Asylum seekers are not ‘those people’ – they are humans in a terrible place who need our help

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Priti Patel doesn’t want us to show compassion to people who have fled persecution (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The government’s plans to revise the asylum system look to have only one objective – to prevent “those people” from coming to the UK. Priti Patel doesn’t want us to show compassion to people who have fled persecution and privations, because if we do that then we might just see them for what they are. They are not “those people”, they are just people who are in a terrible place and who need help.

These plans just emphasise previous moves by the Tories to marginalise certain groups of people. Not content with just marginalising some UK citizens, the Tories now want to marginalise people who come here seeking some respite and relief. I guess the new Global Britain is going to be reserved for those who see the world as “us” and “them”.

Steve Mumby

London

Coronavirus Act

When MPs vote on Thursday (25 March) on whether to renew the Coronavirus Act, it is possible that the most draconian legislation in living memory will be waved through a third time with little objection.

Ministers maintain they need the Act’s excessive powers and that it includes important support measures like the furlough scheme. That we should put up with the bad to keep the good.

But that is a false choice. If they vote to repeal the Coronavirus Act, MPs will have several weeks to replace it, and they can keep any positives when they do. More importantly, it would create a critical opportunity to provide the support that the government’s response has failed to provide.

A broad coalition of charities has come together to create an alternative response, in the Protect Everyone Bill. It addresses the real reasons some people have found it difficult to follow public health guidance, providing proper sick pay so people on low incomes can isolate when they need to, ensuring housing is protected, homeless people are given accommodation and better and more accessible social welfare.

Ministers have failed to grasp that a pandemic response that fails some of us, fails all of us. The politicians calling for a Covid-19 inquiry would do well to remember that the damage caused by a government response that prioritised criminal justice over public health is still being done. They should reject the Coronavirus Act, and demand better on behalf of all of us.

Sam Grant, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Liberty

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Frontline workers

After another night of violent clashes in Bristol, one can only despair at the mentality of some of the protesters. The police are public servants who (with a few unfortunate exceptions) have chosen to dedicate themselves to public protection. Just like health workers and firefighters, police put themselves on the front line, exposed to personal risk every day – despite being subject to cutbacks, like every other sector – because they believe in what they do. People thinking it is in any way acceptable to attack them or to make them out to be the enemy is utterly deplorable. The police are not our enemy.

Elements of Priti Patel’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill are unquestionably an affront to democracy, attempting to all but eliminate the right to public protest, but addressing that requires demonstration against the government, not attacks on law enforcers. Riots in which public property is destroyed, police stations are attacked and police officers are assaulted will achieve nothing but to give justification to the draconian measures included in the bill, turning the tide of public opinion towards backing its most restrictive measures.

Disturbingly, fireworks were once again being thrown. This is happening more and more often and has the potential to cause quite horrific injuries. Have we honestly still not reached the stage as a society where we’re ready to acknowledge that selling lightweight incendiary devices in corner shops and supermarkets might be a bad idea? Surely that needs to change soon.

Beyond that, I do wonder who it was that thought “Kill the Bill” was an appropriate name for the movement against this misbegotten legislature. No wonder protests have attracted the attention of anti-police elements. I’m sure it was only supposed to reference the parliamentary bill, not the police force, but a little forethought wouldn't have gone amiss.

Julian Self

Milton Keynes

Scottish Erasmus

I noted with interest that the Welsh government is to establish its own version of the Erasmus education exchange programme and would urge the Scottish government to do likewise.

The UK government’s post-Brexit replacement, the Turing Scheme, includes a fraction of the benefits provided to students under Erasmus. Free tuition and travel expenses have been scrapped, except for the most disadvantaged students, and the cost-of-living allowance has been slashed by a fifth.

In addition, the Turing scheme does not extend to staff exchanges and funding will also not be reciprocal, meaning that international partner institutions will not be supported for any exchanges coming to the UK.

By contrast, the Welsh government said its scheme would support, as far as possible, the entire range of activities that had been available to learners in Wales under Erasmus. It will fill in many of the gaps, including, crucially, the commitment to long-term funding, the retention of the principle of two-way exchanges and the inclusion of youth work.

The loss of Erasmus is an act of cultural vandalism, but the Scottish government has the opportunity to follow Wales and deliver a scheme that delivers to some extent the benefits of the Erasmus programme.

Alex Orr

Edinburgh

Literacy skills

As Boris Johnson highlighted in his latest press briefing, the pandemic has led to 90,000 children falling behind with literacy skills.

Sadly, literacy has been a serious issue in this country for many years, and only exacerbated by Covid. England has some of the lowest literacy rates in the developed world, and even in 2019, more than one in four children left primary school unable to read well.

Furthermore, despite years of progress to narrow the attainment gap, it is the most disadvantaged children, and those with special educational needs or English as an additional language, who have fallen behind most in the last year.

Reading is a skill for life, affecting success in all subjects at school, employment prospects and self-esteem. Poor literacy is even linked to low life expectancy in the most deprived areas.

It is absolutely vital that we address the literacy challenge now, as a key step on the path back to a healthy future.

Kitty Higgins, chief executive, Bookmark Reading Charity

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Finding farm workers

There is such a need for joined-up thinking by this government. On one side we have anxious farmers who fear seeing their crops not being harvested because in the UK many people are are no longer willing to do this type of work. On the other side, we have a group of people (called asylum seekers) who would love to be in paid employment. Why do we even have to point this out?

The result of combining the two would be happy farmers and asylum seekers who are also happier, occupied and earning money (taking the burden off the taxpayer). We would also have a country whose citizens could at last feel that their government was showing some compassion for both.

Judy Marris

Bath

Gun control

Guns kill, semi-automatic and automatic weapons slaughter. The normal citizen should not have any more weapons than they can fire at once – two handguns. Criminals and the mentally damaged should not have any weapons. Too many children have been killed and too many adults too. America and many other countries need to address and resolve gun control.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne

Remote working

In his article on remote working, Hamish McRae omits a win-win-win solution. Work hubs.

A town or city centre workspace offering a secure work environment with a high-speed internet connection would provide a solution. It offers a near-home office for those with no space at home or who struggle to work surrounded by family. It offers reduced costs for employers and it provides customers for town-centre businesses. Empty town centre shops could provide the ideal locations.

Andrew Erskine

Abergavenny

Visiting family abroad

As the government reviews its rules on international travel it should consider that for many, including NHS workers, going abroad means visiting family rather than going on holidays. Many NHS workers routinely care for Covid-19 patients as part of their job and turn up to work the next day, yet if they return from a visit to their home country they have to isolate and quarantine. A one solution approach may not be fair to all, even if it seems easier to apply.

Bambos Charalambous

Manchester