Letter: Debate on migration should be had

During the time both Blair and Brown were in office anyone daring to raise the issue of immigration was called a racist. You will remember Brown's treatment of the woman who had the temerity to raise the issue.

There was good reason for them doing this. It was to mask the truth on the true figures for immigration, both legal and illegal, because the effect on our hospitals, our surgeries, our schools, and the costs to our benefit system and local councils. Thankfully this is in the past and people can talk about immigration without being called racist.

I class myself as a realist and know if immigration is not discussed openly and with some big reduction in Great Britain we will be swamped. We are only a small country.

You will know that there are terrorists who cannot be deported, drawing huge sums of money, and immigrants who think they are fully entitled to these benefits, drawing up to £4,000 a month and who have not paid a penny into the system.

I know that there are people of our own who are drawing this kind of money who have not paid in a penny, I am not naive.

My prediction is if things carry on this way Great Britain will not be able to afford a welfare state and many of our pensioners who fought for us, the soldiers who are fighting now and our own disabled will be unable to survive.

Let us have open discussion. The Blair/Brown era has gone, hopefully never to return – or we are doomed.

DL Barnett

Arleston