THIS weeks letters to the editor.
‘Use your common sense’
HOW TO ‘stop the boats’ is such an easy problem to solve
Instead of spending millions (or should that be billions) of pounds to the French and the cost of sending illegal immigrants to Rwanda, why doesn’t our Government show some common sense?
Just for once maybe.
We should deploy some of our already employed naval fleet to meet the small boats in the English Channel
We should then turn the small boats around and escort them back into French waters and alert the French navy to take them back to French soil where they departed from.
These actions would be noted by the people traffickers and illegal immigrants alike.
After all, if a person having paid several thousands of Euros to ‘book a seat’ is returned to France then how many would be prepared to pay the people traffickers, knowing they are going to be returned ?
None is the answer you’re looking for
Suddenly the demand for seats would disappear, as would the people traffickers as they would have nobody to do business with.
This is just my humble opinion as I’m sick and tired of the waffle and idiotic plans of our current so called ‘government’.
We should be spending these £millions or £billions in the UK on UK residents
Paul Smith
A common sense Geordie from Redditch
‘Why no spaces?’
MY WIFE is 83 and has a blue badge for her disability but, quite often, when visiting supermarkets and other shopping centres, there are no disability spaces available.
And why?
Because the spaces are taken up by vehicles (often large, expensive vehicles) NOT displaying a blue badge.
It would appear that these drivers consider selfishness to be a disability.
Bernard Richards
Studley
‘Disappointed in our MP’
HOW disappointing, at a time of year when most people are offering wishes of joy, peace and happiness, to see
Redditch MP Rachel Maclean making an unprovoked, aggressive attack on the Green Party candidate for Bromsgrove.
The issue broke the rules concerning discrimation against minority groups and centred on body image and how we dress.
This is odd because I have seen Mrs Maclean wearing jackets and troucerts – dress suited to men (as do I, having been a Tom boy since the age of five.
Thousands of us wish to alter the way we look – lose or gain weight, style and colour of hair (so why not a wig?).
It seems The Green Party is happy for its members to dress how they wish and welcome diversity, wishing to build strong communities, based on peace and harmony.
Contrast this with the aggressive divisiveness of the Tory Party.
I know who I would rather vote for.
T King
Riverside
‘Country in a mess’
I READ with horror that Rachel Maclean thinks she is representing Redditch in sending people arriving in small boats to Rwanda with claims for asylum unprocessed.
I was stunned to hear our country is leaking another £230million in this inhumane policy.
I did some sums. 165000 refugees awaiting claims to be processed. If every official processes two claims an hour and works 40 hours a week, they can process 1,000 in three months.
So if we employed 165 process clerks we could clear the backlog in three months. The salary cost at £30,000-a-clerk would be just £4,950,000. We have a shortage of 40,000 nurses and 8,550 doctors.
The total number of NHS vacancies is 112,500. Another 152,000 are needed to be carers so by employing more clerks and employing all these people, we could solve the lack of carers and most of our NHS shortages and keep the money in the country, improving our economy.
I do not support your inhumane policies, Ms Maclean, both on economic or humanity grounds.
I would suggest we refuse to allow those into the country who earn more than £40,000 and improve our own education system so we who live in the UK can be promoted into the top jobs.
Watching a job with a salary of over £40,000 rightly earned through step by step promotions go to a foreign worker is heart-breaking.
It also leads to further leakages of money from the UK economy.
No wonder our country is in such a mess.
Margot Bish
Abbeydale
‘Distressing comments’
CONCERNING our MP’s tweet about the Green Party candidate for Bromsgrove, I find it deeply distressing that the most powerful members of our society can say whatever they like with impunity, and yet the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our society have no voice.
Told as they are – NO you cannot attend that protest, NO you cannot go on strike and NO the courts will not hear your case.
This is truly frightening.
Oliver
Lodge Park
‘Be kind this Christmas’
THE RUN-UP to Christmas is always a really busy time for retail workers, as shoppers can be stressed and things can boil over.
The timing of Christmas this year means that we anticipate especially busy stores the week before, culminating in what the retail industry has branded ‘Super Saturday’ on December 23.
I want to gently ask your readers to remember that shopworkers are people too. They will be working really hard to make your shopping experience as enjoyable as possible and deserve respect.
Talking to our members who work in retail, I know that verbal abuse cuts deep.
Many will go home after a shift upset about an unpleasant incident that took place at work that day and worried that it will happen to them again.
That is why Usdaw, the shopworkers’ trade union, is asking customers to ‘keep your cool’, so everyone can have a happier Christmas.
With season’s greetings.
Paddy Lillis
General Secretary
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw)
Editor comment
THE PROGRESSION of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill and Redditch MP Rachel Maclean’s role in shaping it shows what positive changes can be made by Members of Parliament.
Contrast that with the controversial comments on Bromsgrove’s Green Party candidate Melissa Poulton on social media which have led to her receiving justified criticism.
Maybe if those who represented us ‘treated others how they would like to be treated’ and focused more on their work towards improving things, the UK would be a much better place.
We welcome your letters…..
What pressing issues do you feel need addressing in Redditch and Alcester? Send us your views to [email protected]
