Like many British people, I have an economic migrant in my family tree. My maternal grandfather came to London in the 1920s from a poor Swiss village and found work as a waiter. His descendants have become nurses, engineers, scientists, businessmen and women. I would gladly offer a home to a refugee, or migrant, family or young person. Perhaps Yvette Cooper, or better still the British Red Cross, could start a list of potential hosts?
However, this is not just a European problem. It is, or should be, the most important issue addressed by the United Nations. People do not want to leave their home countries unless they really cannot survive there, whether it be because of war or dire poverty. In the case of Syria it is remarkable how little attention is now given by the media to the war there. What is happening to try to bring peace to the country so that work can start to restore the housing and infrastructure that would mean that its people could return if they wished? The United Nations and the Arab League must mediate.
Karen Fill
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
