should we have a banner at St James Park?

[Hants_red]

Potentially one of the new refugees could become our new and needed left back. Let's get this banner in place for the Hartlepool game.

 

[Grecian2K]

Potentially one of the new refugees could become our new and needed left back. Let's get this banner in place for the Hartlepool game.

Quite right Hants. We need something to keep all these pesky "right wingers" quiet!!!

 

[Antony Moxey]

Potentially one of the new refugees could become our new and needed left back. Let's get this banner in place for the Hartlepool game.

Let's not.

If you want to house someone personally then go ahead, however I'm not sure what a banner will achieve - I don't think it will be our decision how many refugees are accepted into Britain, nor do I think the British people will have a say as to how and where they will be allocated accommodation within the country's borders.

Seems to me it's little more than bandwagon jumping as well as being utterly pointless too - I doubt it'll get much, if any, media coverage, and certainly not enough that any refugees will actually see it to know they're welcome here.

 

[Terryhall]

The problem with your proposition Terry, is that if I simply say 'No', I am immediately branded un-caring or a racist. If I offer an opinion, I am at least entitled to explain the basis for it, although I realise that in the eyes of those that have agendas to satisfy they will still consider me uncaring and racist whatever justification I offer.

I hadn't intended it to come across that way - the same basic question applies across the board to the elderly, orphans, any group of people needing help you care to name. In any given situation, for me personally it always boils down to that question, and then anything else is exactly as you described it - a justification.

I don't think that makes you uncaring and certainly not racist - I guess everyone's hurdle of "I can't sit by and watch that happen" is in a different place, nothing wrong with that.

What I was trying to say with my post that all the posting of "you're wrong because" and "what about this that the other" is missing the point as it is debating the justification (which is subjective and personal and therefore cannot really be debated) rather than the actual decision (which is binary and objective and can be.)

 

[Strongbow]

The civil war in Syria has been going on for years... All a banner would prove is that you only care now because the media have told you to.

Bandwagon jumping is exactly what it is.

 

[tavyred]

Continental style politicised fan culture seems to be attractive to some for some reason. Football in this country has always been about the working 'man' spending an all to brief time away from the day to day stresses and the thought of a bunch of over earnest lefties poncing about the Big Bank with a meaningless banner is laughable.

 

[WXF]

Football in this country has always been about the working 'man' spending an all to brief time away from the day to day stresses

I thought football in this City was about people coming together in mutual benefit, but may have dreamt it.

 

[Red Bill]

The civil war in Syria has been going on for years... All a banner would prove is that you only care now because the media have told you to.

Bandwagon jumping is exactly what it is.

I thought the purpose of the media was to bring events happening in the world to the attention of others. I'm guessing that none of us on here have actually been to Syria and neighbouring countries or for that matter Calais recently, so its unlikely that any of us would have known the about the situation of these refugees without it having been reported in the media. So the idea that reacting to something because you have seen it in the media is ' bandwagon jumping' is quite frankly ridiculous.

And as for the poster who talked about 'a bunch of lefties poncing about with a banner", I prefer that to a bunch of right wing nationalists poncing about waving a flag dedicated to a saint of greek and roman parentage who ironically many believe was born in Syria, which was brought to this country as the personal saint/emblem of a descendant of the Norman conquerers who didn't even speak english. The right wingers would have had both of them out of the country straight away! Coming over here, taking our thrones, smelling of foreign food!

 

[ECFC traveller]

If we are honest, if we were in the same situation as the Syrians, we would do the same, too. It would be irresponsible of parents not to try to seek a safe haven and try to make a life somewhere else. Tens of thousands of Brits emigrate every year to make a better life in another country, and they're not even under attack.

Majority crossing the ocean aren't from Syria. But places from Ghana, Nigeria and other areas. Only very few are actually genuine 'Refugee's' under the UN definition. I think the figure given in European Parliament today was 95% aren't classed as 'refugees'

 

[tavyred]

And as for the poster who talked about 'a bunch of lefties poncing about with a banner", I prefer that to a bunch of right wing nationalists poncing about waving a flag dedicated to a saint of greek and roman parentage who ironically many believe was born in Syria, which was brought to this country as the personal saint/emblem of a descendant of the Norman conquerers who didn't even speak english. The right wingers would have had both of them out of the country straight away! Coming over here, taking our thrones, smelling of foreign food!

If you want to see right wing nationalist football culture in all its full glory then it's continental Europe you need to go to of course. You sound like a bit of an internationalist lefty so any country playing another at anything probably disappoints you greatly. I don't know why you single The English out though.