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Immigrant concerns

WHY do immigrants (both legal and illegal) make a bee-line for the UK?

There are two reasons. The first is conception. When the Calais Jungle was in full swing, I had a very interesting talk to an Afghan restaurant and takeaway owner. He was extremely erudite and fluent in at least six languages (English, French, Russian, Afghan, Pushto and Urdu). I asked him what he thought. He replied that the British Government should let them all into the country. I then asked him why. He replied “The British Government has lots of money” and there is the misconception.

Reason two is based on recent Government figures. Illegal immigrants know that once they set foot on UK soil they have more than a 90% chance of not being caught or detected. They also know that if they are arrested and put into a detention centre they may never be deported. They also know that if they go to court to fight detention legal aid will be given to them which includes an interpreter. So they get free aid from the Government to fight the Government - a win, win situation.

I am all for helping legal immigrants but feel very strongly about people demanding everyone should help. If they feel so strongly they should do something about it. Put your money where your mouths are. Each one take one immigrant into their own homes and look after them. If they are affluent enough and have space, take in an immigrant family. That way the problem will be solved in Swindon.

D N Simpson, Swindon

Meaningless tests

SETTING out areas on which you seek resolution and consensus is an essential step in any negotiation, as is establishing areas in which flexibility to adjust is less likely to be possible.

However setting conditions which you know will never be attained is a meaningless exercise in hubris and is guaranteed to result in no settlement at all.

The Labour Party has set out six ‘tests’ for any Brexit deal, including one which states it must deliver the ‘exact same benefits’ as being in the EU. The six tests are to justify a rejection of any Brexit deal presented by the Government. A failure to meet the six tests or indeed any one of them will be used to present Labour as ‘righteous and morally superior’ whereas it really is obvious that ‘cynicism’ rather than pragmatism drives Mr Corbyn’s mighty machine. It should come as no surprise to discover that Labour will vote against any proposal for Brexit – it simply paid lip-service to the 2016 Referendum vote despite maintaining ‘We argued for remain in the past but we lost that vote so we have to respect that’.

As at June 2018 the Labour Party had 540,000 subscribing members, according to MP David Lammy 90% of the membership want another referendum and want to remain in the EU. In Mr Corbyn’s world the wishes of 486,000 Labour Party members trumps the result of the largest ever democratic vote in UK history – that vote was crystal clear – the UK leaves the EU.

Des Morgan, Swindon