Tim went to a refugee centre in Paris to film his Christmas message. He asks what we would want other countries to do if we were a war-torn country. How would we want them to treat us and our children?
He says: “I am not at all squeamish about patriotism” before urging liberals to reclaim the language of national pride by reminding people that British values have long been about openness, tolerance and unity.
He says of the children he met on a visit just before Christmas: “They are fleeing torture and have seen some terrible things.” It is precisely Britain’s reputation for generosity of spirit, he adds, that draws these children towards our shores.
Acknowledging it would have been easy to film his message by “a Christmas tree in Westminster”, he concludes: “Let us hope in 2017 we can be true to our British values and proud of our country.”
Follow @LibDemVoice on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
The growing importance of housing to Lib Dems
Dobie Gray: Out on the Floor
Immoral and wrong
So, about the local politics...
Getting things done - Rockfield Crescent #dundeewestend
Let them eat cake
Michael Kilpatrick
Tim Rogers
James Fowler
Peter Martin
10 Comments
Tim
You do not need to feel like you have to crow -bar, the expression used here, the story of the nativity , the similarity with all refugee situations is a very definite and sensible comparison.
This is a good message from someone a much loved protagonist of the story
The season of goodwill to all.
And our party is a part of that .
Nick , not quite a saint, Nicholas, in our parties eyes after the coalition, but popular on Brexit .
Our very own ghost of Christmas past , would not be someone long past , so , how about , Lord Ashdown or Baroness Williams , never too past ,to also compete for a present , tense, and benefitting from much wisdom they offer.
Bob Cratchit , a man hard at work , unassuming , Dick , Newby !
Scrooge , who could that be , someone who works with all the above and those below. Lord Greaves ! Ever one to cry “humbug !”
There at the heart of the story . Our very own, Tiny Tim . We wish him well, I am sure.
In the words of his we share in , ” God bless us everyone !”
Brilliant message, well done Tim!
Perhaps by next year Tim will be able to film a similar message from a refugee welcome centre in Cumbria. As yet there is still not a single refugee or asylum seeker in the entire county, though they are proposing to take a handful in the Spring. Not good enough.
Christmas Past includes the smell of mulled wine drifting across Wenceslas Square, where a mass rally had persuaded the Communists to give up power without violence in the “Velvet Revolution”. They had learned from Romania. I had taken a day trip from Gatwick. The cemetery in the Jewish ghetto was depressingly overcrowded with tombstones.
In Romania there had been a revolutionary coup by communists. President Caesescu and his wife had been shot by a firing squad after a brief trial on December 25. This was not Christmas Day in Romania because the Romanian communists were hardline atheists and Orthodox countries operate on a different calendar from us.
THANKYOU SO, SO MUCH TIM : )
Any Libs wince at Tim’s use of the phrase
‘British values’?
At least the leader seems to think the phrase has an inherent meaning of which one might be proud. I’m not sure how much of the membership he carries with him on this issue though.
I hope that by next Christmas he will have visited Gaza or at least the occupied territories of Palestine to witness what little children have been suffering for decades. Bereavement physical and psychological injury and constant malnutrition and deprivation.
All because our government dances to the tune of Israel’s government.
Wake up and smell the coffee Tim.
By the way, most refugees I have come across want to come here because if they have learned any foreign language at all or will be English. It is not just those ‘values’ everyone likes to boast about.
Happy Christmas everyone.
English also bring the primary language of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand course. Perhaps its more to fo with the ease of getting here thanks to the spineless E.U. and the fact that they will be treated better in the U.K. than most other countries.
The law says they should claim asylum in the first safe country, they haven’t, thereby proving themselves to be unwilling to follow the rule of law.
Not the sort of people we need in this country.
Why did Tim Farron record his message in Paris?
France is not a war torn, state with oppression and torture. The so-called asylum seekers there who are waiting to come to the UK are economic migrants.
Asylum seekers are supposed to ask for asylum in the first nation they land in so why were they at Calais wanting to come here, and why are they even in Paris for that matter, they have clearly travelled through safe nations not at war to get there.