That's The Way The Money Goes, Pop Goes The W...inter Fuel Allowance.

[Khandro]

'British taxpayers are funding arts, infrastructure and tech projects in regions wealthier than parts of the UK, a damning new study has revealed.

As part of the Government's overseas aid budget, diverted through universities and 'Quangos', Britons are shelling out for projects like an all-female traditional opera in Shanghai, a rural crafts exhibition in Shenzhen in southern China, and a temporary cycle lane in Mexico City.',

https://www.gbnews.com/news/uk-foreign-aid-british-government-spending-china-regions-richer-than-britain

[barry1010]

Not all the ODA is spent abroad.  In 2023 28% of foreign aid budget was spent in the UK on the refugees.  The Tories had kept their pledge to reduce spending on foreign aid (including the monies spent on refugees in the UK) to 0.7% of gross national income and exceeded this target by reducing it to 0.5%.

The new Labour government has pledged to increase foreign aid over the next three years to tackle the small boats crisis.  They haven't said how they will achieve that.

 

[perseverer]

One of the reasons why less and less sensible people of either left or right persuasion participate in these threads is because the threads are largely dominated by people of more extreme persuasion (from both sides, but more recently right) who are totally convinced they are correct often based on bigotry or paying too much attention to biased media.

[davebro3]

for "refugees" read "illegal immigrants"?

[davebro3]

//why less and less//

should be "fewer and fewer" but hey...

I wouldn't class anyone on here as "extreme". I think many commentators are just waiting to see how the labour project pans out in the medium to longer term.

[barry1010]

davebro, they are only illegal immigrants if they have been refused asylum and disappear, or enter the country and don't claim asylum.  The UK signed the 1951 United Nations Convention so it is not illegal to claim asylum.  

[naomi24]

Perseverer, depending on the observer's levels of bigotry, they might be right for non-bigoted reasons ....

[davebro3]

shoulda been sunk in the channel - end of...

btw - how come the BBC no longer mention the daily dinghy arrival numbers like they did before the GE?

[Khandro]

//The new Labour government has pledged to increase foreign aid over the next three years to tackle the small boats crisis.  They haven't said how they will achieve that.//

Three more years of!  Talk about kicking the can down the road. They openly admit defeat before they start !

[naomi24]

Three more years of boat arrivals.  How many new Brits does that equate to?

[perseverer]

Davebro, I apologise for my incorrect grammar.

This does not answer your point about the BBC announcing arrivals on a daily basis, but it does provide some interesting information and is from the BBC on-line today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53699511 

[Old_Geezer]

They are illegal immigrants if they've arrived uninvited/unagreed from a safe country because they need no refuge from such a country.

[Khandro]

Victor Orban has stopped illegal migration into Hungary.

He has said, quite rightly imo, entering Hungary without proper  authorisation is not only illegal it is a criminal act and anyone doing so shall be treated as criminals.

He's also erected barbed wire fencing along the borders and anyone crossing it is phyically dragged back to the other side again.

But then Orban is a tough guy, & they're a bit thin on the ground.

 

[barry1010]

OG, I have explained exactly why they are not illegal immigrants at that point.  The law states they are not.

[Khandro]

My Hungarian is a little rusty, but I think what Victor said to the ECHR roughly translates as, "Go f yourselves!"

[Old_Geezer]

Then the law is clearly in error. They are illegal immigrants, for the reason stated.

[sandyRoe]

Jeremy Corbyn would never have condemned our pensioners to a lonely, frozen twilight of their days.

[naomi24]

//Then the law is clearly in error. They are illegal immigrants, for the reason stated.//

 

I agree OG but denial it seems is now de rigueur - and led by this pathetic new government.

 

//Labour criticised after rebranding ‘illegal migration’ as ‘irregular migration’//

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/07/24/labour-criticised-rebranding-illegal-migration-irregular/

[Peter Pedant]

Perseverer, depending on the observer's levels of bigotry, they might be right for non-bigoted reasons 

christ what insight for an ABer - this is properly known as 'cognitive bias' or er prejudice ( not on AB surely?)

1) of which there is a lot on the internet so I wont cite anything

2)leads to misdiagnosis, and miscarrriages of justice  ( 1974 Birmingham bombers a good example)

[naomi24]

Peter Pedant, I've just posted something else you can pick up on.  It wouldn't be you to miss an opportunity.

[New Judge]

“OG, I have explained exactly why they are not illegal immigrants at that point.  The law states they are not.”

I’ve think I’ve done this once or twice on here previously, barry.

Article 31 of the UN Convention says this:

“The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened in the sense of article 1, enter or are present in their territory without authorization, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.”

It is quite clear that Article 31 makes an excpetion for those coming directly from a place where they are under threat (as defined by the Convention). By implication, it suggests that those who do not arrive directly from such a place cannot take advantage of that exception. Thus they continue to be illegal immigrants and so can have penalties imposed on them.

For some reason, this distinction has been progressively ignored by the UN and instead of re-drafting the Article and getting agreement from the signatories, it has just become a “given” that people can roam across borders until they reach the destination of their choice.

All people arriving without leave have arrived illegally (as would I if I travelled to a country with entry requirements – such as a passport and/or a visa - with which I did not comply). But the Convention provides an exception from penalty for those who have come directly from a place of danger and who immediately apply for asylum. 

People arriving from France have not come “…directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened.”  Furthermore they can show no good cause (as required by A31) for their illegal entry. They have come from a safe country where asylum was available to them. In fact they have almost certainly passed through a number of other safe countries along the way without hindrance, but that is courtesy of the ridiculous Schengen Agreement, which is another topic entirely. They simply didn’t like it in any of those countries and would prefer to be here instead.

The purpose of the asylum system is to provide temporary safe haven for those under threat. It is not to allow people who, being dissatisfied with conditions where they live, want  to “make a new life” elsewhere. If we could get that basic definition understood and action taken to prevent such illegal movement, the issue would be easier to solve.