Protests

This goes back a long way, of course.

The 58 Chinese who died at Dover in 2000 had paid £20,0000 each to smuggler gangs (or maybe their families did). They flew into Europe and died in a Dutch container. They hoped to be buying a  new life.

That's obv. different to human trafficking which is based in exploitation, both in the crossing itself and in subsequent work/accomodation.

On nail techs; you can get a working visa as a salon manager though not as a tech.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_lorry_deaths

Read the post properly - no conflation.

And despite your glib attempt at a joke - I am indeed completely exhausted by this debate and the lack of human empathy people have all been influenced into. Last week was a very very dark week for me and having to see friends in such a state of panic, upset and genuine fear of entering their own town centre - in the town they born and grew up in - isn't something that will ever leave me.
So when this debate falls predictably back to people as numbers, statistics and a contribution (positive or negative) towards GDP that is something I will always disagree with. I believe we all have a responsibility and really hope people consider their perspective and begin to recognise the human story at the heart of this, but I fear that probably won't happen.

I'll leave my contribution to this thread there I think.

One possible solution on Cannabis and that is to Legalise. 

And from the taxation raised can be used for good, as maybe helping people with addiction issues and homelessness. 

Those statistics come from unverified sources associated with activists. They may be accurate but the data set and context are not available for examination. I reserve the right to be sceptical when there is a clear agenda at play.

The point still remains that those figures only relate to those who enter the asylum system not those who don't. So the full picture is unclear at best.

Do I want to see all asylum seekers to have speedy assessments and to be granted right to stay where they meet the criteria? Absolutely.

Do I believe there is a lot of trafficking and exploitation going on leading to an increase in modern slavery? Absolutely. And those caught up in that should be treated with compassion and kindness. And those caught running these horrific schemes should be arrested and condemned to sentences running into decades.

Do I also believe that there are those who are seeking to enter the country for other reasons that don't meet any of the legal tests that require the UK state to grant them right to stay or similar? Yes. And we should have swift mechanisms to return such people to their home nations.

The system is too slow, too unresponsive and open, in some cases, to manipulation.

It needs reform to serve the rights of asylum seekers as quickly and efficiently as possible. To treat victims of trafficking with the care they deserve. To ensure there are legal routes for controlled migration. And to allow for the swift removal of those who seek to exploit the system and who break our laws.

That is not going to be easy to achieve.

Wes Streeting is likely still busy checking all his twitter/X feed to delete any more tweets where he openly states about pushing a journalist and others he despises under a train.
But of course he can just apologise for such words, claim it was provocation from the writer and carry on being a minister.
Others now get two years sentences for similar threats done in same heat of the moment response and no recourse of expressing regret.
Neither are excusable but just one of the way too many examples of the same offence being dealt with and viewed differently depending on how it fits two tier kier stalin new rule of oppression.

But that would be sensible. A well regulated market (phase it in if you aren't sure how it would work) is the best way to reduce the power of the criminal gangs and all of the problems that are created by prohibition, not the substance itself, while keep people more safe, and raising tax revenue that can be used to tackle the problems of drug mis-use far more effectively. Not to mention freeing up police time and not criminalising people who, in some cases, just want something to help them cope with chronic pain or conditions such as MS. 

In the short-term I'd settle for the NHS being more sensible about prescribing cannabis derived medication. The only people who benefit from the current system are the drug gangs and the media outlets that rely on frightening their readers to drive traffic, but the latter find it harder to complain about old ladies with MS wanting pain relief, or children with severe epilepsy getting their lives back.

I think we should expect some horrific figures re:cannabis & psychosis from the states soon. The smell in Times Square is not just a bit of weed or resin; It is the thick, strong stench of skunk, linked to all sorts of mental health issues & disassociation from reality. Some of the characters we experienced were definitely in the throws of psychotic episodes, whilst the world went on around them. It would need real control if it were to be decriminalised over here.

BIB - I think that's the bit that fully persuaded me of the problem of the current ban. When alcohol was prohibited in the US, the bootleggers weren't making low alcohol beer. They were making strong spirits that too often contained dangerous levels of methanol.

If cannabis were to be legalised AND REGULATED, then just as we require labelling that shows the percentage alcohol, and a requirement that the end product doesn't include anti-freeze. It seems that there has been a bit of an arms war when it comes to the strength of cannabis that comes via criminal gangs, which isn't just about it being stronger, but about using strains that contain more of the chemicals that are linked to psychosis. And that's before we even consider the impurities.

It's not that a regulated market eliminates all health risks associated with cannabis use, but it would definitely reduce them, while also reducing the power of criminal gangs to inflict misery.

Nitrous oxide use isn't without health (and littering) problems, but I have enormous sympathy for the public health professionals trying to communicate this to a society that gave up believing public health advice on recreational drug use several decades ago.

Someone has been put in prison for knocking down a policeperson at one of the riots but we all saw on the video the guy knock down that policewoman at Manchester airport and he isn’t even on remand. When the discrepancies are there for all to see, then how can we support the system? 

Plus, some of this will (very) likely be performative; long sentences followed by (very) early release.

Kids still get wiped at 18 or 3 years after conviction, depending.