Aditya Chakrabortty’s account of his trip to Llanelli made for grim reading about the way in which ministers’ sloganising has shaped the debate, the lived experience of those seeking asylum and the communities called on to host them (This horror story visited on South Wales by Suella Braverman could be coming to a street near you, 24 August).
It was especially depressing that a local anti-racist activist suggested that opposition to the far right was proving difficult because “all our usual sources of moral authority have gone”. He was referring to the churches and the Labour party.
It’s now almost 60 years since Harold Wilson told party members that “Labour is nothing if not a moral crusade” – six months later he went on to win a hard-fought general election. Perhaps Keir Starmer should take his cue from history – otherwise things could get very nasty indeed.
Les Bright
Exeter
• The backlash against refugees described by Aditya Chakrabortty appears to be widespread. In our neighbouring village of Kegworth, the arrival of a large number of mainly Afghan refugees has been met with local hostility, leading to protests, the spread of misinformation and the closure of the village Facebook page due to the vitriol posted.
The feelings of those who are sympathetic to their plight are usually given little space next to the protests and other actions by extreme rightwing groups who use the issue to gain support.
Dr Michael Symonds
Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire
• It almost seems that the government has a vested interest in inflating the cost of housing asylum seekers. The higher the cost, the angrier the Daily Mail headlines and the more likely people will be roused to vote Conservative out of resentment.
That’s the only reason I can think of for workmen to “pull out the ... innards” of the Stradey Park hotel. Partial demolition costs money. If the Home Office wants to put in more people than the hotel would have taken, then add some bunk beds. There is no justification in ruining the building so it will never again be “the jewel in Llanelli’s crown”. As with Robert Jenrick ordering murals for children to be painted over, it seems it is better to spend public funds on destruction than to appear humane.
From the new investment fund owners of Stradey Park to the demolition contractors, profit is made from misery, with no expense spared. No wonder the council leader says he’s embarrassed and ashamed.
Judith Martin
Winchester
• The idea that disagreement in Llanelli with the government’s policy for housing immigrants at Stradey Park hotel is rooted in some fascist surge locally, as part of a dark national trend, is a crude and unhelpful appraisal of the feelings and concerns involved. In the media, evil is always on the rise.
The banners saying “We weren’t asked” mean exactly that. Just like the population weren’t asked if they wanted Rishi Sunak, underpaid jobs and back-breaking inflation. That this is working-class activism and not a group of woke, middle-class students, does not mean it must be far-right or misguided. It may comfort journalists in London to imagine a bogey man luring the British public towards the far right, but the truth is much simpler. We weren’t asked and you never listen.
Marty Pardoe
Gorseinon, Swansea
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