High Peak Liberal Democrats

Tim Farron on Calais refugees: “These are bright, educated people that just want to create a life for themselves.”

While David Cameron uses demeaning language comparing them to insects, Tim Farron takes himself off to Calais to actually meet some of the refugees there. He spoke to Buzzfeed's Emily Ashton about his experiences. Here are some of the highlights:

An invitation to David Cameron

"He should go [to Calais]," said Farron of the prime minister. "I will take him. He should talk to people there and look at the reality of the situation and he should deal with the reality rather than dealing with the myth."

The idea that they are all money grabbing people seeking to claim UK benefits is rubbish

"The significant majority in the camp are, according to the French authorities and doctors, absolutely what any reasonable person would consider a refugee fleeing from war or persecution," he said.

"So this idea they are all money-grabbing people is just rubbish. I got talking to a bunch of guys from Eritrea, from Sudan, from Libya, and these are guys who wanted to come to England. Not one of them had a clue about benefits. They wanted to come to the UK because the UK represents the good life. Not that it's a bed of roses or it's cushy; I mean a life where people aren't shooting at you, where you can be free to worship where you want to worship".

"We don't get fewer losers by pitting one group against others"

Talking about a 14 year old injured trying to make the crossing into the UK, Tim said:

"So this is a situation where there aren't any winners. But we don't get fewer losers by pitting one group against others. And that 14 year-old lad's suffering is of a greater order. The suffering he's already seen and the suffering he continues to endure because he's there without parents in a fairly scary place."

A fence is not the answer

"What we're dealing with is a quadrupling in recent years in the number of people who have become refugees," Farron continued. "And you don't deal with that by putting up a higher fence at Calais or our side of the channel. The answer to that is conflict prevention, it's understanding that international development is not just morally right, it's actually enlightened self interest because if you invest properly in countries and develop them then people will stay there."

On the UKIP MEP who scaled the fence in Calais

Farron said Hookem's actions were not particularly helpful. "What he can't replicate is the desperation to do it," he said. "What he can't replicate is seeing your neighbors murdered in front of you, having to move your kids from what was a stable and happy place to a massively risky journey across the Mediterranean and maybe seeing a member of your family die on the way."

All very practical, and sensitive to the ordeal that these people have been suffering not just at Calais, but in having to flee the dangers of their homeland.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.

Comment

Andrew Creese - Derbyshire Dales

Agree with Tim Farron's views on the value of potential migrants in Calais - but shouldn't he be advocating that UK gets its immigration staff to Calais to begin assessing people?

Paul Appleby - Boston and Skegness

The problem is all 6 billion people in the world want a better life for themselves presumably, though that might take different forms. Should they all just turn up ay Dover tomorrow? If the liberals (liberal means generous and always has) cannot answer that question, we are not making it easy to convince the less generous.

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