The British press have just about ceased to broadcast any stories about the migration crisis in the Mediterranean. Presumably that believe that the high jinks among our politicians are more interesting to the public. As my trip to Italy looms over the horizon, however, I have been attempting to revive my (somewhat faded) Italian, and I have been putting in time every day over the past week to that end. I have found that a useful component of revision has been to tune in to the internet version of the Italian broadcasting authority, RAI. Clearly the topic remains one of very active interest to the Italians.
I was horrified today to read an account originating with one of the NGOs active in the area, reporting that they have been receiving no response from the authorities to their request that a safe port be designated at which they can deliver the migrants they have rescued. Worse than this, to my mind, is the report that ships have been sailing past boats full of migrants, and making no attempt whatsoever to render assistance. One can only assume that both state authorities and private shipping companies have come to the conclusion that if enough people perish attempting to cross the sea to Europe, then this will serve as an adequate disincentive to any further attempts to do so.
My question cuts in two directions. How bad does it have to get out there before state and interstate bodies can devise any adequate response to this situation? How bad does it have to get, in terms of the statistical probabilities of certain death, before migrants are actually deterred from attempting this journey? Sadly, my response at the moment to both of those questions is the same. Quite a lot worse. I fear that it will have to get to the state at which the number of bodies washing up on the beaches of holiday resorts becomes an active deterrent to tourists going to the Med for their holidays before anybody addresses the situation with any determination.