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Daily Mail

ChrisJC

Well-known member
Roger W said:
This thread does seem to be doing its best to draw people's attention to what is appearing in a certain publication.

I'm sure this isn't what Rhys had in mind when he made that initial post...  :)

More irony!  :clap:

Chris.
 

Hughie

Active member
ChrisJC said:
Roger W said:
This thread does seem to be doing its best to draw people's attention to what is appearing in a certain publication.

I'm sure this isn't what Rhys had in mind when he made that initial post...  :)

More irony!  :clap:

Chris.

+1 indeed.

I dont bother clicking on either Daily Mail or Guardian links/websites. Imo they're both as bad as each other (in different ways) and equally annoying. Old age must bring intolerance - even the local rag is starting to piss me off.
 

Alex

Well-known member
I thought it was the past tense for what women do, or what I am forced to do "rarely".
 

graham

New member
Given that our local MoS journo doesn't really get on with Mr Pride, I wonder what he'll make of this little gem.

And for those of you who don't want to favour that blog with hits, here is the link to the Google webcache copy of the original forum which has now, quite understandably, been taken down.
 

owd git

Active member
A rastafarian has taken over my local corner shop. I went in yesterday and he leant over the counter and whispered.
"Hey man, you wanna buy some shit?"
I looked around to make sure no one else could hear.
"Eh, sure what have you got?" I asked.
And he said,
"The Daily Mail."

Courtesy of Sickipedia.
 

graham

New member
Didn't really want to start another thread but although this is about the Daily Express rather than the Mail, the sentiments are almost certainly shared by both. It is also rather important that points like like this are shared, given George Osborne's recent critical attacks on charities and the tories' declaration that they want to squash our human rights

The following letter has been written to the Editor of the Daily Express, the reasons why are obvious. The editor is refusing to print it, so I feel it rather important that it gets an airing elsewhere:


Dear Sir,

The stream of aggressive stories about asylum seekers appearing in this paper in recent days is of serious concern to all of us who work with and support people fleeing persecution.

Your readers would be forgiven for thinking the UK is being flooded by asylum seekers. This couldn?t be further from the truth, with asylum applications around the 23,000 mark a year the UK is home to less than 1 per cent of the world?s refugees and takes proportionately below the EU average.

To characterise the people housed in Folkestone as having a ?lovely break? by the sea that Brits would be envious of is hugely misleading and dangerous.

Asylum seekers are people who have often fled horrifying experiences in their home countries. Some have been raped. Some have been tortured. Many have witnessed the death of a loved one. Be assured, people who have suffered extreme trauma and whose lives are hanging in the balance will not be focusing on the sea view of temporary room.

There are no refugee visas available for people fleeing persecution. The fact that people are forced to travel clandestinely is recognised within the Refugee Convention and British Law. Entering Britain illegally can be a necessity; it is not an indication of the validity of someone?s asylum claim.

Additionally, appealing a refusal does not indicate someone cheating the system. Decisions on asylum claims can be life or death and the appeal overturn rate shows the Government frequently gets it wrong the first time.

Stirring up hostility against asylum seekers is as unwelcome as it is unsavoury in a country with a proud tradition of protecting refugees.

Maurice Wren, Chief Executive, Refugee Council

Mike Adamson, Acting Chief Executive, British Red Cross

Dave Garratt, Chief Executive, Refugee Action
 

bagpuss

Member
Spot on ^ The view I always take is that if my family were at risk I would do anything in my power to protect them including seeking a safe haven. The stories behind people seeking safe haven are incredibly shocking, and if the people passing comment in paper such as the wail/express took time to read/speak to/understand them they might think twice before passing judgement.
 

Alex

Well-known member
Well Graham, we certainly dont agree on things caving related but at least we can agree on this. I certainly would not want to be in their shoes and I can completly understand why they come here, if I were in there shoes I know I would be doing the exct same thing.
 

ChrisJC

Well-known member
All that said, I wonder about two things:
1. If a refugee is trying to save his family by reaching a safe haven, why has he passed through western europe to reach the UK?, Is France not a safe haven?
2. The figures given by the letter writers are guilty of selective statistics. The UK might be home to less than 1% of the worlds refugees, but our population is about 1% of the worlds total. So you must keep things in perspective.

Chris.
 

graham

New member
Chris

1. According to this BBC piece, France has roughly twice the number of asylum seekers as does the UK.  At first view, this is rather surprising given that English is more widely spoken throughout the world than is French and I would expect being understood is a rather important criterion for choosing where to go. However, given that Syria, which was under French mandate after WW1, is currently the major country of origin, it becomes less so. Interestingly, Germany takes more than us and France combined.

2. France, again, has a population of about 66.6 million, compared to our 64.1 million so they have taken more than twice the 'share' that we have.

I researched this in less that two minutes using that marvellous tool the internet. You could have done the same.

Have a nice evening. :)
 

RobinGriffiths

Well-known member
jimbo_loony.jpg
 

graham

New member
I am very disappointed that nobody has taken a shot at the mathematical open goal that I left. It means my witty reposte will be completely wasted.
 

David Rose

Active member
Many of you know I work mainly for the Mail on Sunday, so you are free to disregard this comment. But I still don't get why this seemingly endless, tedious thread is on a caving forum. But don't let me stop you.
 

Spike

New member
I thought about it*, but then I remembered reading somewhere that arguing over statistics is pointless 85% of the time...

Largely as people tend to pick the statistics they like which you were both doing, and everyone with a political point to push will continue to do so. 

S'human nature I suppose...


*Even looked at the BBC report to check the numbers but they're only there as a graph
 
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