tony Blair

 

[BlueHammer85]

When you blame 50 years of population growth on 25,000 Ugandan refugees you don't make it difficult to draw comparisons.

I never did that.
previous poster stated we took in 25k Ugandans in the 70’s, so why can’t we take in 25k Afghans now …

I’ve stated our population has grown nearly 15 million since then.

 

[BobKowalski]

so how many would you accommodate

25,000 ? 50,000? Why not 500,000 ?

i absolutely agree we should be doing our part in helping refugees- but our country in some parts, is being overwhelmed- down here in the South East they are non stop building, tearing down woodlands, roads are gridlocked, no point even trying to get doctors appointment - surely there has to be some ease of pressure on our population

back in the 70’s when we accommodated 25k Ugandans our population was 55 million - it is now 68 million.

do you think this is sustainable ?

Yes.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Yes.

Well in that case there is 1.4 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and there will be millions more - we should just take them all.

 

[Len Rum]

Absolutely ridiculous isn't it.
Thousands are waiting for homes yet we can just let people in whilst gifting them freebies.
As usual this government treats tax payers with contempt whilst letting everyone in from overseas.
The UK is finished.

Feel let down by the Tories mate?
Aw, shucks.

 

[JASR]

Population growth without immigration is already a problem.
Immigration on top makes it more of a problem.

There’s no easy solution - but it’s something that should be discussed sensibly rather than people that have genuine concerns get labelled as some sort of Farage lover etc.

Can’t speak about the SE, but I’ve been in two rural places for breaks recently - one touristy, the other not.
Both were very empty - ie lots of room for a small additional housing estate to be tacked onto most of the villages.
The touristy place had many signs like ‘staff wanted! Dead or alive!’, the places we went to all had the same issues - can’t get staff, because not enough young people live in countryside.
The very affluent non touristy place was the same, ie empty of people/houses and not enough workers to fill jobs. Again building a small additional estate on many villages would be a boost.

the building of these estates, would obviously create more issues- transport, schools, , but they could be overcome by investment, if the local areas had the Will to not be so NIMBY.

the rural areas are crying out for workers (brexit and then covid related stuff removed a large portion of the available casual labour force from the area) which further exacerbates the drift of the young rural population to urban overcrowding as you mention.
The wealth in the 2 places I saw in the countryside was considerable … but it was in the hands of old/retired people, there is a distinct lack of young people, to live, to grow up, and to eventually work there.

unless rural policy changes, the SE (and other urban areas) will just get worse for the issues you mentioned.

tldr
There’s plenty of space and work in the countryside for a workforce greatful to be here… just there’s no houses for them … just like in the SE, but without the overcrowding.

 

[Gray]

I never did that.
previous poster stated we took in 25k Ugandans in the 70’s, so why can’t we take in 25k Afghans now …

I’ve stated our population has grown nearly 15 million since then.

Yes and if keeps growing whilst at the same time we admit refugees, or they admit themselves by the back door, then we are heading for disaster.

 

[bluethrunthru]

The point I'm making is I don't think it's fair that hard working people can't get houses or flats

Thats not the fault of immigrants or refugee's - thats the lack of proper provision by governments local and national of both party's. Those councillors and MP's were voted in place by people like you and me. To blame their failing to do the right think for the British people on foreigners demonstrates that you have fallen for their con trick.

We had just about full employment - record numbers in work - low unemployment figures. Foreigners were taking the jobs of British people was the rhetoric - then they all go and don't come back and we have labour shortages everywhere. Where are all the British folks who they were putting out of work? Why aren't they reclaiming their jobs? Did you fall for that one too?

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

The whole of the House came down hard on the government but what is shocking is how little will be reported in the press. Just now on the BBC debate a Conservative plant attacked Lisa Nandy and the Labour Party stating that they had not acted to force the government to put plans in place but was soon shot down with hard facts of what Labour had done to try and force the issue but were ignored at every stage.

So, we see that Labour are doing things in the background with the government just white washing the facts, aided and abetted by the media.

This whole issue is squarely on the head of the current cabinet who, in my opinion, are absolute cowards who should be thrown in jail.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Yes and if keeps growing whilst at the same time we admit refugees, or they admit themselves by the back door, then we are heading for disaster.

Plenty of room, we can even retrain them to drive lorry’s and pick fruit and veg now that all those EU lot have fucked off home.

 

[BLUEMATT23]

Thats not the fault of immigrants or refugee's - thats the lack of proper provision by governments local and national of both party's. Those councillors and MP's were voted in place by people like you and me. To blame their failing to do the right think for the British people on foreigners demonstrates that you have fallen for their con trick.

We had just about full employment - record numbers in work - low unemployment figures. Foreigners were taking the jobs of British people was the rhetoric - then they all go and don't come back and we have labour shortages everywhere. Where are all the British folks who they were putting out of work? Why aren't they reclaiming their jobs? Did you fall for that one too?

I was making a point about housing not Jobs specifically. I agree lots of immigrants are more hard working than some of the British and I do not object to them being here within reason.
I'm just making a point that they get treated a hell of a lot better than people born here and who have lived all their lives here.
I think uk residents get a very raw deal to be honest, High taxes, insane working hours and broken health system not to mention our awful roads. And when you want to see a doctor they don't want to know you.

 

[Blue Mist]

Was that Theresa May making the case for an EU army?

“We boast about Global Britain, but where is Global Britain on the streets of Kabul?”

“What does it say about NATO if we are entirely dependent on a unilateral decision taken by the United States?”

“I do find it incomprehensible and worrying that the United Kingdom was not able to bring together not a military solution but an alternative alliance with countries to continue to provide the support necessary to sustain a government in Afghanistan.”

Has she forgotten she was in charge of this country ? She didn't do anything then in relation to Afghanistan so perhaps she should shut the fuck up.
Why is/was the UK doing it all? Where were the UN, where were the European armies ? Why should our lads die whilst other countries do nothing ?
We shouldn't have gone in and I'm glad we are out

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Has she forgotten she was in charge of this country ? She didn't do anything then in relation to Afghanistan so perhaps she should shut the fuck up.
Why is/was the UK doing it all? Where were the UN, where were the European armies ? Why should our lads die whilst other countries do nothing ?
We shouldn't have gone in and I'm glad we are out

I don’t think many would argue with you.

The issue is how we’ve done it and how many desperate people we have created and put in danger as a result.

 

[Blue Mist]

He is not a fan of Tony Blair

Is anyone ? There may be blood on someones hands but Blair had a bath in it.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

I'm entitled to my opinion and think you'll find it's a common frustration about the UK.
I have family and friends who can't get houses and I know people who are close to being on the streets, being told there is nothing available.

I've no issue in helping out people from overseas, none at all but this government has enough issues here and care less about its own people.

And that is the issue, the government just doesn’t care about the everyday people.

The issue with housing is a real concern but one that the government can solve. Ask yourself if there is enough housing for the rich and wealthy? I think you’ll find that the answer is a ‘Yes’ and if there did become a shortage then the executive would allow the same people to build the self an expensive property in a place that they choose.

The issue comes when it comes to cheap, affordable housing where there’s much less profit. Those wanting to capitalise from building won’t want to do this so they will never be built.

Lastly, when they say there’s no land to build on, I wonder how much space Balmoral, Sandringham or Chequers has, if you get my drift.

 

[Blue Mist]

I don’t think many would argue with you.

The issue is how we’ve done it and how many desperate people we have created and put in danger as a result.

Totally agree but my comnent relates to all the gobshite MPs now sounding so knowledgeable and right. Kuwait, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Do they never learn? We need to stop being a puppet of the US. We need to accept we are not a world power. America decided when to go in and how to withdraw and so we had to follow.

 

[bluethrunthru]

I was making a point about housing not Jobs specifically. I agree lots of immigrants are more hard working than some of the British and I do not object to them being here within reason.
I'm just making a point that they get treated a hell of a lot better than people born here and who have lived all their lives here.
I think uk residents get a very raw deal to be honest, High taxes, insane working hours and broken health system not to mention our awful roads. And when you want to see a doctor they don't want to know you.

I agree - but we are getting a raw deal off governments we elect ........ nothing to do with people coming here - btw net migration has been in decline for 4 years

U.K. Net Migration (1960-2024)

Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the total number of immigrants less the annual number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens. Data are five-year estimates.

www.macrotrends.net

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

I get that but have you seen the issues our country already has? We're a fucking joke, you can't get a drs appt, dentist appt etc.
The roads are awful and there are no houses.
We were told immigration would be controlled, it isn't.
Thank god my dear gran is no longer alive, she told me 15 years ago that we were finished, God bless her soul she was 100% right.
Will the last person out please switch off the lights.

The main reason for that is because of how we now run the country. You have a choice as to how this happens.

 

[BLUEMATT23]

And that is the issue, the government just doesn’t care about the everyday people.

The issue with housing is a real concern but one that the government can solve. Ask yourself if there is enough housing for the rich and wealthy? I think you’ll find that the answer is a ‘Yes’ and if there did become a shortage then the executive would allow the same people to build the self an expensive property in a place that they choose.

The issue comes when it comes to cheap, affordable housing where there’s much less profit. Those wanting to capitalise from building won’t want to do this so they will never be built.

Lastly, when they say there’s no land to build on, I wonder how much space Balmoral, Sandringham or Chequers has, if you get my drift.

Agreed and there treatment of single people, especially single males is appalling.