Lincolnshire Free Press letters – June 16, 2020
A healthy and hearty debate is clearly welcome
In a recent column on the second reading of the Immigration Bill, (MP Sir John) Mr Hayes claims that three quarters of the UK population say they want to see immigration reduced. He appears to be quoting a poll taken by YouGov in 2015.
It’s worth updating him on the changing sentiment since that date. Data published by The Migration Observatory at The University of Oxford suggests the number of people who believe this is now 44%, with 39% saying the level should stay about the same.
We must hope that current policymaking is not based on out of date assumptions about the national mood.
Mr Hayes also looks at the impact of immigration. His analysis clearly raises some important points for discussion. It does, however, neglect to reflect the fact that migrants are net contributors to the public purse.
The Government’s Migration Advisory Committee commissioned a report which found that the average EU migrant coming to the UK in 2016 would go on to contribute £78,000 more than they would ‘take out’ in public services and benefits.
With a larger population contributing more to the economy, why have areas such as ours not seen greater investment to match?
As our MP since 1997 and a previous government minister, perhaps he is best suited to tell us why this hasn’t been the case?
It’s also worth noting that the government has always had the power to remove EU migrants who were not contributing to the economy.
These powers existed as part of our EU membership and could have been enforced if deemed worthy of the investment it would’ve required. Alas, the EU will soon no longer be a convenient bogeyman in the immigration debate.
Mr Hayes might also wish to reflect on unemployment figures – which he has previously hailed and show that the era of high immigration has not directly led to one of high unemployment in his constituency.
Mr Hayes states with a level of certainty that wages have been driven down by immigration, yet this certainty bears further inspection.
The Migration Observatory notes a small effect on average wages from migration – and that the greatest effect on wages is likely to be felt by existing migrant workers themselves.
Mr Hayes rightly praises the service that overseas NHS workers have provided during the current crisis. I wonder too, what of those carers who have come to this country and looked after our elderly loved ones – often in unimaginably tough conditions thanks to slow and inadequate government support.
How many of those – about one in six of the carers in this country – would clear the financial hurdles laid out by the current policy championed by Mr Hayes?
A healthy and hearty debate on immigration is clearly welcome. As MP, it would be good to see Mr Hayes leading this – albeit with the referee’s whistle and not the dog whistle,
Eric Lewis
Pinchbeck
All forms of racism are wrong
Only a couple of months ago we had police searching shopping bags for Easter Eggs. Now they are battling thousands of protesters and rioters across the country. In the middle of a pandemic!
No demonstrations should have been allowed to take place and any attack of a member of the emergency services should be given a mandatory five-year prison sentence. End of.
On the wider issue of racism, we had the leader of the opposition, Sir Kier Starmer (‘Don’t call me Sir’), taking the bending knee in a literal piece of political posturing.
All racism is wrong. Every sane person wants community cohesion.
Strange I never heard him comment on the abuse of white girls by men of Pakistan and Bangladesh descent, which was rampant across the towns of northern England. That’s what I have a problem with. Not all racism is wrong, apparently.
I’ve heard the term ‘ white privilege’ bandied over the airwaves in recent days. It took the police four years to catch a gang of black men who were throttling women until they passed out as they walked their children to school in London, then stealing their jewellery in front of the screaming kids.
All were traumatised and one lady needed surgery. It would be interesting to hear one of these victims perspective on ‘white privilege’. Don’t hold your breath... PS At Kingston On Thames Crown Court, the gang got sentences of 11 years.
Rick Stringer
Sutton St James
I still want answers
I am not pursuing a personal vendetta about the Crosskeys Marina in Sutton Bridge. I am trying to get some sort of return from the nearly £270,000 S106 funds gained from the power station for the benefit of Sutton Bridge.
Sutton Bridge has seen no benefit so far, and certainly not the £200,000 per year claimed in the original business plan.
I refer to my letter published in the Spalding Guardian on Thursday, June 11. On the same day, I sent Mr Wright a copy of the text of my letter by email.
Since the Annual Parish Meeting on March 10 this year, I have been writing to Coun Davie (with copies to the Leader of Lincolnshire County Council).
He eventually provided some figures for the marina. But please see below. My first letter to Mr Wright was sent on May 27, which he and his line manager (Mr King), both chose to ignore.
Following Mr Wright’s receipt of my email, copied to Couns Davie and Hill, I received an email from LCC’s Freedom of Information Department advising that my enquiries had been forwarded to them.
This is the most disingenuous act to prevent, or delay, the answers being provided. Why didn’t Mr Wright, or the other people copied, pass my original enquiries to the FOI Department on May 27? What has changed now?
Previous responses from the FOI Department, to another interested taxpayer/elector from Sutton Bridge, some months and weeks ago, had figures which bear almost no resemblance to those provided by Coun Davie.
An email to Couns Davie and Hill, asking for clarification, has been ignored! Can we ever trust any answers provided by that department?
Furthermore, why send my questions to the FOI Department, when they can only be answered by Coun Davie and/or Mr Wright?
As electors in Sutton Bridge cannot vote Couns Davie and Hill off the council, (they are elected in different districts) nor can we have any influence (it would appear) on ‘officers’, whose salaries and pensions are contributed to by taxpayers, we can only shame them into providing the answers.
It is very notable, that our county councillor Chris Brewis has been uncharacteristically quiet on this matter. He deflected the enquiry at the Annual Parish Meeting for the accounts; and subsequently denied any knowledge of the plans to extend the marina, in course since before Christmas 2019.
We can prevent his re-election, as he is clearly not supporting Sutton Bridge!
Chris Brandon-King
Sutton Bridge
Mask policy must be extended
As we move into a new phase where we must all learn to adapt to living our lives while reducing the spread of COVID-19, simple measures have become vitally important.
There is evidence that wearing face coverings in places where social distancing is not easily achievable can reduce transmission.
That is why the British Medical Association has been calling on the Government to implement face covering policies since April and we have welcomed recent developments that people will be required to wear a face mask on public transport or when going into hospital.
It is vital that the Government extends this policy to cover GP surgeries and other health, community and social care settings. By implementing a consistent rule, we can avoid confusion and reduce the spread of the virus.
The Government must be clear with the public on the type of coverings that are necessary, how to access them and how to safely use them. Clear, consistent messaging and proper execution of Public Health plans are absolutely required to help keep the public safe.
Dr Rebecca Acres,
Chair, BMA East Midlands Regional Council