There's a difference
Dear Sir,
John Bickley says in his letter in the 16th February issue of The Guardian, p23 that as his Party's (UKIP) immigration spokesperson he wants "anyone in the world irrespective of their ethnicity, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation or creed to believe they may have the opportunity to work or live in our country", subject to a points based system.
What a cruel hoax when their policy is to limit immigration to a fraction of its present level at a time when there are millions fleeing persecution and seeking a better life from various countries around the world.
Admittedly, Britain is not the same place as it was even a decade ago and many who might have wished to come to our shores now realise there are other places of equal or greater attraction.
Even so, one of the aims of any credible immigration policy is to manage expectations so only those with a realistic chance of gaining admittance invest their time, money and health towards this endeavour.
He also says my letter is "bizarre" because I suggest we will need another referendum to respect last June's.
He obviously does not understand the difference between wanting to leave and deciding to accept the deal on offer.
To answer his and others' questions, I am happy to accept the people's verdict once I am convinced that they understand the likely long-term implications of going it alone in an increasingly uncertain, volatile and dangerous world.
This will require a much-improved referendum process with clearly defined implications of each decision on the ballot paper, greatly increased penalties for violating stricter standards of honesty and increasing the franchise to include 16 and 17 year olds.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Peter Hirst