Readers' Letters: Schengen Agreement is to blame for Britain's migrant crisis

Illegal migrants leave an RNLI lifeboat that picked them up at sea while crossing the English Channel from France (Picture: Henry Nicholls/AFP)

It needs to be recognised that the immigrant crisis faced by the UK and Northern Europe is a direct consequence of the EU Schengen Agreement, which successively came into force between 1995 and 2009, and removed internal Border checks within the EU. This allows migrants and asylum seekers entering the EU in Southern Europe to migrate (without challenge) across the entirety of the EU to their country of choice in Northern Europe, without challenge, with countries along the way happy to pass and encourage the problem onto their neighbours. By placing pan-European ideology and convenience ahead of internal security, and making no effort to contain migrants within Southern Europe until their claims are processed, the EU continues to exacerbate (and unwittingly encourage) the problem.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, seems to assume the problem is purely down to criminal gangs whom he (somewhat naively) thinks can be easily crushed. He fails to recognise the role that hostile state actors may be playing in this crisis, and is assuming that people-smuggling gangs can be suppressed in a way that governments have singularly failed to achieve with other highly lucrative forms of organised crime (such as the illegal drugs trade).

What is needed to resolve matters is an Anglo-European agreement, whereby freedom of movement within the EU is restricted to EU citizens, with migrants and asylum seekers forced to remain in their country-of-entry into the EU while their claims are processed and validated. In return, the UK (and the rest of Northern Europe) should agree to take its fair share of genuine (and appropriately security-checked) asylum seekers, and make a healthy contribution to those Southern European nations then having to deal with large numbers of migrants arriving by boat.

Only by a European-wide agreement on this basis will good order be restored to the asylum and refugee system, to the benefit of genuine asylum seekers and the detriment of criminal gangs. In parallel, an international review should be conducted of the 1951 Refugee Convention, just to ensure that it still remains fit and appropriate to this modern era, where movement of large numbers of refugees between continents arguably is far easier than it ever was, and with certain nations states (such as the Russian Federation and Belarus, possibly Iran and Syria also) seemingly happy to use migration as a weapon in the new and ugly Cold War in which we find ourselves.

Mark Campbell-Roddis, Dunblane, Perthshire

Same old

The ongoing stushie over the Winter Fuel Allowance is reminiscent of the early days of the Government elected in 1945. It was the first Labour government ever elected with a commanding majority. During the election campaign the Labour Party had stressed the need for an immediate increase in the Old Age Pension.

In the event, the first action of the new government was to substantially increase the salary of MPs and, to the rage of many, it was some time before the pension was increased.

S Beck, Edinburgh

No respect

As I understand it the Scottish Government is required to operate a balanced budget.

How, then, does Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrive at the conclusion that the SNP has brought about a “financial mess which is of their own making from the last 17 years”?

Is it because he has not made any attempt to understand Scottish affairs or because he intends to deliberately mislead the Scottish electorate? Either way it shows up his disregard for the promise he made that his Labour government in London would show more respect to Scotland than we have had in the past.

Ni Holmes, St Andrews, Fife

Wet behind ears

It is too soon, of course, to say with certainty, but at first sight the number of alcohol-related deaths in Scotland again rising would suggest Nicola Sturgeon's surely grossly oversimplified “cure” of bumping up the price has been an abject failure. Many predicted her minimum pricing strategy simply would not work. And it hasn't.

Those Scots with a problem drinker among family or friends – a great number, I would venture – could have told the SNP that price is never a problem for the addicted, much as it is not with drugs. The SNP “answer” simply made life more difficult for the moderate, non-problem drinkers, who make up the vast majority.

The nationalist minister in charge seemed, in a TV interview, completely out of her depth, despite the SNP army of special advisers available to coach her answers, and that did not bring confidence for the future. It is never too late to learn, and better still to listen. An entirely new approach is needed.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Rail praise

I was one of the 1,500 or so people stranded at various points on the West Coast mainline over Monday night into Tuesday morning. Our experience on the London to Edinburgh train we joined at Preston at about 5.50pm was very different from that of the people Alastair Dalton quoted in his report “Passengers endure 14-hour London-Scotland train breakdown nightmare” (11 September).

We left Manchester at about 4.35pm, planning to reach Waverley at about 8.20pm. Our cab booking on arrival at Edinburgh was timed at 4.38am on Tuesday. We therefore had about 12 hours on a delayed train where the crew were all consistently very helpful and considerate.

We were held at various stations – for about an hour at Oxenholme, for example – as the line was very slowly cleared of the blocking train and the backlog of followers. Our train manager regularly communicated to us what progress was being made. Sometimes he could only report very little progress, which every textbook will tell you is actually very good communication. At the appropriate point staff came through the train taking details of times and phone numbers of all those who had onward journeys scheduled so cabs could be arranged – and they were.

The buffet staff were cheerful and helpful, advising passengers of complementary water supplies and staying open for some eight hours later than they had expected. I have no idea what the driver was doing but since we eventually got there then s/he obviously stayed at the controls.

I can make some assessment of the effort involved in dealing with the broken-down passenger train and ensuring passenger safety. As reported, it involved another identical train being pulled up alongside the stranded train on the down line with some doors aligned between the two. Secure and protected bridges would have been run across between the trains. This would be in the dark, in a remote area, unlit, possibly raining, and we have no idea as to whether some passengers might have had mobility problems or were understandably anxious about train transfer in such circumstances.

The dead train then had to be removed [by a diesel unit], and the backed-up trains slowly run past it on the “wrong side” of the track. As an occasional viewer of train disaster films, I’m delighted they were very cautious and slow about that particular aspect of the exercise. I seem to recall that at one point we were told of there being five trains ahead of us and four behind, though some behind were terminated early.

I’m also assuming it must have been difficult to organise 50+ taxis to go from Edinburgh (and who knows how many from Glasgow Central) between 4am and 5am, some of which had to go a fair distance. The train crew stayed with passengers to organise the taxis, particularly helping and directing overseas visitors. As my destination was Waverley I organised my own cab, as I fully expected to do. I don’t know what the nature of the fault in the failing train was, but as reported, the Pendolino trains have a good record. I assume that Avanti will review how they handled the retrieval of the failed train and progression of others up the line. It would be interesting to read the report .

I can see many faults and weaknesses in our train system, but not amongst the staff on our train Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Richard Kerley, Edinburgh

Cold numbers

Are Rachel Reeves and John Swinney aware there are two rates of pension? I was born in 1950 so in April when triple lock is added I will receive £356, which will bring my total to £9,167. My cousin was born in 1956 (after the basic rate was adjusted up) and he will receive £460 in April, bringing his pension up to £11,962. That is a difference of £2,795... roughly £200 every four weeks.

That can be the difference between being warm during winter or not.

Elizabeth Hands, Armadale, West Lothian

State of play

Ian Petrie tells us private schools should stop whingeing about 20 per cent VAT being added to school fees.

The full consequences of charging 20 per cent VAT on private school fees has not only eluded Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves but also Mr Petrie (Letters, 9 September).

There is no “whingeing.” There is an incorrect assumption that only wealthy people can afford to pay school fees. In fact, fees are usually paid by parents who scrimp and save, or with grandparents’ help.

Private schools offer services not available at state schools, specialising in teaching pupils handicapped by dyslexia, autism and other behavioural difficulties; services which State schools are unable to provide.

Doug Morrison, Tenterden, Kent

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