Letters - Monday, October 26, 2020

Solution is to close nation for two weeks
See letter from PTSee letter from PT
See letter from PT

I, and probably everyone else in the world, have had this Covid-19 pandemic and all that goes with it up to my ears. It just shows there is no hope when so-called leaders of local councils and mayors think they know what is right for the country when they like.

The main government, no, all opposition, dither their way around, while week after week no progress is made and more of our loved ones succumb to this dreadful disease.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In my mind, there is only one way that this can be resolved.

The entire population needs to stay put – no travelling and no contact with anyone other than in your own household for two weeks. Just think of it as a holiday.

Let’s have none of the bickering between those that think they know best.

Yes, I am aware that the very vulnerable have to be cared for, perhaps the Government, instead of spending money here and there, should issue a two-week emergency food package in advance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There is only one way of stopping this disease short of a vaccine and that is to have no contact.

Congratulations on the idiotic minorities who think it is clever to not only break the law, as recently in Liverpool in a mass gathering, but have the selfish attitude that rules don’t apply to them. For a long time in this country it seems to be acceptable to not abide by rules. What chance do any of us have? On another point, I was reliably informed that anti-bacterial spray is not effective against viruses.

That is a poser for us all.

PT

address supplied

Immigration

Australia’s migrant policy

I was interested to read the letter from ‘YW’ (Your Say, October 21) regarding immigration policy, which praised Australia’s immigration policy.

As an immigrant from Lancashire to Australia, I thought I might be able to help with some of YW’s assertions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

YW might want to do some research before making several of the points in the letter.

YW states that Australia “adopted the strategy of transporting them to an island off their coast”.

Immigration camps were set up not on one island, but on three: Christmas Island, Manus Island and Nauru.

YW states that “The island is still under the Australian Government’s control and it is supported by them.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Christmas Island is not so much off our coast as part of Australia.

The Government did make a move to excise Christmas Island from Australian territory for immigration purposes, but this would be like the UK doing the same to the Isle of Wight.

The better-known detention centres, Manus and Nauru, were never “under the Australian Government’s control”: Manus is in Papua New Guinea; PNG and Nauru have been independent since 1975 and 1966 respectively.

The Empire, I am sorry to inform YW, is no more.

It is also worth noting that these detention centres were illegal under international law, although of course breaking international law would not be a problem for the current UK Government.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

YW claims that, following the Australian government’s decision to re-open offshore detention centres in 2012, immigration into Australia fell to one per cent of previous levels.

This is untrue.

From 2012 to 2019, net migration to Australia remained steady, at around 200,000 per year.

Illegal immigration levels were also broadly unchanged.

All that fell was the number of arrivals by boat, which, even before the policy was introduced, accounted for a tiny proportion of illegal migrants to Australia.

In Australia – as in the UK – illegal boat arrivals are not significant, and the bulk of illegal immigration is the result of visa overstays.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Stopping the boats” makes almost no difference to legal or illegal immigration numbers.

YW claims that the UK should model its immigration system on that of Australia. YW probably thinks Australians are all white ‘ocker’ Anglos, like on Home and Away and Neighbours.

We’re not – 23.9 per cent of Australians were born overseas, compared to 14 per cent of people in Britain.

In Sydney, that figure rises to 50 per cent, and Sydneysiders speak more than 250 languages. And it’s this – our cosmopolitan, varied, interesting population – that makes Australia such a great place to live.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

YW might want to bear this in mind before citing Australia as the model the UK should follow.

Bruce McLaughlin

Sydney

Finances

Undeserved pay rise for MPs

The state pension is to rise by £4.40 next year. This is the reward for actually working hard all your life. Meanwhile MPs are getting a £3,300 pay rise. For what? Utter failure? They constantly fail to practise what they preach in a way that would get most of us the sack. Then they wonder why most of the country despises them.

R Kimble

via email

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.