Time to curb immigration

It goes on to state that the policy encourages benefits tourism, it accepts that currently there are 121,000 people from elsewhere in the EU claiming benefits of all kinds. That there is a negative impact on public services, all council services are under pressure and community tension is building in areas like Page Hall in Sheffield. Public confidence in immigration controls is at an all-time low; 64 per cent of people now feel immigrants receive more than their fair share of welfare payments, and 63pc feel immigrants claim benefits when they have made no previous contribution. I could go on.

I have no issue with people wishing to improve their lives, or with people wishing to help. But why cannot the EU and our politicians help them to stay in their own countries? They have the space, we are short of space, short of resources and we have many of our own who need help.

We are constantly fed the line that if we curb immigration we will not get the lawyers, engineers and doctors. This is rubbish; we have never stopped skilled people coming here in the past, or present, and nor will we in the future. However, here we are referring to snaggled-toothed feral people who are extremely poor, who beg and commit crime, the figures are there to support this. So if Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband and Roger Stone are so keen to bring them here, let them live in their street and we will soon hear what their friends and neighbours have to say about that.

Politicians now bang on about the free movement of workers, not people. Let me assure you that change within the EU is extremely difficult to obtain; this rule is a corner stone of the EU and will not be altered. The Common Agricultural Policy bears testament to my point. And before anyone says otherwise, they are arriving by bus, not by plane.  

Our politicians nationally and locally continue to tell us that this uncontrolled influx has had few ill effects; this argument is not supported by the new report. I can only conclude that it is to their own benefit, that they see their personal future in the EU after Westminster. After all, on this issue as on many others, they have stopped representing the wishes of their constituents.

2014 is an extremely important election year, it is time to send a message loud and clear to our politicians both nationally and locally that towing the party line to the detriment of local people is no-longer acceptable. The result in Rawmarsh last year proved that Labour can be beaten, and for the good of the people of this town, change is necessary.

Allen Cowles, Whiston