Reader offers his views on the refugee crisis

My last post (so to speak) elicited a flood of responses – well, two. I feel I must share them with you as they are thought provoking and epitomise the difficulty of the current refugee issue. Here is the first from my reader RN of east Suffolk – full name supplied but withheld to protect the innocent.

Such an emotive subject and my first reaction is that we should be offering a helping hand to these desperate people but how best to achieve this is clearly the dilemma.
It's true the west has contributed to current problems but the issues run much deeper than that and we have to deal with things as they are today.
I don't think just letting hundreds of thousands of people just walk into and across Europe and be given citizenship by one or more countries is the correct way. It has an impact of the rest of Europe given that once citizenship is gained I believe they are then free to relocate to any European country.
I don't think that Germany's approach has been very wise, but on the other hand if they have the jobs, housing etc. to cope with these refugees over the next decade or so without internal disruption or help from other European countries then their decision is more understandable.
Insofar as the UK is concerned, we need to be reasonably sure that any refugees we allow to settle can be looked after, provided with accommodation, jobs, health, education etc. and this is where the head has to rule the heart otherwise we could be heading for problems.
It is a fact that we are experiencing quite large numbers migrating, quite legitimately, from other countries in Europe and only a few weeks ago, people were voicing their concerns and were urging the government to seriously reduce immigration on the basis the UK does not have the resource to cope. Now that's been turned on its head and we have people, many  of whom are MP's suggesting we should welcome more, probably many more than we can sensibly accommodate.
It is a fact that we are currently more densely populated than Germany and twice that of France, Spain etc. and as such perhaps helps to understand the issues surrounding the "pressures on services" that are often talked about.
What is the correct number, I am not sure but as far as the UK Government response is concerned I think, at the moment, it has just about got it right.
Firstly, by supporting refugees closer to their home countries as they have done for a considerable time and secondly by accepting refugees from the UNHCR settlements.
It has to be noted that many countries now responding to the crisis should have done much more in previous months and years in this respect just as the UN should have been working even harder to ensure more safe areas for these families to live.
The European Union Parliament has been once again been totally useless over this issue, (I just wonder at times what they actually do contribute).
It is also a fact that this isn't just a problem for Europe it's a problem for the world, a problem where the UN should be at the forefront and encourage the USA, Canada, Australia, et al to offer help.
Thank you, RN. The second offering, from AD of west Suffolk (we are an insular lot in these parts) will be published later this week.