Interesting Links for 24-12-2025

[andrewducker]

1. The seven reasons why reversing Brexit won't happen (at least neither quickly nor easily)

(tags:UK Europe doom trade )

Comments

[calimac]

I have a question distantly related to this article, something that I haven't seen an explanation for. If this is a naive question, it's because I haven't seen it addressed.

The refugees who are coming to Britain in small boats, who are the subject of so much political controversy currently: why are they making this dangerous journey to come to a (mostly unwelcoming, it seems) Britain? They're already in the EU. Why do they want to come to the UK? What does the UK have for them that the EU doesn't have?

[andrewducker]

My understanding is that it's usually about knowing people here.

There's a decent piece on other reasons here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9xyn30yj0o

[rhythmaning]

And language apparently has a lot to do with it, too (which may be explained in the BBC article!).

[calimac]

"knowing people here" - mostly relatives, perhaps? That might have occurred to me if I'd seen articles about this that included interviews with those relatives.

That they might mostly know English hadn't occurred to me either, as I didn't realize they were from former UK colonies. I thought the biggest source of current refugees coming into Europe was Syria, which was never a British colony, but perhaps the Syrians are not going to the UK.

[aldabra]

If I were a refugee, I would have a very strong preference for ending up somewhere where I already spoke the language. If I were coming from an ex British colony and looking at Europe, Britain would be the obvious destination. And I would have been exposed to propaganda my entire life about how it is the mother country and the streets are paved with gold (from my grandparents if not from the independent governments). And by the time I'm in Calais France doesn't look welcoming at all.

I think this is going to be way stronger than the different approaches to welfare and untaxed work; I don't see how you get reliable information about any of that once you've left your home. That BBC piece reads like it's selling digital ID more than it's talking to asylum seekers.