U.K. Mulls Housing Refugees In Oligarch Mansions

[applegrove]

U.K. Mulls Housing Refugees In Oligarch Mansions

March 14, 2022 at 2:58 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2022/03/14/u-k-mulls-housing-refugees-in-oligarch-mansions/

"SNIP......

The U.K. government is looking into the possibility of housing Ukrainian refugees in the mansions of sanctioned Russian oligarchs, Axios reports.

Said a government spokesperson to The Guardian: “We are working to identify the appropriate use for seized properties while owners are subject to sanctions.”

......SNIP"

[Freethinker65]

1. How about using some vacant rooms in Royal estates?

[Magoo48]

2. Good idea, and the yachts as well.

[Emrys]

3. Kneejerk reaction is that it would be apt.

A more measured reaction is that it's a cheap stunt by a government that has dragged its heels all the way in imposing wan sanctions on a relatively small number of oligarchs and is still in hock to many of them to the eyeballs, and has been very grudging in offering asylum.

I can't see these mansions being suitable for housing refugees. We've had terrible experiences with asylum seekers'/refugees' conditions when they've been housed in hotels, on one occasion leading to violence and death, and these mansions would effectively be hotels without some of the amenities and services hotels normally offer.

I doubt the plan would be to simply turn over the mansions to refugees and leave them to it. It would probably be administered by private firms like Serco and the Mears Group, which have been pillioried for putting profit over human welfare in providing accommodation and support.

I think the refugees would be much better housed with individual families where they can feel the support, warmth and normality of the community around them, rather than being stuffed together in a marble ghetto. From what we can see in the media at the moment, there's no shortage of households ready and eager to throw their doors open, if only the government would get out of the way.