Where do you stand on the refugee crisis?

To celebrate my 50^th post on IDGOM, I thought it might be fitting to adopt a more serious attitude to my ramblings.

But don’t worry too much, dear reader, as it probably won’t last very long.

My subject is one uppermost in the minds of the majority of us this sunny day – what ARE we, the civilised Western world, to do about the stream (notice no swamping on this blog) of people seeking a new life in good old Europe?

Well, consider these views:

Wouldn’t we be better off helping resolve the issues at source i.e. in Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Syria etc.? Or did we cause the current situation in many of the mentioned countries by sending troops in to counter people/ organisations we didn’t like or share a philosophy with?

Shouldn’t we differentiate between a refugee (to my mind someone who is in mortal danger of losing their life) and a migrant (someone looking for a better life in another country)?

Why should someone simply looking for a better life be able to enter whichever country they wish without any form of authorisation? I can travel freely within Europe, and a select few other countries, as I am a European but I still need to go through several hoops just to visit many other states, let along move there.

Have we tried to close the stable door long after the horse has bolted? Our inability, or even reluctance, to tackle serious issues in unstable parts of the world has led to the current crisis. We reap what we sow.

Should we let a photograph of one of very many victims, however young, drive the debate? Emotive images have helped set the agenda throughout history (who can ever forget the iconic and powerful image of the screaming young victim of a napalm attack in the Vietnam War) but they cannot be allowed to dictate it. Mind you, sometimes we all need a kick up the Arsenal to get things moving.

Shouldn’t we stop blaming Germany? Yes, I know that country started two world wars and always beat England on penalties but come on, give the country some slack. That said, there can be no doubt that Angela’s open-door policy is encouraging more and more refugees/ migrants to head west. But isn’t that policy better than ignoring the situation?

Hasn’t our glorious leader got it right for once when he says, a little belatedly, that we will start taking more refugees from the camps in countries bordering Syria? Then proper checks can be carried out. Without these, and a few rules, even more chaos will lie ahead.

Discuss.