Friday 7 August 2015

Duke's Migrant Hot Tub


I'm currently re-reading a biography of the Duke of Wellington. He was described by a contemporary as 'very abstemious, consuming just five or 6 glasses of wine with dinner and a pint of claret afterwards'. If that's abstemious, then the Georgians and Victorians must have been a cirrhotic lot!

Noticed how illegal immigrants are now being called 'undocumented immigrants'? I believe this term has been imported from the USA and I heard it used by the BBC the other night, but I'm at a loss as to understand why. If procedures for gaining admission to a country are not followed and you choose to smuggle yourself in through use of a lorry or walking through the Channel Tunnel, it follows that you are gaining illegal entry and are therefore an illegal immigrant. Are illegal drugs now to be termed undocumented drugs?

The current narrative from the aid agencies is that the illegals coming to Europe are so desperate that they are prepared to 'risk their lives', not that they are duped by unscrupulous traffickers and don't have an inking they are going to be loaded (or are aware of the dangers involved in being loaded) onto overcrowded, unseaworthy tubs.

This morning's sheds for beds update - it's going up like a mushroom. Windows are arriving today, but it's a moot point as to whether they or the roof tiles will get precedence. In any case, windows and roof will be on by the end of next week.


Thought we might put a hot tub in outside - we'll get two old baths, strap them together and link them to the hot tap in the cabin, or if we can get some cast iron jobs, then make a space underneath where we can light a log fire. Failing that, a couple of empty steel drums - there's no need to spend money needlessly...


2 comments:

Steve Borthwick said...

CB I noticed that little shift in the zeitgeist too! - obviously it's the "documents" that are the important thing here (not!)

A Heron's View said...

In the past I used to find it harder to get out of the UK than enter. With the wretched Border control people asking silly questions as to why I was leaving.... ! I shall no divulge here what my reply was OK.