Migration !

What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object ?  That seems to be the situation building in Europe where war, religious conflict and famine are sending millions fleeing across national borders and seeking refuge in the settled countries of the old world.

The exodus from Africa is particularly unsettling.  The images we see on TV of boats crammed with people standing shoulder to shoulder as they try to cross the Mediterranean are being replaced with steel merchant ships packed in similar manner, but abandoned at sea by their crew and left to proceed on auto pilot until they crash onto the receiving countries shoreline.

Of course, their refugees carry Smartphones and they call up the rescue services.  The Coast Guard comes to the rescue and these refugee ships are brought safely into port and their cargoes unloaded, processed and taken to overcrowded refugee camps.  The inflow is fast overwhelming the capacity of the nations along the Mediterranean shoreline to absorb their numbers - and there is a reluctance by those more distant to play a part in resettlement.

The tide of politics is turning and disenchanted voters are embracing new parties with a manifesto to turn back this immigration stream.  In particular, Christian Europe is in revolt against the inflow of mostly Muslims and what some see as the "Islamization "of Europe.   What were once splinter parties are gaining in strength and will probably gain the balance of power in future elections.

In earlier centuries, Americas need for settlers proved to be the safety valve for the world's unwanted. Millions passed through Ellis island and created the nation that became the pinnacle of world wealth, but today new settlers are being discouraged - and this at a time when the world population has topped seven billion.

Here in Australia we have a problem that nags the national conscience.  People smugglers were making fortunes crowding desperate people on rickety fishing boats and dumping them at Christmas island.  This flow only stopped when we enacted counter measures that included the promise that any further arrivals would never be settled in Australia.

The people smugglers tried to call our bluff and sent more boats, and those arrivals were processed offshore at Nauru and Manus island.   The message got through - and the boats stopped, but we now have miserable men, women and children in what are really detention camps with no prospects of a better life as legal Australian citizens - and the cessation of this people smuggling trade depends heavily on our keeping our promise and disallowing permanent settlement in this country for those in political limbo.

Some have given up and voluntarily returned to their original country.   Cash dividends have been offered to get others to make that decision and the ending of wars and better living conditions are lowering perceived risks, but we have a hard core that believe they will not survive if they ever again cross their old borders.

The only logical solution is to settle this remainder in another country - and Cambodia has been a suggested recipient.   Unfortunately, it is seriously third world and recovering from genocide and it is hard to see new arrivals making more than a subsistence living under the conditions that prevail.

All is not well in our resettlement camps.  As time drags and processing of refugee claims proceeds at snail's pace the refugees are resorting to self harm to try and prick a national conscience.  Relations have deteriorated with both their guards and the native population of their offshore islands and there have been riots and arson of facilities.  It is essential that we find a solution - and reach some sort of final settlement that sees these facilities closed.

Finding a formulae that fits that bill has proved elusive.  Perhaps the greatest difficulty is reaching a consensus that all the political factions can give a seal of approval !