@Anonymous wrote:
I don't think you can compare now with then.
My great grand father helped many Jews escape from the Germans at the risk of his own life and of his family. He fed them, he hid them, he helped them to saver places and god knows what else.
They were happy with the aid given, happy to be relatively save, not kicking, screaming and demanding things.
Not everyone was as brave as my great grandfather, nor as well off. Not everyone was in a position to give help. No one held that against them either.
My mum fled from the Germans when they burned her village down and shot all the boys and men. She was helped by the resistance and hid underground for 3 days in the woods before she could be brought to a saver place. She had to cut meat out of a dead horse because they were starving (she still can't se blood without fainting). She took the coat from a dead German as she was freezing cold. She saw Canadians hanged in the woods, their faces painted by the Germans and on and on her stories go. She knows what it's like to live through war.
I have heard enough horror stories to have compassion with those that flee oppression.
But now, if you are reluctant to give aid for whatever reasons you are the bad one. You are made to feel guilty. The one that has no feelings for those people's situation. Give me a break. I can hardly feed my own family let alone some refugees. Plus my house is full. If they think they have come to the land of milk and honey they might change their minds in a few years.
If I had the wealth and the space I would most likely help. I have never turned away anyone who came to me for help, but I will not have it forced down my throat by the media or anyone else.
It does not make me left or right wing.
It's certainly not my intention to make you or anyone feel guilty or defensive harry. I'm very sorry for what your mother went through during WW2. You must also feel very proud of your great grandfather's efforts too.
I think you can compare then with now, just different uniforms. The only difference is that it's the Middle East and not Europe.
I don't think all these refugees think they are coming to the land of milk and honey either, I think they want some peace and quiet to get on with their lives feeling safe and secure in the knowledge that around every corner are not Assad's government forces or IS waiting to torture or kill them. It's a natural sense of self preservation they have for themselves and their families, a feeling any of us would have in similar circumstances. I doubt they would ever want to come here if their own country was not undergoing both a civil war and the very real threat of IS. Their towns, villages and infrastructure are destroyed so without a roof over their head and no work, how do they survive from day to day, let alone plan for a future. Many of them have fought to save their families friends etc but they didn't have the resources to continue the fight. Their only options are the refugee camps which whilst a relatively safe haven are often inadequate even for the very basics of life, let alone any education or a half decent life for the children. It's a miserable time for them and it's been going on for 5 years, so is it any wonder they want to come to the West to try and start a new life. They are between a rock and a hard place as the saying goes.
The UK sending in ground forces is never going to happen, for three reasons in my view:
1. Parliament will be aware, as they were when it was last proposed air bombing, that we are not in any financial or military position, let alone having public opinion support after the Iraq war, and the now consequences of that where we - the UK and Americans - came out of there with an unfinished job of creating stability in that country. We must not repeat those same mistakes and I sincerely hope Mr Cameron does not propose it unless he's 100% aware of the worst consequences. The UK and the rest of Europe made a grave mistake, imo, of letting Putin get away with taking back Crimea - the back door to Europe.
2. The Russians
3. The Chinese
Meanwhile the ordinary men women and children suffer yet again, as a consequence of a despot/s and the lack of political nouse to reach a new solution.
