The Continuing Crisis: Refugees arriving in Europe......Populations response, but where are the politicians?
I
find it ironic that Hungry felt the need to resort to barbed wire fencing and
closed borders, since one of the first ever ‘collective’ activities I organised
was as a very small kid, setting up a back green ‘concert’ with some friends
here in Edinburgh and charging the local kids to come in. The money raised was
sent off to help Hungarian refugees, after their very own revolution against
the (old) USSR. (yes, that long ago and yes, old pounds, shillings and pence!)
Now,
most of us look at the fleeing refugees and ask: how can we help? But some look
and say: ‘we have no room, no money, no homes’. There is talk of ….’we need to
feed our own,’ and cite the presence of our own food banks, or our own homeless
population. Perhaps the excuse is….
‘more pressure on the NHS'. But all of that misses the humanitarian ‘get up and
do’ response of the ordinary everyday people, whilst hiding behind the fig leaf
of political negativity, scare mongering and further demonising of ‘outsiders’.
Some
say: address the refugee problems at the source. If this is considered to be
Syria, I hope that doesn't mean we rush headlong into bombing. Do we want
another failed state with regime change and the resultant chaos? Have we learnt
nothing from Iraq and Libya? And what hopes of a ‘transition’ period that our
great leader, David Cameron will promote today (27th Sept) in the USA?
Some
say: stay in local camps as internally displaced persons or refugees in
neighbouring countries. The UNHCR, 2013, notes that Pakistan, Iran,
Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey had in excess of 3 million refugees. That ' number'
nay, people, must surely be rising. And the stress put on the fragile
infrastructures in those camps will only add to the internal stresses within
those host countries. Further destabilisation of both the camps and the host countries
must surely be a worry and something to be avoided.
My own view is that many of us fail to acknowledge we are being dictated to and are following the agenda of the far right. Our policies, our banking systems that favour capitalism & profit first and foremost, coupled with our actions including arms sales; favouring one so called ‘good’ dictator over a ’bad’ dictator, have helped create these very refugees and their circumstances. Surely then, it is time to resist this far right ideology of 'profit first; profit before people'.
My own view is that many of us fail to acknowledge we are being dictated to and are following the agenda of the far right. Our policies, our banking systems that favour capitalism & profit first and foremost, coupled with our actions including arms sales; favouring one so called ‘good’ dictator over a ’bad’ dictator, have helped create these very refugees and their circumstances. Surely then, it is time to resist this far right ideology of 'profit first; profit before people'.
Will a new Labour leader help move the Labour party to
become a strong opposition party? Will we see a resurgence of socialism coming
from the Labour party? Will we see a shift from Westminster Labour MPs as they
see the value of working with the SNP? Or will a fractured Labour continue to
score own goals thus ensuring the ideology of the far right and the current UK
government continues to demonise the work-less population, victimise the
vulnerable, prey on the working poor and neglect the refugees on our door step?
Whatever acts we take as a generous population in relation to the refugees must be met with coordinated actions & ultimately political policies that recognise the need for deep seated change over long periods of time, both within our own borders and across the EU.
Scotland has said clearly and early on that we
welcome refugees, and this occasion will be no different. Cities such as
Birmingham are shaming the UK government with declarations of support and the
intent to welcome refugees
Whilst these are welcome actions and policies of the
moment, this moment today, tomorrow and the coming months, surely we must address
the forms of capitalism that arms militants but denies refuge to the very
people shot, bombed, made homeless, terrorised, displaced and dying to reach
the ‘west’ …………..the ‘west’ that armed the aggressors in the first instance.
i/Hungarian Revolution 1956 http://www.historyinanhour.com
ii/Food Banks: Facebook:
EdinburghWomenforIndependence
@wfiedinburgh
Women for Independence http://www.womenforindependence.org
http://www.trusselltrust.org/
iii/UNHCR: http://www.unhcr.org/
iv/Scottish Govt Responses to the Refugee Crisis: https://firstminister.gov.scot
v/Birmingham’s response :
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/
vi/Edinburgh Cares: Facebook Edinburgh Cares-Aid
Convoy to Serbia/Croatia
..entering into Austria ...Sept 2015
