Monday 11 May 2015

Letter to my re-elected Conservative MP

Dear ,

Congratulations on your re-election.

I am pleased that the UK has a majority government with a manifesto commitment to an 'in/out' referendum on the UK's membership of EU by the end of 2017.

I understand that the option of staying 'in' will not mean staying in on the current terms of membership, but on a new basis which will be negotiated prior to the referendum.

I further understand one of the issues to be negotiated relates to the free movement of people within the EU, or migration. With particular concern regarding the pressure that increased numbers of people place on the UK's infrastructure, such as Schools, Housing, Health, Transport, Energy, Security etc. and the additional pressure on these things, and on communities, that comes from managing migrants with different languages, practices and cultures.

Regarding these additional numbers, I believe the negotiation being considered is not to limit numbers but to limit (maybe just for a period) the facilities, services and resources that migrants have access to when arriving in the UK.

If this is correct, that numbers are not to be controlled, it seems to miss the issues that need to addressed - someone arriving in the UK cannot be left to sleep on the streets without shelter, food, medical care or schools for their children - once someone is in the UK, these are basic essentials that will have to be provided.

Can you assure me that the negotiations will not make the error of considering withholding access to such services as possible, let alone as equivalent to controlling access to the UK in the first place?

Yours

Paul Perrin

2 comments:

  1. So all Mr Cameron's renegotiation means nowt. Might as well exit the EU now instead of waiting for his nonevent negotion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely - we need to start campaigning for out now - there can be no treaty change in time, so there can be no worthwhile change.

      Delete