[Polish Government video….with English subtitles…no irony that Tusk is doing the EU’s dirty work and tries to blackmail Britain into turning NI into an EU colony by default but opposes EU forced relocation of migrants to Poland…Brexit was in the main about immigration forced upon us by the EU.]
Perhaps we should adopt the ‘Norwegian Model’…not for Brexit but for immigration and supposed asylum seekers who are anything but…..from the Spectator:
Norway is hard on migrants – but tough love works
The country’s outspoken immigration minister, Sylvi Listhaug, on the best way to help genuine refugees.
When Angela Merkel invited refugees to Germany in 2015, tearing up the rules obliging migrants to seek asylum in the first country they arrive in, the consequences were pretty immediate. Over 160,000 went to Sweden, leading to well-publicised disruption. Next door, things were different. Norway took in just 30,000; this year it has accepted just 2,000 so far. To Sylvi Listhaug, the country’s young immigration minister, this might still be a bit too much.
‘We have a big challenge now to integrate those with permission to stay in Norway to make sure they respect Norwegian values,’ she says. ‘Freedom to speak, to write, to believe or not to believe in a god, how to raise your children.’ Also, she says, what not to do. For example: ‘It is not allowed to beat your children in Norway.’
It’s unusual for a European government minister to link immigration with child-beating, but the 39-year-old Ms Listhaug is accustomed to speaking plainly. The rest of Europe, she believes, is coming around to the Norwegian position.
While Sweden and others saw the migration of 2015 as a blip caused by conflict in Syria and Iraq, she sees it as part of an irreversible demographic trend. ‘Africa is going to gain almost 500 million more people by 2030,’ she says. ‘Much of the Middle East and Africa is fragile. People have difficult lives but can see via mobile phones that life in the West and in Europe is quite different. So I understand why they would like our life, our kind of standards. But it’s not sustainable to integrate so many.’
The case for limiting economic migration is clear. But about half of the registered asylum seekers in the EU last year were from countries that were struck by conflict. Can Norway justify taking so few? Ms Listhaug is a practising Christian (albeit sceptical of the ‘thoroughly socialist’ Church of Norway) and says her government’s immigration policy, when combined with its aid policy, is not just a moral response, but the most effective moral response.
‘For me it’s a moral issue as well. You can’t just help the ones you see. You have to think about the millions you don’t see and that have a very difficult life in the world.’
She’s referring to the refugee camps in Jordan, where both Norway and the UK send aid to help those displaced by war. Norway gave £23 million to its Jordanian mission last year, almost twice as much, per capita, as Britain. The cost of helping refugees at home is taken from its foreign aid budget, so as its influx subsides and costs fall, all savings are used to help refugees abroad. Some £370 million has been transferred so far, with more expected next year.
So to Ms Listhaug, it’s not a question of whether to help refugees, but how best to do so. We meet after she visited Brandon Lewis, her British counterpart, who gave her a striking statistic: ‘The immigration minister here in Britain said that for the price of helping 3,000 young people here, he could help 100,000 children in other parts of the world.’
She sees this as a modern way to help asylum seekers — and more practical than the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which obliges signatories to accommodate anyone with a ‘well-founded fear of persecution’.
‘It was an agreement for its time,’ she says. ‘But when people travel through 20 countries to come to a safe haven, I think people can see that this is not right. You could have a safe haven in your neighbouring country, so why go so far?’
Western countries that define their virtue by the number of refugees they let in, she says, also face a moral question: ‘Why should we have a system that works for the people who have money [to pay for the journey] while the rest of the refugees and people in need don’t have the money to go?’
People traffickers, she says, thrive on governments that follow the old rules and accept those who turn up on their shores. ‘If you smuggle an unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan to Europe, they say it is between $3,000 and $20,000.’ Young girls, she says, are sometimes sold to old men to finance such a journey. ‘Also, children are killed, or raped, on their way. So we need to have this under control.’
‘A lot of countries in Europe are thinking more like us: like Denmark and Austria. Germany, as well… France has big problems right now with integration, as does Belgium. A lot of countries in Europe see that we need to have this under control.’
The Norwegian model, she says, is very different and very clear. “If you are an economic migrant, you are declined in Norway,” she says. “We send people back to Afghanistan if they are not in need of protection; we send them back to Somalia if they are not in need of protection.” Isn’t this a rather expensive process? “Yes, but it’s well worth it.” Police are also sent out to areas where illegal immigrants are suspected of living and working. “If we find them, we send them out. That has also decreased crime in Norway, that’s very good.”
I ask Listhaug if she is getting used to being called cruel and heartless. How does it make her feel? ‘I don’t give a damn,’ she says. She believes that she’s doing the right thing, turning away those who don’t need protection, to spend more money on people who do. You might call it the Norwegian model of handling asylum. It might just catch on.
Time to let Jon Donnison out of his padded cell to ‘analyse’?
The common sense thing to do is to stop the boat traffic in the first place – But failing this of course some form of repatriation is the obvious thing to do.
Unfortunately it will never happen inn the UK whilst we have politicians who are both dishonest and moral cowards. Some of which are encouraging inward migration more for gerrymandering than humanitarian concerns.
A media dominated by a class of naive, elite liberals (very few of whom have experienced the joys of enrichment) Can you imagine it the likes spoilt celebs such as Allen and Geldorf throwing themselves in front of coaches speeding to RAF bases (I look forward to that one)
And charities and pressure groups financially backed by globalists such as Soros and big business.
The longer we fail to deal with this problem the worse it will get.
This deliberate inertia is what the left have been backing on – and sometimes I do wonder what will it take to make people in this county actually wake up to what is happening. I hope (despite the slow drip of poison from the BBC and other MSM) that there is still enough residual pride left in our culture and nation to stop this.
And if we dont – I guess as a nation that we will all get what we deserve.
Oak
Wait til the negotiations move on to citizens ‘ residents rights. No trade unless we allow all EU citizens , their relatives friend and pets have unrestricted access to Blighty for ever and we ll pay their benefits .
No news yet on the 50 billion bribe ….
FE2 – I sometimes wonder whether “Sharia ” May has some sort of poor self image thing going on. Hence the need to always look as fashionable as is humanly possible and hence also the need to abase herself at the feet of Drunker, Verhoftwat, and the Polish Donald. Unfortunately by being so keen to please these eurotwats she is also selling us down the river at the same time.
One thing is for sure she aint no Margaret Thatcher. And I reckon the “Leaderene” would have had some pretty harsh things to say to this woman with the heart of blancmange.
“I sometimes wonder whether “Sharia ” May has some sort of poor self image ”
I think May being a Christian has got more to do with it then her own image. i.e. Humility. etc.
Vesna – I have known plenty of Christians who are good people but do not feel it is necessary to do the “ever so umble” act when dealing with others.
Maybe “Sharia” has spent too much time taking tea with Welby and learning advanced “hand ringing”. If she is serious about her faith can I suggest she takes a little time talking to some Coptic Priests who have spent some time ministering in Egypt. The may enlighten May to the fact that not everyone’s intentions are as honourable as hers may be.
May is a professing Christian? I had no idea.
Oak,
Unless we are being smoke screened and Blighty is performing far better than its public appearance it seems the EU really is calling the shots. Clearly the conservative government isn’t in step with public opinion – partly I suppose because of the bubble and the likes of msm. They will never win the hearts of remainers . I know it’s not purely a single party issue but the goriest are meant to be negotiating and not being dictated to by the likes of a Belgian and a dutchee.
The EU was shrewd not to put a frog or a kraut on point because that really would have got the Blighty back up.
Let’s just hope time runs out as May hasn’t got the capability to walk away. All these politicians want to be positively remembered- and that’s their collective weakness.
I tried al Beeb face check to see what they think the leaving bribe will be —- there is not a single number on the web page by Chris Morris. A quick google shows an arms race between 25 and 95 billion so it’s all made up. We deserve to be better informed about how big a bribe the taxpayer must stump up. If the PM gets it wrong the government will fall – but re elected with a proper Brexit PM this time unless they fall for corbyn promises again. Many will but the campaign can’t be any worse next time can it ?
FE2 – ” If the PM gets it wrong the government will fall – but re elected with a proper Brexit PM this time unless they fall for corbyn promises again.”
An added complication, as I see it could well be the fact that many people who have voted “leave” have
“remain” Tory MPS. If the likes of Soubry are not deselected (and there is zero chance of that) I reckon without an effective alternative many people will just refuse to vote letting Labour in by the back door.
Oak – I agree and it’s something I’d rather you not remind me ( joke if you see my clumsy language) .
The EU I’d clearly coordinating its propaganda eg a former Italian PM ( so many ) saying English should be an official post brexit language .
I try to get into the shoes of people not looking at the finer bubble points of this stuff – all I can come up with is “why haven’t we left yet?”
She’s got better legs than Murkle.
There’s me thinking soubry s hot when she’s emotional ( I’m sober writing this).
EG and FE2
EG – My woodburner has more attractive legs than Merkle!
As for Soubry being hot well ———————–I think both of you need some help – URGENTLY!
Fedup2 – it’s not a ‘bribe’ as we’re not getting anything in return. It’s a giveaway.
Flex – you are right of course – I was trying to think of a word to replace the corrupt ‘divorce ‘ narrative with which the msm has caught me .
Not divorce , not bribe , can’t thing of the term apart from giveaway but doesn’t seem good enough
FE2 – I think “tribute” could be the word you are looking for.
Oak
Yes thank you that is about right – for divorce read tribute . Might have been better if D day never happened . Over to you on nights Maxi
Yes have to agree 100% with all you say. The deliberate inertia has been duplictously developed over the past 40+ yrs – just listening to that J Dimbleblog prog on Friday evening with the most unpatriotic audiance ever heard-most applauded anyone who spoke in slightest upbeat way about Brexit-one woman was wearing a cap with a number of gold stars on it supposedly representing the EU-one of the guest speakers suggested that a Union Jack might also be worn, to which the audiance’s reaction was simply to boo, and shout out in some animalistic way-yes we have a lot wets in this country and supposedly running our government who are bending over backwards to appease those evil crooks in Brussels. For goodness sake give them an ultimatum-Get your acts together EU, NO we will not pay £ 40 billion, and definitely NO we shall accept no further immigrants no matter what-we are full and in a right bloody political mess one way and another.
“Brexit-one woman was wearing a cap with a number of gold stars on it supposedly representing the EU-”
Probably because her second home in the south of France is bringing in a lovely profit from her various tenants!
Besides, it would be insulting – to her darling French neighbours – to leave her property empty while she is visiting England to benefit from every FREE NHS service going.
I respect the Norwegian stance on immigration but let us be quite certain we and they understand the type of immigrant we and they are allowing into our countries-the mass immigration from outside Europe namely those that follow the teachings of Islam is most definitely not what shold be encouraged by any European nation which is white Christian. Already as a result of utter madness by Merkel et al, using such duplicitous methods to fool their populations thousdands now disrupt Germany in every way possible. These policies, which we all know were deliberately in tune with those that control the EU, have led to the most horrendous situations and devastating experiences to many native folk of European Countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, France, Germany and others because of the third world mass immigration policy/decision. But look out we shall be expected to accept more peole from Syria, Yeman, Burma, Zimbabwe as they quickly discover their new ruler is just as terrible as the last and goodness knows where else. Integration is really impossible with the Muslim their Ideology is so far away from ours, their aim is to swamp Europe and defeat it through the wombs of their women.
Agreed Tarien.
The cat is now out of the bag regarding our weakness and unwillingness to effectively deal with waves of economic migrants and control our borders. These people see us for what we are – naive and ineffectual fools wanting to believe any sob story (no matter how far fetched) if it is told to us by a “refugee” wanting to move to the west.
Not only have we put up the white flag there appears to also be agencies (many Soros funded) more than willing to school these “refugees” in whatever weak deceits are most effective to slipping through the partially open door and accessing benefits.
‘For me it’s a moral issue as well. You can’t just help the ones you see. You have to think about the millions you don’t see and that have a very difficult life in the world.’
Well said. That was the laudable British position on Syrian refugees till Cameron buckled and went for the easy option to signal his virtue and took thousands more in from France.
The media can stop all reasonable discussion with a single photo …
. . .
At least 31 migrants have died after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya. … BBC today … would they have survived if they worked and stayed at home?
Marky – Years ago death either through war, illness or accidents figured quite closely in most peoples lives.
These days insulated by technology , better diets, medicines and the lack of recent conflict in Western Europe the reality of death for many people has a become a bogeyman that many in the west fear above all.
The liberals are generally very affluent and are used to buying their way out of lives problems despite their avowed concern for us prolls. The less death that figures in their lives the more they fear it. They fear it above all things including morality, and loyalty to their country and culture. Hence the likes of maxi and and his BBC friends are quite happy to ditch the title of being British in favour of being seen as European.
This fear of death – the fact that people want to expunge even the thought of it from their lives and the liberal tendency to prioritise compassion over practicality and common sense has meant that the “symbolic” death of the unfortunate toddler Alan Kurdi (who actually came from a camp in a safe country) has been used by the left and their achingly right on media acolytes to batter through the last vestiges of common sense and enabled our society to be swamped by vast amounts of economic migrants, many of whom see the death of one individual as just that – one child unfortunately dying and certainly not the humanitarian failure of a continent that the left turned it into. And I would say that maybe his father shares more than just a little responsibility for what happened to his family.
Of course that does not stop these intruders playing the morality card – like the race card it has become just another weapon to be used to help them batter their way into western Europe with all of the negative consequences that it will bring to a once stable society.
Maybe once the liberals have experienced a “bit more death” they may realise the extreme folly of their ways – And for sure I reckon that is what is coming our way. But by this time it is likely to be too late to change things. Still maybe they can all go and live with Justin Trudeau and repeat the whole sad cycle again.
How about i’m a celeb Boat people get me into the country. I would watch it and vote for them to stay in the boat.
I have a solution to the Irish border problem .
Have a visible border under ground and an invisible one above it .,the one underground can be orange and the one above green.
Manned by leprechauns.