Wiggles and Bulgy
The Adventures of the Coast Patrol.
The final dilemma in this section is the plight of illegal immigrants. With the report of a fishing boat laden with people approaching the coast, Wiggles, Bulgy and Dickie scramble to check it out. Sure enough, there’s the boat with people crowded on the decks. Bulgy fires some warning shots, but some of the bullets hit the boat by accident, although Bulgy would like to sink a few of these vessels to send a message against attempting such a dangerous trip.
Wiggles radios the Hammerblow to tow the boat back out to sea until Dickie spots a message coming from it – SOS. Wiggles immediately radios the Hammerblow again to warn them that the boat might be sinking. The navy is under orders not to go to the assistance of such vessels and as Wiggles and the boys fly back to base, the Hammerblow also sets course for home.
Nothing is heard of the illegal immigrants.
The only answer to this dilemma which I can think of is to solve the problems which affect the country of origin so that people are less enticed to risk their lives on a venture which may see them sent back where they came from if they survive the voyage or disappear at sea if they don’t. Unfortunately, this may not be a workable solution for political reasons especially when the migrants may not just be departing for economic reasons but are also leaving behind a repressive regime whether it’s repressed them directly or not.
I can understand why governments don’t want any Tom, Dick or Harry wandering into their country, although I don’t believe that all migrants are all a bunch of rogues and scoundrels. In addition, the current economic crisis means that migrants are going to be even less welcome than before. The problem in the story is that while the migrants might not be a the responsibility of a country where they are beyond its jurisdiction, turning them away is decidedly unethical. The response – prevention is better than arrival – seems utilitarian.
I’ve also thought that if economic migrants really knew what sort of reception they’d get, say, in the UK, they wouldn’t even bother. My suspicion is that people choose a country on the basis of what they believe about it rather than what they actually know about it, the former being singularly at odds with the latter.
Wiggles radios the Hammerblow to tow the boat back out to sea until Dickie spots a message coming from it – SOS. Wiggles immediately radios the Hammerblow again to warn them that the boat might be sinking. The navy is under orders not to go to the assistance of such vessels and as Wiggles and the boys fly back to base, the Hammerblow also sets course for home.
Nothing is heard of the illegal immigrants.
The only answer to this dilemma which I can think of is to solve the problems which affect the country of origin so that people are less enticed to risk their lives on a venture which may see them sent back where they came from if they survive the voyage or disappear at sea if they don’t. Unfortunately, this may not be a workable solution for political reasons especially when the migrants may not just be departing for economic reasons but are also leaving behind a repressive regime whether it’s repressed them directly or not.
I can understand why governments don’t want any Tom, Dick or Harry wandering into their country, although I don’t believe that all migrants are all a bunch of rogues and scoundrels. In addition, the current economic crisis means that migrants are going to be even less welcome than before. The problem in the story is that while the migrants might not be a the responsibility of a country where they are beyond its jurisdiction, turning them away is decidedly unethical. The response – prevention is better than arrival – seems utilitarian.
I’ve also thought that if economic migrants really knew what sort of reception they’d get, say, in the UK, they wouldn’t even bother. My suspicion is that people choose a country on the basis of what they believe about it rather than what they actually know about it, the former being singularly at odds with the latter.
After that brief and inadequate discussion of the matter, we’re off to Relatavia tomorrow with a tale about the Baldies of Hairland.
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