Calais Migrants Crisis: Analysis

An on-going issue currently is the Calais migrant crisis affecting not only France and England, but also the wider realms of Europe – who have to deal with the knock-on effects. For the past few days, several thousand migrants have been attempting to pass through the Eurotunnel, with the aim of making it to the United Kingdom – where an attractive benefits scheme for the migrants lies in wait.

PC: Wikipedia

After talking to several others about the situation, it is near-shocking now negatively the migrants are being seen. It is arguable this is because how they have been portrayed in the media. I had the misfortune of hearing one person’s view at my workplace, a customer suggested the Police should “shoot them all.” But of course that would never happen thankfully, and never work, after all, Europe is a highly civilised continent, with integrity at the heart of their values. We hear so many grizzly stories about events in Syria and Iraq, and yet it is people trying to flee these war zones that are the migrants. It isn’t just Iraqi’s and Syrian’s, people from the likes of Libya and Somalia are doing the same.

We in the United Kingdom are so fortunate to live where we do. These migrants risk their lives to make it to the UK. What is most important to remember is – they are humans too. I am sure any of us British people would attempt to do the same thing if the crisis was the other way round, and the UK was in disarray with other nations safer. One person even died in the chaos, going to show how dangerous it is for the migrants once they reach Europe, let alone the travails they go through to get here in the first place.

However there is no avoiding the chaos that has come as a consequence to the migrants crisis. It is understandable the resentment towards them for the closures of the channel tunnel at times, and the mass queues on British motorways. But in response to this, the same idea is prevalent – they are human and deserve better. Hopefully attitudes towards them will change in the coming times, all it takes is a bit of consideration of what they have been through to get to where they are today.

It is just so difficult to imagine the pain they have been through – and how happy, and relieved they must be, to have made it to Europe. The pictures I have seen have painted the story that the migrants are tired and struggling, but that their faith has never dwindled and that they continue to hold belief that they can make it to their intended destination. They seem relieved to be surrounded by the French Police in that they feel safe – something I am sure they haven’t been able to feel for some times – after all, that is what we all yearn to feel – safe.

Overall, the migrant crisis is a very difficult situation to analyse, with no real true solution. Of course, there simply isn’t the space for all of the migrants to be housed in Europe, though it would be totally inhumane to send them back to where they came from, as hurt and pain, perhaps even death, is all that they would go back to. But hopefully a strong solution will result from this crisis. We shall have to wait and see, but I hope safety awaits the migrants, regardless of what is decided for them.

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Apologies for the lack of posts recently, more to come soon, thanks for reading!

UK Election: Time to Change the Voting System?

After the landslide result of the 2015 UK Election, the Conservative Party is set to stay in control, led by David Cameron. The Labour Party ended up with around 100 less seats than the Conservative’s. However a lot of the talk since the election has been surrounding whether or not it is time to change the voting system, in light of the unbalanced nature of the allocation of seats between the UKIP, Liberal Democrat and SNP parties.

The 2015 Election results saw the Conservative Party win 331 seats, enough for a sole majority, with Labour winning 232. However the majority of the rest of the seats causes great controversy. The SNP attained 56 seats, while the Liberal Democrats won 8. The controversy lies with UKIP – and the fact they only won 1 seat. The controversy is that UKIP received more votes than the SNP and Liberal Democrats combined! Yet, ended up with 63 fewer seats than the duo. It could be argued the current system isn’t offering a true representation in the House of Commons in regards to what the Great British Public really want.

The following graph shows the results of the 2015 election in the current system, with a revised result under the “Proportional Representation” system shown below.

Courtesy of “The Guardian”

The real winners of the election were the Conservative Party and the SNP. Interestingly, when you compare the results to the Proportional system, they too are the ones that have heavily benefited. The biggest losers are Labour and UKIP. Labour would have had a chance of forming their own majority, while UKIP would have had a greater influence in the future of the country. A proportional system uses the percentage of votes a party gets and turns it into a fraction of the 650 seats statistically deserved by a party. As the graphs show – the differences are huge.

Whenever the topics of “Politics” arises, a negative stigma is usually attached to it. It can be argued this isn’t surprising, when the results of the 2015 election are quite clearly not representative of what the country wants. Even the Green Party would have more influence – a move to a Proportional system would certainly benefit the small parties and not make it a near-Monopoly like it so often is.

Of course there is a reason why the current system is used. It has been used for a long time and shows no sign of change. There are renowned “stronghold” areas for some parties, where often any votes for the party not considered the “strong” one is near-redundant.  These sorts of votes therefore can skew the results. A move to a proportional system might also open the floodgates to a large amount of small parties winning the seats, should enough votes be won. This raises the prospect of having too many parties in Parliament. This could lead to disagreements that hinder the chances of progress. Moreover, any chance of a party claiming a majority would be unlikely, leading to a hung-parliament being the norm.

However, despite the negatives that have been identified to do with the move, if Britain wants a fair electoral system, a move to Proportional Representation surely must be made. There is no way it is fair that UKIP has so many less seats compared to others. While UKIP have some radical views that are probably best left out of Parliament, you can’t deny that the amount of votes they received calls for more seats. The calls for an electoral reform have been boosted in light of the results of this election, though it is ultimately unlikely that it will happen. However, it is likely to be the most fair thing to do.

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UK Election 2015: Summary, Reaction and Perspective

The 2015 UK Election is complete, with the Conservative Party, led by David Cameron, set to stay on in power, with The Labour Party and Liberal Democrats among those to suffer disappointing results. This election was being touted as one of the closest in decades, however in the end it was a landslide victory for the Conservative party. Many thought another coalition would be required, though in the end, the Conservative Party will lead with a majority.

The election also seems to mark the end of a political era. Many big name politicians have lost seats, while many parties have had their influence shredded. Gordon Brown, ex-Prime Minister, was just one of the huge amounts of Labour MP’s to lose their seats to the Scottish National Party (SNP). Many believe it was the fear of the SNP engaging in a Labour coalition that led to such a high amount of Conservative votes. Vince Cable and Ed Balls were other high profile politicians to lose their seats.

Meanwhile Ed Miliband leader of the Labour Party, has stood down, ending his time as leader. Miliband received a lot of praise for his efforts – though it does appear it was the right time to change. Miliband did, however, hold on to his seat and will therefore be a part of the House of Commons. Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, also called time on his reign as leader of his party. The Liberal Democrats lost a huge amount of seats, with their student fees decision coming back to haunt them, though again, Clegg held on in Sheffield Hallam. Finally, Nigel Farage, leader of the controversial UKIP party, also resigned, though his party did manage one seat.

It certainly marks the end of an era for UK politics, though it is surely the dawn of a new beginning. Whenever an election arises though, it is a time for perspective. It is a time for everyone within the 650 constituencies to be thankful for the fact the UK does have a democracy. It means that realistically, everyone has a voice. Many people don’t have this sort of a privilege, and in light of the various controversies that have arisen in this election, the fortune of being in a democracy must not be forgotten.

So overall, another election has passed. Conservative remain in power, with now a coalition government no longer required. Many big name politicians have lost their seats, while the SNP have gained an incredible amount of influence in Scotland. It will be interesting to see where the Labour Party will go from here, while the Liberal Democrats need a huge re-think. Only time will tell if Britain has made the right decision in re-electing the Tories, it shall be interesting to sit back and view the consequences.

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The review of the 2015 UK Election will continue with the next post – which will look at whether or not it is time for a political reform, with a “proportional-representation” system required.

Lindsay Sandiford: What does she deserve?

A high-profile case doing the rounds once again in the British media today is that of Lindsay Sandiford – a former legal secretary who is currently on death row in Indonesia. Her crime was trying to smuggle £1.6M worth of cocaine into Indonesia – a country renowned for its tough stance on drugs. The crime of drug trafficking is a serious one in any country, however when the judge settled on execution by firing squad, the decision was generally met by surprise. Now with time running out for Sandiford – it is a case which causes much debate.

Picture Credit: The Sun

In May 2012, Sandiford was found attempting to smuggle £1.6M worth of cocaine into Indonesia. In 2013 she was then sentenced to death by firing squad. One of the first things to raise is the stupidity of attempting to smuggle drugs into Indonesia. There seems to be an overall lack of sympathy against Sandiford in the UK – with many suggesting she is getting what she deserved for her act. She is not the first foreigner to be on death row for drug-related offences, in March 2014 a man from Malawi was also executed for drug offences.

It is also worth considering the damage the drugs would have done to the people of Indonesia. Everyone is aware that drugs have a detrimental effect – they can even sometimes lead to death. Many have zero sympathy with Sandiford – it is hard to when you are the master of your own downfall. After numerous appeals were rejected, time appears to be running out for Sandiford.

But of course it is only fair to review the other side of the story. Sandiford claims she was coerced into smuggling the drugs, with her family threatened if she didn’t co-operate. Met with original scepticism, she received a boost when in court a lecturer from the University of Kent revealed that she would be the ideal target for drug smugglers given her age and mental issues. Sandiford also co-operated with the Indonesia authorities – leading to other arrests being made in connection. It is also apparent that the death sentence is the maximum punishment for the act. It could be argued it is far more reasonable for her to be given a lengthy sentence, as opposed to the death penalty.

Overall, this case is a difficult one to analyse. Of course everyone is aware of the harsh drug laws in place in Indonesia – Sandiford must have been aware of this when she attempted to smuggle the drugs. But the question is over whether she meant it, or if she was indeed coerced, manipulated if you will, into doing it. However this seems highly doubtful. That is the standard defence of any criminal caught trying to smuggle drugs. Time is running out for Sandiford – but she only has herself to blame.

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R.I.P: Peter Kassig’s full letter to Parents

In sad news, Peter Edward Kassig has been murdered by ISIL militants. He is the fifth Western hostage to have been killed by ISIL, as they continue to murder thousands in acts of depravity and pure evil. Kassig was captured in October 2013, being held for thirteen months. It truly is sickening, that  a man that went to Syria to try and help those affected by conflict, has been murdered for his actions. It once again shows that ISIL have no heart, their acts are evil. Hopefully one day they will be stopped.

Kassig sent a letter to his parents via a released prisoner. Here is the full letter:

It is desperately sad to read the letter. Kassig sounds like he is almost resigned to his fate. It is near-unimaginable what he and his fellow hostages went through in their captivity. Yet ISIL maintain they are doing the world a favour. But their acts, reminiscent of the medieval ages, will hopefully be stopped.

It is also sad for the parents, as well as Kassig’s friends. The parents will not have their son with them ever again, they will be constantly reminded of what their son had to go through. It simply isn’t fair on them. We can only hope that in time ISIL will be defeated, and that his death wasn’t for nothing. It is the fifth time that a western hostage has been brutally murdered by ISIL in recent months, hopefully they are also resting in peace.

I’ll leave you with a final image, one that shows Kassig with his father. The sad thing is, when this photo as taken – seemingly at a happy time for both, no one was aware what was to come.

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