This country sees itself as overcrowded and overgenerous – it is neither of those things Suzanne Moore
almost 5 years in The guardian
The migrants at Calais have risked life and limb – and will risk them again to reach the UK. But is there any point tugging at British heartstrings when hearts are hardened?
On a clear day you can see … the beach. And it is mobbed. I’m writing this on a glorious day in Kent and families, big gangs of teenagers and surfers are all making the best of it. The gulls are monitoring the chip situation and the girls in bikinis are proving that the underboob trend is actually real. Why shouldn’t these people have fun? There is no school, no work; for many of the teenagers, their exam grades will be “made up”. Can they not have their irresponsible youth for a summer? Isn’t that a rite of passage and, despite everything, aren’t they lucky to have it?
This morning, before all the sunseekers flocked to the beach, another group of people will have arrived here: people who belong nowhere. Along this coast, cheap dinghies are arriving, carrying refugees. One day last week, 200 migrants arrived from Calais. Often they can’t swim; the luckier ones have paddles. Continue reading...
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