arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Groen = Plaats van samenkomst voor bloemenhulde donderdagavond in Zeebrugge
Green = Meeting point remembrance Thursday evening Zeebrugge
Vert = Place de rassemblement Jeudi soir Zeebrugge

Evening Standard
thursday, 22 June 2000
letters to the editor

Give immigrants a chance to help us

THE appalling deaths of so many hapless immigrants trying to enter this country illegally (58 dead in Dover lorry, 19 June), and the disgraceful scenes shown on Panorama on Monday night, make me wonder wether we should not do a lot better if we made it easier for migrant workers to come here legally.
In Kent, in particular, the wonderful advances made by its softfruit industry in recent years are in danger of coming to a halt because of the difficulty of finding people prepared to pick the fruit.
Many of my strawberry producers could increase their market share (to the benefit of the industry and the country) if it were easier to get pickers in good, IF SIMPLE, conditions.
Jack Straw should look again at their requests to have a larger quota of foreign workers admitted to this country for this very important industry. The foreigners will not be taking bread out of British mouths because the work simply does not appeal to British citizens, and a more generous quota system would sharply reduce the incive for crooks to exploit poor illegal migrants.

Andrew Rowe
Member of Parliament (Conservative)
Faversham and mid Kent, House of Commons,Sw1

what do you think?