Re: Keep the door open for child refugees. Sir Simon's blog and Dr Sarapinidis's comment
Sir Simon is absolutely right - we should not slam the door in the face of refugee children. We should also carefully consider the views of Dr Saripanidis - he is right too. A few points -
1. Nowhere have I read any suggestions (from Sir Simon or anyone else) that for every child admitted the Central Govt should provide the funds and the staff to help the child to integrate and get assimilated in to the UK.
2. These children are no doubt traumatised. Do the local authorities willing to accept them have enough child social workers, teachers, psychotherapists, psychiatrIsts to care for them? I doubt it. Unless they are telling us that they have more than enough.
3. The government of the pre-1939 Britain was right to ask for a bond for a few hundred pounds. Doubtless this ensured that the willing hosts had the means to carry out their good intentions.
4. You bring in a child from abroad. You ought to know and to declare how you are going to bring up the child. Are you going to feed him (her) beef if you yourselves happen to be a pork eating family?
5. Are you able and willing to find him a religious teacher?
6. Are you going to discover the address of his next of kin, keep in touch with them, AND RETURN THE CHILD TO THEM when they feel it is safe? Or, do you expect to bring in the parents to reunite the family?
These are the thoughts that go through my mind. I have no personal knowledge of the Holocaust. I know something about another happening. In 1947, when a million or more died in "a far off country ". At that time it was part of the Empire on which the sun was setting.
Rapid Response:
Re: Keep the door open for child refugees. Sir Simon's blog and Dr Sarapinidis's comment
Sir Simon is absolutely right - we should not slam the door in the face of refugee children. We should also carefully consider the views of Dr Saripanidis - he is right too. A few points -
1. Nowhere have I read any suggestions (from Sir Simon or anyone else) that for every child admitted the Central Govt should provide the funds and the staff to help the child to integrate and get assimilated in to the UK.
2. These children are no doubt traumatised. Do the local authorities willing to accept them have enough child social workers, teachers, psychotherapists, psychiatrIsts to care for them? I doubt it. Unless they are telling us that they have more than enough.
3. The government of the pre-1939 Britain was right to ask for a bond for a few hundred pounds. Doubtless this ensured that the willing hosts had the means to carry out their good intentions.
4. You bring in a child from abroad. You ought to know and to declare how you are going to bring up the child. Are you going to feed him (her) beef if you yourselves happen to be a pork eating family?
5. Are you able and willing to find him a religious teacher?
6. Are you going to discover the address of his next of kin, keep in touch with them, AND RETURN THE CHILD TO THEM when they feel it is safe? Or, do you expect to bring in the parents to reunite the family?
These are the thoughts that go through my mind. I have no personal knowledge of the Holocaust. I know something about another happening. In 1947, when a million or more died in "a far off country ". At that time it was part of the Empire on which the sun was setting.
Competing interests: No competing interests