Gary Lineker

[Lancasterclaret]

As i said if they are happy to trek across europe they aren't in need of asylum

I'm sure you think that is a great point

Care to tell me what % of refugees in Europe try to get to the UK?

I assume you know as you seem very confident about your position

[Nori1958]

Pre 2016 that would count

Now it does not

And this is the thing, the very basic start of all asylum applications is that you don't need to apply for asylum in the first country you come to

If you don't understand that, then this conversation is not for you

Well the government were certainly using the first country argument the other day, perhaps people are basing their argument on that, no need to be rude.

[MrTopTier]

Is France no longer a safe a country and all the others they crossed to get here

The 1951 Refugee Convention does not require a person to claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.

[Rowls]

I'd like to put on record that I'm certainly a better footballer than Rowls

Lol.

It might be true, but what evidence do you have to believe it?

[Chobulous]

As I posted earlier, GL is and always should be entitled to voice his opinion. The argument that he is employed by the BBC and therefore should be impartial is totally spurious because his platform was Twitter, not the BBC. He is also correct IMO in saying that the language being used by the Home Secretary is veering towards the dangerous, when talking about swarms etc. It is dehumanising, which is exactly what actually some people would think about some immigrants, you know, the wrong sort (not blond haired and blue eyed).
The people we are talking about have faced tremendous hardship and persecution and are looking for a better future and as a country we should be doing everything we can to assist them, but it has to be safe and it has to be legal. We have, first and foremost, find ways to stop them from attempting the highly perilous channel crossings. Why is it that they have to take such risks when they have already passed through several safe countries? We need to work with the EU to firstly, assess the validity of asylum claims and then work out some sort of quota system so that these unfortunate people can be resettled throughout safe areas in the UK and continental Europe.

[Stayingup]

How do you know they are illegal?

No human being is ‘illegal.’

Because they arrive here illegally as defined by our laws.

[Rowls]

Here's a question to those who believe that Lineker should be allowed to say whatever he likes.

Did you support the decision to sack Jake Hepple?

[Lancasterclaret]

Because they arrive here illegally as defined by our laws.

But they can't arrive legally

See my previous post

[MrTopTier]

I'd like to put on record that I'm certainly a better footballer than Rowls, but not a better footballer than Lineker

Maybe one day, we could organise a football match with you and Rowls as team captains, to settle that argument

[Lancasterclaret]

Maybe one day, we could organise a football match with you and Rowls as team captains, to settle that argument

He can be on my team, and I'll tell him to play left wing just to mess with his mind

[Rowls]

He can be on my team, and I'll tell him to play left wing just to mess with his mind

What happened? I read something and fell off my office chair???

[Stayingup]

But they can't arrive legally

See my previous post

That was not the question.

How did the Hong Kongers and Ukrainians get here then?

[Lancasterclaret]

That was not the question.

How did the Hong Kongers and Ukrainians get here then?

Because there are specific schemes set up for them