NEWS about the discovery of 39 bodies in a lorry container in Essex will have sickened anyone who has heard about it.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as an "unimaginable tragedy and truly heartbreaking", and speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, he said: "I know that the thoughts and prayers of all members will be with those who lost their lives and their loved ones."

The origin of the migrants has not yet officially been disclosed, although there is some speculation that they may have been Bulgarian.

But one thing seems certain: they were prepared to risk their lives to come to the UK. They cannot possibly have not known that using such an unorthodox form of transport would carry with it strong dangers.

And it must be almost certain that they paid someone for the privilege.

Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price said: "To put 39 people into a locked metal container shows a contempt for human life that is evil. The best thing we can do in memory of those victims is to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

And Boris Johnson said: "All such traders in human beings should be hunted down and brought to justice".

Both of them are quite right. But it can't be forgotten that the people-traffickers are in business to serve a genuine demand.

The same willingness to take risks can be seen in all the people from North Africa and other areas of the world who are prepared to chance a watery grave in the Mediterranean to reach Europe.

Why is this? There must be something in the western world that these people want a part of.

Cynics would say that they want to come here to live off social service benefits and make use of the NHS.

But could it not be something else? The desire not to be under the thumb of petty warlords, organised crime masquerading as governments or the rule of fundamentalist clerics?

Sometimes it is easy for us in the West to forget how fortunate we are to live in a place and a time where the rule of law is reasonably secure, personal liberties are widespread and people can exert a certain amount of control over their own destinies.

This is something that is worth remembering at a time when there are certain movements in society that are seeking to make drastic changes in our way of life.