I think a lot about the refugee problem. I think it is going to change our lives.There is no simple solution.
Today I have been thinking - what have
I done to help the refugees?
Well, I have given up sweets.
Let me continue. I live on an extremely tight buget as do many small holders. We are 180 people in our pasish, more the half of us between the age of 60 and 100. At Christmas we were allocated 82 regugees awaiting asylum. They are boat refugees. They came to us in the middle of winter . They knew nothing of snow or out - 35C temperatures and 5 hours daylight. After their nighmare on the sea, moving to our sleepy village cannot be imagined. They have lodgings, food and clothing - Basta. 3 pounda a day pocket money (that is more than I have
) So we, the villagers were thrown into voluntary work. We were given the Baptist chapel as an activity centre. The windmills are giving us free electricity and donated flourescent jackets so we can see the dark individuals on the road!, We have language lessons , they are welcome at the weaving and knitting cafés, we gather clothes. The local school lets the children come. Football, a gym have been established. Most of them have now permission to stay in Sweden and do not want to leave us! Now we are trying to find housing. We are looking into renovating old houses. When they are given permission to stay they begin language school in the small town 30 miles away. One of my jobs is to buy an alarm clock and go with them on the bus the first week to teach them how important learning the language is. They also need to learn economy, democracy, the importance of working and paying taxes to help support the community.
They tell lies. I would lie to save my life. When they have received their permission we find they have wives and children who are then allowed to come. This is an enormous expense for the government. But we must do what we can. many small villages here are in our situation. In a couple of months we will be allocated 100 more refugees. Then in the towns we have the migrants.People have drawn pictures of houses - gone out on the streets and beckoned the migrants to their homes during the winter months.
Last week the immigration authorities had the brilliant idea they were going to move 22 of our refugees to another village. They, and we, were very upset. We phoned and said that when the bus came there would be journalists, pensioners in wheelchairs, on walking frames, the school taxis full of children and all able bodied people in the village to block the transport. The authorities backed down. When they tried to send some refugees on a plane activists blocked the unway, when removed,the passengers on the plane refused to fasten their seat-belts. those refugees have now been given asylum.
THis is only the top of the iceberg.
Our society's are going to have to change drastically to survive. I understand from reading this forum how strained the british social system is allready.
The problems on the Mediterranean are going to effect us more that we realise
And giving up sweets? I have so little money that the only saving I can find to buy diesel to go down to the village to help as often as possible.
Topic: Scotland calls for action in the Mediterranean (Read 3774 times)
