That picture

[Walter Cronc]

I saw a page on facebook called 'Northern Ireland Calais Refugee Solidarity' that should have info of collection points.

Saw that myself and while not wanting to undermine what the people in Calais are going through I would prefer if my money could somehow reach the people crossing the Med.

The sad reality is that poor men, women and children are paying a small fortune of whatever savings they have to board these makeshift vessels.

They could start with stopping these traffickers but again how do you you police thousands of miles of coastline!

Is the role of the Irish Navy to intercept boats or just respond to distress signals??

The might of the British Navy with their warships lying dormant. Shame on Cameron!

Heart breaking situation!!

[Hereiam]

Totally agree. Ireland should be seen to buck the trend and take these people in. Don't forget approx. 8 million people use to live on this island.

[muppet]

Many before have posted my exact feelings on this terrible picture. I am sickened and saddened by many of my fellow countrymen who would still say "not my problem". It is all our problems. What can we do though. If  our government asked me to help house a child from Syria I would do it, but they wont ask. I feel helpless to help. My greatest disgust is for Fine Gael on this. I always though we Irish were special, we had suffered brutality, famine, persecution, mass emigration etc. In poorer times people would always helped others. Now it seems in the fastest growing economy in Europe we will hide behind the official line from Europe. We should abandon this failed disgusting & greedy European project and do what we can to help as many as we can. If Kenny had even one ball he would tell our naval ship to redirect to an Irish port with the next refugees they pick up until we have 10, 000 here. What would america be like today if the Irish on Coffin ships were turned away. It is really maddening.

One final point, anyone using the term "migrant" should get a kick in the nuts. These are in the vast majority Refugees fleeing a terrible warzone.

The USA did turn away coffin ships. But that is neither here nor there, I agree with the vast majority of your post.

But rather than scoring points against any party, and thus making it political, and politics is a major part of all of these problems in the first place, we should be petition all parties and giving them an incorruptible, unambiguous message that we want them ALL to work on our behalves to help those children.

[mylestheslasher]

Many before have posted my exact feelings on this terrible picture. I am sickened and saddened by many of my fellow countrymen who would still say "not my problem". It is all our problems. What can we do though. If  our government asked me to help house a child from Syria I would do it, but they wont ask. I feel helpless to help. My greatest disgust is for Fine Gael on this. I always though we Irish were special, we had suffered brutality, famine, persecution, mass emigration etc. In poorer times people would always helped others. Now it seems in the fastest growing economy in Europe we will hide behind the official line from Europe. We should abandon this failed disgusting & greedy European project and do what we can to help as many as we can. If Kenny had even one ball he would tell our naval ship to redirect to an Irish port with the next refugees they pick up until we have 10, 000 here. What would america be like today if the Irish on Coffin ships were turned away. It is really maddening.

One final point, anyone using the term "migrant" should get a kick in the nuts. These are in the vast majority Refugees fleeing a terrible warzone.

The USA did turn away coffin ships. But that is neither here nor there, I agree with the vast majority of your post.

But rather than scoring points against any party, and thus making it political, and politics is a major part of all of these problems in the first place, we should be petition all parties and giving them an incorruptible, unambiguous message that we want them ALL to work on our behalves to help those children.

Its not about being party political. The government of this country is Fine Gaels with a small smattering of Labour. It is them that we need to tell. You can tell the other parties as well, no issue with that, but that will get nothing done. We have already seen the FG inaction for Gaza so I expect more of the same. The point is our leader is a skivy for the real leaders in Europe as sad as that is. If he had an ounce of courage he would do what I said with our own ships and do what is right - simple as that.

[AZOffaly]

But isn't Angela Merkel calling for us to do more, so if he's not listening to her, then it's more than that.

[mylestheslasher]

But isn't Angela Merkel calling for us to do more, so if he's not listening to her, then it's more than that.

Maybe that is so. Whatever way you look at it our government can make a decision to do the right thing with or without German permission. Why don't they given our own history?

[haveaharp]

Probably naive but would a solution be to take them in on a 2 or 3 year visa. Let a coalition of the governments who caused this crisis go in and remove ISIS and Assad and set up a proper government in Syria, rather than this policy of containment. When the problem is solved they can go back to Syria. Simplistic but would possibly go some way to satisfy the Syrians as refugees and the Europeans that simply don't want any more immigration.

[AZOffaly]

But isn't Angela Merkel calling for us to do more, so if he's not listening to her, then it's more than that.

Maybe that is so. Whatever way you look at it our government can make a decision to do the right thing with or without German permission. Why don't they given our own history?

Yeah, I think we can take more than 600 or whatever it is that we have apparently taken. These poor people are not economic migrants, they are families trying to give themselves a chance at life. It's horrific really.

[Eamonnca1]

[Declan]

https://uplift.ie/refugee-crisis/

[armaghniac]

Probably naive but would a solution be to take them in on a 2 or 3 year visa. Let a coalition of the governments who caused this crisis go in and remove ISIS and Assad and set up a proper government in Syria, rather than this policy of containment. When the problem is solved they can go back to Syria. Simplistic but would possibly go some way to satisfy the Syrians as refugees and the Europeans that simply don't want any more immigration.

Governments are no more willing to have their armies die fighting in Syria than they are to take refugees and some of the governments stilling the pot in Syria e.g. Russia, have not taken refugees. In any case the record of western intervention isn't great, a lot of these boat people are from Afghanistan or Iraq.

The whole thing is complex. Ireland will takes its share and have said so, not every other country will. But even if some scheme is devised, will there be any real mechanism to ensure that people taken in by one country stay there and don't all go to some other place?

[BennyCake]

While it's a sad sight, I take it all with a pinch of salt. I'm sure similar things happen week in week out. I think it's all a ploy to go into Syria, Libya, Turkey etc, and sort out these bad IS boyos, and while they're at it, blow the shite out of the place, set up camp, steal their oil... You know, the usual.

I've seen photos and I guarantee a lot of them are faked. Don't underestimate the mass medias role in brainwashing the public, in order to gain support for more wars.

[stew]

These people need taken care of, they need help now, f**k politics. simply put countries need to do everything they can to save human lives and we can all worry what to do with them after they are safe, fed and have a roof over their heads.

[omaghjoe]

While it's a sad sight, I take it all with a pinch of salt. I'm sure similar things happen week in week out. I think it's all a ploy to go into Syria, Libya, Turkey etc, and sort out these bad IS boyos, and while they're at it, blow the shite out of the place, set up camp, steal their oil... You know, the usual.

I've seen photos and I guarantee a lot of them are faked. Don't underestimate the mass medias role in brainwashing the public, in order to gain support for more wars.

Not sure who your talking about, but no country in their right mind would fancy taking on would of the most formidable militaries in the NATO

[beer baron]

These people need taken care of, they need help now, f**k politics. simply put countries need to do everything they can to save human lives and we can all worry what to do with them after they are safe, fed and have a roof over their heads.

Exactly.