I was at my church’s parish council meeting, via Zoom of course, on Monday when our minister referred to the call by Sydney’s Anglican Archbishop Kanishka Raffel for the government to accept more Afghan refugees. I admit to going off a little. In part I said that it would be compassionate if the archbishop was offering his spare bedrooms for refugees instead of advocating that thousands of people of a culturally-clashing background be imposed on unsuspecting peons out there in suburbia. Silence ensued.
There is an argument for accepting Afghans employed by the Australian Army. Maybe. Particularly if they were given that understanding. Otherwise, a simple rule should apply to anyone living outside of Australia who wishes to live in Australia. Will their immigration benefit the nation and its people?
This rule would not exclude refugees or any grouping of people. Nor would it give refugees any special pass. I constantly wonder why politicians think they were elected to project their moral virtue by admitting people into the country who are likely to bring with them more costs than benefits. To echo Donald Trump, Australia must come first. And I would add, second and third before we ever get to foreigners and then, note, it’s primarily up to them to make their countries liveable. Those remaining in Afghanistan to try to do that are deserving of our support.
Brave man to speak up.
Well done.
The international refugee system – put together following WWII – is now broken.
By the time many Africans arrived here, courtesy the UN after 10-15 years in one of their camps, they were able to take holidays back to their countries of origin.
It’s no longer about a humanitarian response but a political agenda.
I thought the political “optics” of Morrison promising to take large numbers of Afghanis were simply too bad for this to be contemplated whilst 30 000 + Australians are stranded overseas. But apparently not; we’re to take 12000 or thereabouts over 12 months, probably many more by the time family reunions and sponsorships of relatives are undertaken by those who gain a foothold here.
Evidently the refugee lobbyists hold more sway in Canberra than MPs lobbying for their constituents caught up in the covid nightmare in the UK or US or elsewhere. How many of them will still be stranded overseas in 12 months if things go pear shaped on the covid front?
I loathe it when churchmen virtue signal. Because that’s all it is. And then, as night follows day, they bleat something something about the Good Samaritan.
Time was when the church itself helped the poor and needy, not called upon government to do so, outsourcing compassion and sacrificial giving ie. defraying costs.
The Samaritan gave his own money, he didn’t bot off the innkeeper. Christians are to do likewise.
Good on you for challenging the archbishop. He isn’t above a bit of pushback.
The most humane thing would be to arrange for them to go to a third country socially and culturally compatible with the one they are leaving. One where they would be able to find their way and carve out a space.
Our compassionate people think they should come here because we have such wonderful programs. But they come here bewildered and confused. They were not looking for a bloated welfare system, or a place where they can butt the floor in their mosques while most other people believe in other gods, or no gods at all. They were not looking for a place where the way they bring up their kids is treated not as the way but is repudiated in every TV show, every magazine, every movie, and every schoolyard.
But our elites, none of whom are Muslim Afghanis, think what they have is perfection, and the compassionate thing is to impose it on these goatherders. The goatherders can be used to mount their own secular political arguments. Rumour is that some of them are flesh and blood but the elites will never have to see that.
In Australia compassionate people are the most tyrannical, small minded, and self-adoring people of all.
A reminder too how many Afghanis refugees with current Australian visas were caught out living in Afghanistan as things collapsed.
Many Afghanis have family in Iran and Pakistan.
Perfect.
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Like Victoria, you mean?
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You know Samaritans are shit, because everyone was so shocked by one stopping and helping, they called him “The Good Samaritan”, presumably all the other ones would have taken the opportunity to go through your pockets and diddle with your genitals.
Like Victoria, you mean?
Why does Arky hate refugees?
They should have called him by his full name: “The Samaritan Who Didn’t Rob and Molest the Injured”.
I’d pay to see that Sermon.
“Today we will read about the only Samaritan who wouldn’t steal all your shit and play with your balls while you were indisposed”.
Poor exegesis leads to poor theology and even worse politics.
“I constantly wonder why politicians think they were elected to project their moral virtue by admitting people into the country who are likely to bring with them more costs than benefits.”
Well said Peter…..brave of you. More of us need to speak up about this and we must not be cowered by smears of “waaaaaciiiiiiiism”.
I’m reminded of a difference of opinion I had almost two years ago….at a Rosh Hashanah dinner. It was a day or two after the Four Corners episode about those Australian ISIS brides stuck in Syria…the whole programme was a crap feel good piece of spin, typical from their ABC, which tried to make out these women to be “victims”….not the willing participants they were. It was laughable. Anyway, at the dinner a woman I know well, who lives in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, spoke up about the episode and said how we need to bring them “home” and how she felt a lot of sympathy for the women and children. I looked at her with my mouth open, I was stunned…so as I am never one to hold back, I cleared my throat and in polite but firm voice I asked her where should these ISIS brides and children be settled. She said…of course….the western suburbs…so I smiled and said to her….”Really, okay then, let’s bring them back to Sydney, but not for them to be dumped out in the western suburbs, an area already struggling with high immigration levels, yes, they can come back to Sydney and they can be resettled in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, in the street and in the apartment block you live in and let’s see how that works….because don’t forget, these women have participated in and seen very ugly stuff…oh and I doubt these women are very kindly disposed to Jews. That silenced her. It’s easy to virtue signal when you don’t have to live with the consequences of that virtue signalling.
It’s easy to virtue signal when you don’t have to live with the consequences of that virtue signalling.
Last I heard the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney was being relocated from the old sandstone mansion of Bishopscourt to a $7.3m purpose built compound in inner suburban Sydney with underground garage space for 9 vehicles and all mod cons.