DraytonBoy

I understand the 'why' but don't agree with the 'how'. This type of power should only be used in times of real crisis such as a war, you have to take the public with you if want to pass controversial legislation not force it through regardless.

It's interesting that people have widely different feelings about immigration. The aftermath of Brexit and Covid has meant fewer EU working migrants in UK which has led to pleas from the agriculture industry, healthcare and hospitality for immigration rules to be relaxed, yesterday job vacancies number whilst showing a slight fall is still historically very high which is affecting the economy. At the same time, there is a growing clamour (fuelled by the media) for action on the 'small boats' crossing the Channel daily which is why the government is introducing their daft legislation. Clearly some on here agree that the government need to act and act fast. One of the ironies for me is that no one is complaining about the 160K Ukrainian refugees now in the UK many of whom could well settle permanently, could the colour of their skin be a factor? Ultimately the UK needs immigrants and I've no doubt that many migrants sitting in hotels at the taxpayers expense could work and actually want to work but unfortunately the asylum processing system is broken and fixing that is the starting point to properly controlling immigration.

Given her vast experience she could and should have handled things better so given the backlash against her comments she had little choice other than to stand down from her role with Refuge.

She's referring to the huge number of young Albanian men coming across in boats from France, they've been recruited by the drug gangs that have taken over the supply of hard drugs in the UK.

It's all about IR35 tax legislation which is bloody complicated so a decent tax accountant is needed, any self employed individual such as a freelancer or contractor (be they Gary Lineker or someone earning vastly less) needs to be careful not to snared by this nasty piece of legislation which the government admits needs changing.

He's appealed it which is his and everyone else's right, if you look at similar appeals by other well known tv personalities you'll see that they were all successful which shows that HMRC has probably got Lineker's tax demand wrong as well.

Lineker has been vocal about the plight of migrants for some time and has housed people arriving from Ukraine so this is not some 'stunt'.

If Lineker had broken his contract/agreement with the BBC then they would have said so and we wouldn't be having this discussion. Regardless of whether you agree with what he said or not his removal from presenting MOTD is an attempt to silence him by the government/Tory MP's and there is now a massive backlash that won't die down anytime soon. As for the idea that you simply cure the 'small boat' problem by scooping them up and dumping back in France, what can I say except - it's against international law, it's dangerous, it's morally wrong, it will worsen the relationship between France and the UK etc, etc. Any more simplistic and daft ideas?

Really? I'm fully aware of the 0000's of migrants that arrive across the France/Italy border and that the French government's current policy is to simply return them but legally the government is doing nothing wrong according to EU regulations. Is it morally right probably not but that is a separate issue to Lineker's tweet. This furore is about freedom of speech not an individual country's immigration policy.

Even if you ignore the 10 million who follow him on social media he has found support across the political spectrum, within television, the general public and even from relatives of Holocaust survivors. The BBC have royally screwed up here with their hypocrisy and deference to the government.

The UK government spends £7 million a day keeping asylum seekers in hotels etc because the asylum processing system is an absolute mess with over 150K waiting for their cases to be dealt with, do you think that's a good use of taxpayers money? Lineker made a comment about the language used by the government over the 'small boats' issue and likened that to what was being said in Germany in the 1930's, he is spot on and millions agree with him in the UK.

But he's right in what he said however crude and the fact that he's been taken off air shows how controlling the current UK government is unless you believe the decision wasn't influenced by them.

I just don't see why the work 'toxicity' here (if it exists) would be any different to other countries, our kids certainly haven't mentioned it and I would guess overall they have worked for around 20 businesses/organisations between them since the eldest started work ten years ago. They have to work hard but in comparison to say the US their working lives are a doddle. I'll agree to a point about the education system which seems to be stuck in the past, I think this is down to the national psyche enforced from birth that the French way is always the best so why change which permeates society in general.

Workers in the UK and Denmark will retire at 67 with the latter raising that to 68 by 2030, those workers also suffer burnout so it doesn't only apply to workers here. Is it right, probably not but it's where we are in 2023 so without change the country is screwed and the sooner people realise that the better. Go back 50 years life expectancy was so much lower that the notional retirement age didn't matter as many didn't even make it to that age, now though the majority are predicted to live way beyond retirement age so somehow the extra pension cost has to be funded and making people work longer is currently the only viable answer.

My extended family has a growing number of dementia sufferers and the symptoms and the effects on the individual and people around them vary enormously. Best case is wife's 86 year old uncle in a care home who is blissfully unaware of everything and seems happier now than he ever was, worst case is an aunt who only exhibits anger because she can't remember things and her inner turmoil causes violent outbursts which in turn creates hell for her carer husband.