More on refugees

In a previous article on this subject I stated that according to the UN there were now 60 million refugees looking for refuge. They are still looking and the number is being added to at a rate of 50000 per day.

Current (European) crisis.

Again the response of the European Union to the current crisis has been muddled, uncoordinated and does nothing to help resolve the problem.

The reason for the sudden influx of Syrian refugees is that the UN has run out of money so the displaced people, particularly those not living in refugee camps, have absolutely nothing to live on- the small amounts of aid they were being given has completely dried up, so they feel they can't lose anything by leaving their current refuges and attempting the hazardous journey to Europe.

The UN, the EU and the authorities in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, where most of the displaced people from Syria have moved to, must have realised the likely response to the lack of funds would be the influx that has now occurred with desperate people trying to find a foothold in Europe. If they didn't, one can only conclude they were asleep at the wheel. I am amazed and disappointed this was not highlighted before now and even now media attention on this issue is minimal.

So an obvious short term solution is for the EU to provide the needed funds. The immediate requirement is of the order of US $3 billion. This seems like a small percentage of the US $150 billion per annum currently spent, and often wasted, on aid by the 'developed' world to the 'undeveloped' world.

The only long term solution to reducing the number of Syrian refugees is to stop the civil war. Easier said than done. So the flood of refugees emanating from that part of the world will continue unabated.

German response.

Most people, including me, are saying 'Thank heaven for the Germans, they are the only people who seem to have any idea of what is needed.'

Whilst the response is to be welcomed we need to understand that this action fundamentally serves German interests and is not a purely philanthropic gesture. Why, because the German population has declined over the past ten years or so. This is in contrast to populations in Britain and France, for example, which have grown during that period. Consider the following:

Germany Britain France