Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Blame the left for politics of the sewer
Joe Egerton is right to bemoan the fact that political debate has descended into the sewer (Letters, September 21), but wrong to blame Ukip or Julian Brazier.
The descent occurred before Ukip was even dreamt of and was the product of frustrated socialism post 1979; you only have to see the crude vilification of Margaret Thatcher that took place to see that, but then perhaps I am older than Joe and can remember the change. I would not pretend that all was sweetness and light before that, but when the Conservative government started to reverse 35 years of state socialism after 1979 the tone of debate changed and abuse of the “hated” Tories became the order of the day rather than reasoned disagreement.
That abusive approach to the Tories was then joined by a socialist encouragement of everybody with any kind of grievance, every minority group, to blame all their ills on the government.
Unable to get elected, the socialists opted instead to build a “big tent” of the discontented, which they hoped would sweep them to power. Except, of course, it didn’t; they got Tony Blair instead. Sadly, that didn’t satisfy them and their campaign of destructive abuse goes on and has infected the body politic, aided by the growth of social media.
I’m not sure we can stop it. But if we can see where it has come from, and appreciate why it is being manipulated by people who are just seeking power, we can at least limit its damage. Bob Britnell Orchard Close, Canterbury
Joe Egerton makes another vitriolic attack on my views on immigration in your columns. After describing a range of hateful physical and verbal attacks against immigrants, and even poor Jo Cox, he claims I have had a role in “spreading this poison”.
I do indeed strongly support Theresa May’s determination to regain control of our borders when we leave the EU. Our rapidly rising population – equivalent to the City of Liverpool every year – is largely driven by net migration. This contributes to housing shortages and infrastructure overstretch – roads, primary schools, even drains.
Joe Egerton seems unable to understand that people can be deeply concerned about the scale of population movements, while still valuing the lives and contribution of individual migrants. His deeply personal attack on Theresa May in the Financial Times during the election build-up reflected this.
The Balanced Migration Group, which I belonged to as an MP, is neither racist nor xenophobic. Its co-chairs are Sir Nicholas Soames, a Conservative Europhile, and Frank Field, a Brexit-supporting Labour MP who has devoted most of his career to fighting poverty. Members have always recognised the huge contribution individual migrants have made. Nevertheless, we all shared a concern about the impact of mass migration on our overcrowded island.
Brexit reflects the fact that mass flows of unskilled labour have severely impacted less-well-off British citizens, driving up housing costs and pushing down wages. Even Jeremy Corbyn highlighted the role of EU migration in “destroying” (his word) the working conditions of British workers, on The Andrew Marr Show in July, although he seems to have done a volte-face since.
Half of all net migration comes from the EU, almost a quarter comes from non-eu students. That does not mean we should deport students or graduates – or anyone else – living here legally. It does mean we need to revisit the rules for students staying on after their degrees. Our universities are great assets and some graduates have critical skills we need, but we must consider the implications on population growth too.
At a time when politics is becoming uglier across the world, it is important that all of us try to understand and respect the viewpoint of those we disagree with, not degenerate into mud-slinging. Sir Julian Brazier Garlinge Green