YP Letters: Let's stop racist scapegoating of refugees looking for sanctuary

Migration continues to shape the Brexit agenda.

I’M writing to you about the treatment of refugees by some politicians and media outlets.  I’m concerned about the  growing trend to define people by where they are from, or the way in which they have travelled, rather than simply as human beings.

At home, this can lead to the racist scapegoating of people born abroad. On the international level, this can lead to policies that fail people who have been forced to leave their homes.

Governments of the world now need to work together to uphold the dignity of the many who don’t yet have a safe place to call home.

From: Nick Martinek, Briarlyn Road, Huddersfield.

THE recent ICM poll for Change Britain confirms that 68 per cent of voters want the Government to “get on with implementing the result of the referendum”, compared with just 15 per cent who don’t.

Only a rump of Remainers, mainly Lib Dems, now still display their embarrassing emotional dependence upon the EU – a sort of ideological spasm. Certainly the EU, with massive immigration, rampant migrant crime, hugely expensive bureaucratic rules, a dysfunctional euro, zombie banks and endemic unemployment in the South, is difficult for the Remainers to defend.

Instead they sneer at patriotism and whinge at the possible lack of migrants to serve them coffee, whilst threatening to bring yet more vexatious court cases.

From: Mr SB Oliver, Churchill Grove, Heckmondwike.

JOHN Cole (The Yorkshire Post, March 1) accuses the “Brexit Brigade” of intellectual dishonesty for claiming that the country voted clearly to leave the EU. He goes on to state that the 52-48 per cent result was a very fine margin rather than a substantial majority.

He is using the well-worn  method that is used by politicians, lawyers and salespeople (when they lose) to highlight the percentage whilst ignoring the totals of votes. The majority for Leave was about 1.3 million, which Mr Cole thinks is not a substantial figure, yet a four per cent swing in most constituencies would probably unseat the incumbent MP.

I can’t follow his argument about the fact that the referendum excluded 16 to 17-year-olds and ex-pats, as if these groups would have voted Remain. He failed to mention the 12.9 million voters (27 per cent) who chose not to vote.