A LibDem Perspective - In the name of humanity, we owe them. -

The reaction by so many volunteers to the mindless defacing of the splendid sculpture at the De la Warr Pavilion has largely erased the stain as well as the white paint and sent a far more powerful message.

I have honestly never been able to understand those unfortunate people who bolster their self-worth by denigrating those who don't look or sound or believe as they do. Diversity is almost always stronger than uniformity. Ultimately we are all descended from 'immigrants', but post war immigrants and their descendants have brought untold benefits to our country. The most recent 'UK Rich List' reveals that seven of the top ten were not born here. A quarter of 'our' Nobel prize winners were not born here, and the USA has more 'immigrant' Nobel laureates than any country other than the UK has winners in total. Two thirds of Booker Prize winners this century have been foreign. Remove 'ethnic origin' restaurants, musicians, artists, doctors, nurses, care workers, teachers, to say nothing of footballers, and the UK becomes a very greatly diminished place to live.

That is why the Government's obsession with 'small boats' (and specifically demonising Albanians) is so cynical. The calculation of migration figures is imprecise and open to exploitation and misunderstanding. Politicians know they can generate nationalistic sentiment by careful manipulation of the numbers. Stirring up immigration paranoia was one of the biggest drivers of the Brexit catastrophe yet we now see the 2016 net figure of 252,000 dwarfed by the latest net figure of 606,000, without any intervention by Brussels.

Diverting the debate to where and how asylum seekers are housed deflects us from the real underlying issue, which is this Government's complete incompetence in dealing with asylum claims. The low estimate for outstanding claims is 150,000, which is the equivalent of the total population of Hastings/ St Leonards and Eastbourne. To hear the Immigration Minister claiming that it is perfectly acceptable to expect six adult male asylum seekers to share a single hotel room, or to see the ill-considered Northeye proposal, are causes of dismay and embarrassment. The great majority of these unfortunate people would rather be back at home being left to get on with their lives in peace. Their secondary choice would be to be allowed to get a job here and start re-building their lives. Those who have no legitimate right to claim asylum here should have their claims assessed sensitively and quickly, and then be repatriated if it does not place them in danger. They are not criminals just because they want to be free to live their lives in peace and many of them have much to offer us.

We built our national wealth on the exploitation of others: in the name of humanity, we owe them.

Cllr Kathryn Field