Stop the intransigence; the UK government must help in the migrant crisis

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Matthew 25: 35-36

The image of the poor boy that drowned in Turkey should be a massive wakeup call, if the horrible events prior weren’t sobering enough. I, like many others, find it incomprehensible that our nation can stand by on the side lines and watch. This isn’t because of any lack of willpower and compassion from the British people, but rather the intransigence of the UK Government. In leading a drive for people to donate basic supplies that will be taken to Calais, my friend Rebecca Goodall in Ashbourne helps to exemplify the compassionate attitude towards the migrant crisis, an attitude shared by so many who are frustrated at our relative isolation in helping. Germany has allowed for 800,000 refugees to find shelter there, yet Yvette Cooper’s figure of 10,000 seems too far for David Cameron and company. 

This isn’t a debate over old immigrant stereotypes. It’s a call for a humanitarian intervention. The political spectrum is irrelevant in this. Most people know the parable of the Good Samaritan, but it’s still of vital importance for knowing about how we should treat one another, and how we should fight for basic human dignity. We can all be selfish in our daily lives, but it is human instinct to feel repulsed and upset at the current situation; we don’t want to walk on by. Our intuitions call for us to help and to want others to help, and old instructions still apply:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy

Proverbs 31: 8-9

I don’t intend this blog entry to be a vitriolic attack on David Cameron and the Conservatives. It’s a call for them to act. We can still play our part as a country, as so many already are. People need to join together, those with faith and those with none, and help those who are suffering. It’s a very easy choice for the UK Government; fight for decency and justice.


Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

Matthew 25:40