@astrologica wrote:
But how long would they be willing to take them for? A month? Two months? Six months? Indefinitely? There is an alarming lack of detail and planning about these offers.
I have exactly the same concerns as you Astro. I certainly wouldn't take any in either, giving refuge to asylum seekers and others will only encourage more to make the attempt. An increase in population on this expected scale is simply not sustainable here. The UK as a whole is the 15th most densely populated nation on the planet, when you consider that around 85% of the UK population live in England that makes us the 5th most populous country with 413 residents per sq. km. France has roughly the same population as the UK but their density is only 118 per sq. km. London alone has a population of 8.25million, that's more than the population of Austria, Switzerland or Israel. Our public services are already at breaking point, we don't have enough housing or school places or NHS services to adequately support our own population, any more immigrants are going to put these services under an intolerable strain.
In my opinion granting asylum should only ever be a stop gap option until the situation in the refugees' home countries improve. How many are likely ever to return to their countries of origin when once they have been given free housing and schooling and taken advantage of our generous welfare system?
I haven't seen or heard of any offers forthcoming from across the Atlantic to rehouse any of those seeking asylum, quite surprising really when you consider it was largely their foreign policy in the Middle East that has indirectly led to the current situation. I think it's only right they should take their fair share of the intolerable burden being put on the EU.
