My In/Out Diary - Pimp My Refugees

My In/Out  Diaries  - over the next few weeks I will be publishing short articles about events in my life or the world of politics which influence  how I might vote in the EU referendum. Depending on what’s happening I might supplement the diaries with short videos too. I am beginning this journey with a strong sympathy for Brexit and a potty mouth too.

Entry 2 Pimp My Refugees

Because  EU member states can’t agree amongst themselves about what to do with the refugees arriving in Greece they have decided to pimp-out the problem to Turkey. According to reports Turkey will accept back returned refugees, who have made the hazardous  sea crossing to Greece,  but  who Greek authorities  judge to be illegitimate. The returned “illegitimate” refugees will then be replaced on a one for one basis with refugees housed in Turkish  camps who have been assessed as being “legitimate” refugees.

With a bribe reported to be £4.6 billion and other sweeteners including  the abolition of visa restrictions on Turks visiting the EU lifted by this summer,  and the brining forward of negotiations about Turkish accession to the EU, the deal looks almost sealed.

But not everyone is happy. Questions are being asked about why the EU seeks to admit into membership a country which has an appalling record on human rights abuse. A country which just last week raided and seized ownership of  the largest national daily newspaper in the country  because it was critical of the Government. Considering the EUs requirement that all of its member states uphold the democratic rights of their citizens, this promise fast-track Turkish membership talks is fucking hypocritical to say the least. And what about those men, women and children who, under the new arrangements, are returned from Greece to Turkey?  Well many charities working with refugees have already said that, bearing in in mind Turkey’s worrying  record on human rights,  they fear greatly for the welfare and safety of those unfortunate enough to be in this position.

Even the United Nations High Commission for Refugees is opposed to the  EU-Turkey deal. It has expressed concerns about  how the return of some refugees from Greece to Turkey might breach United Nations rules. It has also strongly criticised the EU for its “ collective failure to implement the measures agreed by Member States in the past” and believes that the current  refugee crisis could have been avoided had  the member states worked together more co-operatively.

Virtually everyone agrees that the refugee crisis is the biggest test ever of the EUs effectiveness and its ability to manage major continent-wide problems. Virtually everyone agrees that so-far the EU has failed abysmally in dealing with this issue. Instead of providing a strong collective leadership the EU has collapsed and fragmented into confusion and disarray, choosing instead to pimp out the management of the  refugee crisis to a state with highly questionable credentials, in exchange for a fucking massive bribe and a promise of fast-track EU membership. I don’t think I want to by to part of such an unprincipled organisation.

In my opinion these shameful hypocritical actions hardly generate confidence in the ability of the EU leadership to manage and resolve serious difficulties. With such fundamental weaknesses now exposed for all to see is these really any point in remaining within an organisation as flawed and unfit for purpose as the EU?