It is very easy for us to rant and rave about refugees and people who shouldn't be here. Indeed, I totally get that it is wrong that people have crossed many safe countries to reach the UK and that the influx of migrants is most possibly weaponised by other countries even those that are supposed to be our allies. And no doubt some are more deserving than others.
This is fine but it does not change the humanity of the situation. It is very easy to condemn migrants as a group, but an individual migrant or a refugee is different.
When I see people on the street begging, or selling the Big Issue I always acknowledge them. Sometimes I have conversations. This year I have only knowingly had any sort of conversation with 13 homeless people, of which four were migrants three of them had arrived this year, two in buses from Europe and one flew in. The reality is most likely that those arriving by boat are a "drop in the ocean" of the total stream of migrants for whatever reason.
Let me make it clear that I am under no illusion that much migration feeds crime and black markets, especially illegal migration. I view it as a scourge that blights our society. But I also view it with humanity for individuals. It is a supreme and persistent failure of government not to have controlled this and it is now in such a state that the remedy will have to be extreme.
In the meantime we should consider the lady I spoke to selling the Big Issue in Newcastle on 6th December 2024.
The lady was selling the Big Issue. Her English was limited, but reasonable. I guess she was from Syria, but make no assumptions. She was cold and asked me for a cup of tea with three sugars and a sandwich. Now just imagine how desperate you have to be to ask for this from a total stranger. Taking these to her we chatted. She explained that she stayed with her three children in a room in Newcastle. She did not have a useable kitchen and received £7 a day. She needed a further £15 a day (the price of three Big Issues) to feed herself and her three children. I know that I could feed her family on £7 worth of food a day, but only with a functioning kitchen and a fridge. Without these pre-prepared food is the only practical alternative and this is expensive. She was freezing cold. As I handed her the tea I could feel how cold her hands were and she showed me her feet in thin sandals.
I could easily pontificate about the rights and wrongs of her situation and her journey to the UK, but here is a person in difficulty. If you feel able, when you see a homeless person or a Big Issue seller, at the very least acknowledge them. It may make you uncomfortable or you may learn something about another person.
If you can please consider a donation to Newcastle Food Bank
In the meantime listen to this:
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