The Politics Thread

[Yossarian]

Benno so all the refugees are Iraqis and Afghanis? Also are they all skilled workers or people fleeing persecution?

[dan]

New arrivals to xmas island. Some of the guys are pretty buffed...
http://www.2gb.com/gallery/photos-christmas-island

[WBennett]

Yoss

I don't have the ****ing answers and nobody does - you are smart enough to know that. I believe in a humanitarian way in dealing with the issue, and shipping people off to a 3rd world country is not a humanitarian way.

Rudd has played politics with Abbott and pissed off his core constituency, and appealed to racists and rednecks.

How about you do some reading of your own and make up your own opinion.

http://www.news.com.au/world-news/te...-1226676024840
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1...s-died-at-sea-
http://unhcr.org.au/unhcr/index.php?...d=46&Itemid=92

From UNHCR - Afghanistan remained the main country of origin of asylum-seekers (36,600 claims versus 36,200 in 2011). Syria was the second largest, the conflict there reflected in a jump from 15th place in 2011 and a 191 per cent increase in asylum claims to 24,800. Serbia [and Kosovo: S/RES/1244(1999)] was third with 24,300 claims, a 14 per cent increase. Large numbers of asylum claims were also submitted by individuals from China (24,100) and Pakistan (23,200 – the highest number on record and a 21 per cent increase on 2011).

FWIW, I have played footy with a refugee from Sudan, I work with a Pakistani refugee who is married, has three kids and a uni degree to go with his Pakistani one, and have a family of Ugandans living 3 doors down the road who are a warm and friendly family. My kids attend an exclusive primary school, and have children from over a dozen nationalities represented in their classes. People of colour or a different ethnicity don't worry me the way they worry they seemingly majority of the population.

[Moe Norman]

They don't worry me either Benno, but whether or not they worry us is immaterial on whether we should have policies inn place that encourage them to risk their lives and their children's lives by getting on a leaky boat to get here.

I think Yoss's point, was that if the persecution and situation is so bad that it's worth risking your life and your child's life to get on a leaky boat captained by some crook, then surely arriving in Australia and being housed, clothed and fed isn't the worst result while you wait for permanent asylum, is it? It might be a simplistic view, but I think it's a fair question.

I mean if your life is on the line daily where you're coming from, even a few months in the Hiltons we call jails here in Australia has to be a good result doesn't it? Given you get safety, a roof, food and a spot in the queue for permanent asylum is a great country.

Conditions in some of the detention centres are obviously not great, but are they better or worse than what they came from? Bloke in my footy team works up in Darwin looking after asylum seekers, and sometimes has to fly home with them as an escort after their asylum claims are rejected and he reckons conditions aren't that bad unless the people in the centres deliberately make them bad.

[Yossarian]

Benno,

I apologise that post came of as if I was having a dig and I wasn't. I know I troll and stir a lot but here I am not. As Moe said I don't get why it is a bad thing to house these people off shore somewhere. Agree that this PNG solution is somewhat of a horrible political stunt.

[WBennett]

Yeah, sounds like a holiday camp

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/fede...723-2qhie.html

[dan]

I believe in a humanitarian way in dealing with the issue

And what solution would that be? Open up the doors and give everyone a 1st world life. It's unaffordable and unrealistic. The lefties are constantly playing the race card and arguing this issue solely on emotional grounds.

[meh]

And what solution would that be? Open up the doors and give everyone a 1st world life. It's unaffordable and unrealistic. The lefties are constantly playing the race card and arguing this issue solely on emotional grounds.

And how are the righties arguing the issue?

[Yossarian]

I just do whatever Andrew Bolt says.

Benno that sounds pretty bad. Hopefully the alleged rapists are not granted asylum. I think somewhere between holiday camp and that is what we need.

[meh]

I just do whatever Andrew Bolt says.

Benno that sounds pretty bad. Hopefully the alleged rapists are not granted asylum. I think somewhere between holiday camp and that is what we need.

Unfortunately there a lot of people that think the garbage that bolt writes is factual.

[sms316]

Unfortunately there a lot of people that think the garbage that bolt writes is factual.

What's wrong with Bolt? He calls it as he sees it (which he is entitled to do).

[WBennett]

SMS

You vote for Peter Slipper and respect Andrew Bolt. You are what is wrong with this country.

[Yossarian]

What is wrong with this country Benno? I reckon it is ok.

[sms316]

SMSYou vote for Peter Slipper and respect Andrew Bolt. You are what is wrong with this country.

I prefer to think of it as voting for the LNP. I didn't say that I respect Bolt.

[dan]

And how are the righties arguing the issue?

On border protection, fiscal responsibility and resources. Everything else including the colour of their skin is irrelevant.

[meh]

On border protection, fiscal responsibility and resources. Everything else including the colour of their skin is irrelevant.

I'm curious, do you read the telegraph before switching on 2gb or the other way around? Highly doubtful you could do both simultaneously.

[WBennett]

What is wrong with this country Benno? I reckon it is ok.

There is plenty right with this country - we are extraordinarily rich, healthy and lucky. But I feel a tone that it is never enough, and the average Joe is insular and greedy and getting worse. The general feeling I get is its all about me me me. Ie - uproars over tax increases rather than accepting that your tax pays for all the bits and pieces that make up 'society', property that is relatively unaffordable and treated as investments rather than necessities etc.

When was the last time you did something for charity? Donated time to a cause?

Very few people do give back to their community, where giving back could be coaching/administration of junior or senior sport, donating your time to run a stall at the local school fete or your kids classes, raising funds for a charity for the underprivileged or something you have no personal ties to?

[markTHEblake]

I believe in a humanitarian way in dealing with the issue, and shipping people off to a 3rd world country is not a humanitarian way.

Who decides what is humanitarian and what isn't?

[Yossarian]

Maybe it is just Canberra is full of self interested people?

Are you asking a rhetorical question cause I don't do anything for other people I spend too much time trolling golf forums.

Anywho this doesn't really have much to do with how to house asylum seekers.

[WBennett]

Neither do your posts.

[Yossarian]

Never said they did, that is initially where we started though before we sort of wandered off.

[WBennett]

So how do you think we solve the problem?

[Yossarian]

No idea. You?

[3Puttpete]

So how do you think we solve the problem?

First we need to know what problem we're trying to solve. People seeking asylum in Australia, people getting on boats or asylum seekers being held in detention either here or offshore?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2

[Moe Norman]

The problem we need to solve is people getting on boats, but we need to frame the discussion differently.

'stop the boats' is a pathetic way to frame it because it makes it sound like its us that needs protection from the boats, when in fact it's the people getting on the boats that need protection. It's a fine line, because to protect them, we need to discourage them from getting on the boats.