26/12/2014
A sombre thought for Boxing Day arises from a contrast between two photographs (above and below), arising from two separate stories,
here and
here. The first (above) comes from the
Guardian which reports on the "shameful" conditions in the Calais camps, where desperate migrants await their chance to escape to the United Kingdom.
The other picture comes via the
Mail depicting the conditions of Syrian refugees in camps on the border with Turkey, in the fourth year of conflict in that region.
Vincent Cochetel from the UNHCR now believes conditions in Calais are worse than those at refugee camps in Turkey. And, if there is certain hyperbole in this statement, he's still not far wrong.
It is also fair to say that the international reactions to both situations have been inadequate. Western governments have, by and large, been slow in offering aid, and have not in any way responded to the scale of the problems.
International agencies, and especially the EU, have been weak and indecisive, offering neither sufficient support nor leadership in dealing with problems which are set to get worse over the coming year.
As far as Calais goes, though, past experience has shown that as fast as the camps are torn down, and their denizens dispersed by the police, they re-emerge, Until we address the root problems, it will everbe thus.
Perhaps, this year, we will see public and politicians waking up to the scale of this humanitarian disaster, with a resolve to do something constructive to abate the suffering of those caught up in events bigger than themselves, treating them as victims rather than criminals.
For that, of course, we are going to need rational thinking. Yet Mr Cameron's tentative steps are not sufficient, Mr Miliband isn't even beginning to think about the issues, and Mr Farage's Army has taken leave of absence, when it comes to intelligent solutions.
Yet, in an election year, this issue isn't going to go away. We're going to see more pictures like those above, and people are going to be demanding answers. So far, none of the politicians have stepped up to the plate, so the first to react intelligently may have a considerable impact.
Whether indeed they are capable of doing that is something else. I suspect, we're going to find out in the coming year.
