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Immigration has to be controlled

10:22am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in


COUNCILLOR Tracey Simpson-Laing mentions past migration as if it justifies present levels (Letters, March 12).

I am married to a Kenyan Sikh who has more than 1,000 relatives in England, and I don’t object to immigration as long as it’s controlled and justified.

A large cohort of the present immigrants are not committed to democracy and equality, and some 500,000 to one million are here illegally.

This is what many people are concerned about, including immigrants such as my wife.

This is the issue: the politicians’ denial of the strain it is putting on social cohesion, security and resources, and their failure to ask the voters’ permission.

Coun Simpson-Laing implies that past migration was desirable.

The Romans were a slave society which destroyed most of the Celtic Iron-Age civilisation, decimating whole tribes and sadistically murdering leaders of any groups which resisted.

The Saxons did the same. These were invasions which destroyed the nation as the inhabitants knew it.

The Normans, a Viking tribe, ravaged the whole country, and their later descendants were at the forefront of the colonisation of America.

I wonder if Coun Simpson-Laing knows that the Scottish Simpsons are offspring of the Norman Frasers? (I also have the Irish-Norman Reilly blood). She also mentions William of Orange.

The result of Protestant-Catholic rivalry over the years resulted in a huge percentage of the population being killed, culminating in 40 per cent of the Irish perishing in the Civil War as a result of Cromwellian action.

Mass migration always has a price: ask the Aboriginies or native Americans.

It is professional politicians such as Coun Simpson-Laing who have made us hostages to fortune by their casual attitude to one of the two greatest existential threats to this country (the other being EU membership).

John Simpson, Church Road, York.

Comments(11)

Zetkin says...
10:34am Tue 16 Mar 10

Mr Simpson clearly understands nothing of British history.

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yorknights says...
12:12pm Tue 16 Mar 10

We are all children of immigrants somewhere along the line in this country.These inflammatory statistics are no doubt incorrect,as this letter reads as if it has got a hidden agenda.As for the Aborigines and Native Americans,they were victims of an almost genecidal discrimination by the British who aooupied their countries--and something very simelar happened in India,Pakistan,China
,Africa and the Middle East by,again,OUR LOT.And lets not forget,closer to home,the de-population of the Scottish Highlands and the starving to death and subsequent mass-migration of the Irish--all by the English governments!!!So--le
ts get this into perspective shall we?Its back to schoolfor the rather blinkered and dim John Simpson,and as for me--the more the merrier!There is only one race and that is the Human Race,and to hell in a handcart with bigots with like the above.People from the world over are welcome here--that simple!

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Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing says...
12:18pm Tue 16 Mar 10

I was lucky to recieve Mr Simpsons 2500 worded version of this letter and have agreed to disagree with him.

Zetkin - I do understand history. What about how this country took over others as it still does with its expat bars and shops. We act no differently when in Spain, Greece, Hong Kong and Austrialia to name but a few places.

The EU has also achieved its goal as hoped for by Churchill - but many people do not know that part of history either - that is peace in Europe.

So I stick by my view that we live in a great country and ask any of you who have views similar to Mr Simpsons to ask yourself will you stop using the doctors, dentists, takeways, resturants, etc, etc

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Maquis says...
1:17pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Typical York councilor, put your head in the sand and ignore any problems.

Immigration is always a problem for those already living there, eventually settling out after a number of generations. Often with a large amount of upheaval to the local way of life.

The problem always happens when a group of people comes into an already occupied area with a different culture (im not saying that one is better than the other, they are just different) Those already there come under pressure and have to change their way of life. Eventually this will level out, but not within a number of generations. Is this fair? You decide......

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petethefeet says...
2:02pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Funny how we think differently of historical events compared to the feelings at the time. Virtually every celtic tribe in Britain tried to oppose the Romans and they replied with brutaility and destroyed the indigenous druid culture. The Angles, franks, saxons and Jutes pushed the English into Wales and the West Country, held up only for a generation at the battle of Baden Hill. The vikings came seeking booty and slaves, who were then transported and sold in the markets of the Caliphate. The Normans were opportunistic back-stabbers that seized their chance when harold was 'Up North' dealing with harold Hardrada. After the conquest, most of the land was seized and given to his chronies. He was merciless with those that opposed him and thus he sacked York and turned the North into "scorched earth".

So, please explain to me why these enforced immigrations were 'good' for us?

But on the EU, I do agree with Tracey. It's main purpose was to stop the 2 greatest protagonists of the last 140 years from killing each other. It all started in 1870 when napolean 3 stupidly attacked Germany and they came out second best resulting in the siege of Paris. Had it not been for that then WW1 would have stayed a Balkans afair, and then perhaps the Nazis wouldn't have got in.................

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ak7274 says...
3:44pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Mzzzzz Simpson Laing does it again. Read the Comment please. ZETKIN Says MR, I repeat MR Simpson clearly understands nothing of British History. As for being grateful for migrant workers being my Doctor/ Dentist/ Optician etc, how about stopping the deprature to the private sector of all those so called proffessionals trained at the expense of the tax payer from going private at the first chance of screwing us. We have needed migration and still do to some extent, but not the mass migration we have been suffering for the last 10 years.

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Jam tomorrow says...
4:32pm Tue 16 Mar 10

It is irrelevant what my grandfather's grandad did to your grandfather's granddad.
It is also irrelevant where any British Citizen originated from.

What matters today is that we are overpopulated and the signs of this are everywhere. I think we have passed our tolerable population number. You may think it is in the future, but there is a number and you have to start facing up to the problem and plan for it.

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Silver says...
4:45pm Tue 16 Mar 10

What makes me chuckle is you think a local councillor can do more then she can. She's not in high levels of governance where she can make policy on immigration. She's able to help make our everyday lives better or worse by her skillset. The way the letter and the rest of you go on it sounds like you want at the border flashing lights on people. Immigration goes two ways we have people leave and they are free to do so otherwise they would be prisoners in a police state and in turn we allow people in. I'm not that interested in illegal immigrants debate as all it does is show who is stupid enough to think like the BNP. Boring topic anyway

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Jam tomorrow says...
6:42pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Well Silver, you are saying we shouldn't pass our views up the political chain?
TSL does have the ear of the next up the chain. It is important that she has a cross section of local viewpoint.
(Thank you Tracey for communicating with us in the local paper. You get my respect for that.)

You are the only one to mention Illegal Immigration and the BNP.

Far from being boring, your comments say you are very engaged by it and would like to shut the discussion down.

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Silver says...
10:52pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Jam tomorrow wrote:
Well Silver, you are saying we shouldn't pass our views up the political chain? TSL does have the ear of the next up the chain. It is important that she has a cross section of local viewpoint. (Thank you Tracey for communicating with us in the local paper. You get my respect for that.) You are the only one to mention Illegal Immigration and the BNP. Far from being boring, your comments say you are very engaged by it and would like to shut the discussion down.
I'm just saying it's a pointless argument email your MP, if you think it is thats serious but you're boring me to tears getting someone who isn't in a position to really do anything about it. Plus seriously learn the structure of politics

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Cold_as_Christmas says...
12:38am Wed 17 Mar 10

I thought Mr Simpson had a point in his well structured letter. No doubt the price for writing this will be personal insults like 'you know nothing about British History' or 'Bigot.'
The hard fact is that there are too many people in and around York, Too many people in England and too many people in the World and the numbers are not going down.
Even a baby has written in (Or a parent with a baby sized brain) to complain about the consequences of over population.
If you are happy with standing room only then fair enough but I think you will find most of us want a seat and the option of a walkabout!

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