Letters - Tuesday, November 30, 2021

It is perfectly clear from our television and newspaper pictures we see nearly everyday that the current methods of controlling the numbers of migrants crossing the English Channel are not working.

This is, of course, both dangerous to those making the crossing, and also does not discriminate between the genuine migrants seeking asylum and those who want to enter the UK for economic purposes.

Currently co-operation between the French authorities and UK Border Control boats lacks any form of joint effort, and the dinghy boats keep arriving.

The use of these outboard craft may possibly provide a solution to improving control by agreeing the tighter regulation with the owning, purchasing and importing of the outboard engines used to power the boats.

Why not do something similar to gun control, with a licence needed to acquire an engine or permission from the gendarmerie in France to use and own such an engine, together with better control over acquiring such an engine with ID and address details being needed?

Every trip across the Channel uses an engine, and by cutting off supply, there would be no crossings.

The people smugglers operation would cease before they could start and then we could see an end to this trade.

It only takes a willingness to do this, plus assistance from the French and Belgians authorities, to implement this method of greater control to the benefit of all concerned.

Mike Ridgway

via email

DISABILITY

Trolley problem at supermarket

Shopping has become a nightmare for some. We have had restrictions, wore masks and kept our distance.

I have been shopping with a person who has developed mobility problems. This in itself is very challenging.

Sainsbury’s supermarket has disabled bays near to the entrance, where you can park with a Blue Badge. These car park spaces are regularly abused by the able-bodied.

However my complaint centres around shopping trolleys. There is a small trolley park within the disabled section, once you have parked you can obtain a small trolley and off you go. Unfortunately this trolley park is always empty of trolleys. This forces the disabled person, if they are shopping alone, to walk round to the opposite side of the store, therefore defeating the purpose of the disabled car park spaces.

Large trolleys are no good as they are too deep for the disabled to manage. Today I had to obtain two trolleys – one for us and another for a small elderly lady who said she was frightened she might actually fall into a large trolley.

This does not seem a major problem, surely the trolley man could be advised to ensure this small area was catered for? And, to those returning to their cars, please return your trolley to the designated area.

I have spoken to duty managers, all polite but seemingly not really interested. You can no longer email Sainsbury’s Head Office. The only way to communicate is to complete a survey on the bottom of your receipt. What has happened to customer care? Where is the empathy and compassion? I use Sainsbury’s as you can shop and also visit the restaurant, which makes an outing for those with a disability problem. Please Sainsbury’s, take notice and be caring.

Christine Abram

Address supplied

POLITICS

Constitutional reform needed

Terry Palmer writes (Your Say, November 27) that given the parlous state of our present politics, it is vitally important that we have changes to our ‘two party system’. Many of us agree and it is interesting to note the potential outcome of the polls at this moment.

One ‘poll of polls’ now puts the two main parties virtually equal, with the Tory party on 36.48 per cent and Labour marginally ahead with 36.88 per cent. In terms of an election, these figures translate into the Tory party taking 288 seats whereas Labour, though ahead in popularity, only takes 268. The boundary changes, if the election is to be in 2024, mean that the Tory Party would gain another 12 seats.

Though this is patently inequitable, the discrepancies with other parties are even more marked: the SNP are on four per cent and get 52 seats, whereas the Liberal Democrats are on nine per cent but only get 18 seats; the Greens are on 6.6 per cent but only get a meagre one seat whereas Plaid Cymru are on 0.5 per cent, but get four seats.

It is obvious that constitutional reform is desperately needed. The only other government in Europe chosen with a ‘first past the post’ system is that paradigm of political probity: Belarus.

The devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are chosen with systems of Proportional Representation. This brings about a fairer government, more representative of the views of the whole population. Is it not now time for the United Kingdom to move into the 21st century and change from its present archaic system?

Mike Baldwin

Via email

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