MARCUS FYSH COLUMN: Shocked to hear about illegal immigrants found in lorry at Ilminster

THE Conservative’s would-be MP for Yeovil, Marcus Fysh, said he was shocked to hear that the “scourge of global people smuggling” had reached the relative quite anonymity of South Somerset.

Mr Fysh, who will be looking to seize the Yeovil seat from the Liberal Democrats at next year’s General Election, was speaking to the Yeovil Press following the police’s discovery last Tuesday (August 19, 2014) of a lorry full of dehydrated illegal immigrants at Ilminster.

“I'm pleased Somerset County Council was looking after them temporarily, but it really brings home how we need to control our borders and how difficult that is with the current arrangements,” he said.

“We'll learn more in coming days no doubt, about the origin and circumstances of these people, and we shouldn't lose sight of their humanity and probable desire just to have a better life.

“It appears however that a person in Germany has been implicated in their arrival, and this shows how the open EU border policy means that a illegal migration risk between Libya and Sicily, for example, can so easily be translated to Dover, and on down our A303.

“Now I want us to welcome a certain number of distressed individuals from strife around the world, because that's the charitable thing to do. We have heard a lot about the plight of the Yazidis, and perhaps less than we should about persecuted Iraqi Christians. We should be proud to take a manageable number of true asylum seekers.

“But it becomes very difficult even to know what is manageable when we can only suspect this unquantified flow. And it is equally uncomfortable to think what degradations await so many of these poor smuggled people in transit, or on arrival, and whether indeed they are ever free again.”

Mr Fysh added: “Our recovering economy, our global language, our sense and system of fair play, and yes our benefits and services, all these things attract people to our shores.

“We should make sure we control who has access to these great advantages. Not out of selfishness, but out of wishing to preserve that ability to be charitable, to hold out the hand of friendship, to whoever we want.

“People smugglers, the selfish snatchers of lives and livelihoods, effectively try to take that ability away from us as well as the rights of the poor people who put their trust in them, should they should feel the full force of the law in my opinion.

“And as for those who think or hope that in ten years nothing much will or should change about the EU, this is an example of why at best that has to be seen as a policy of yesterday's men.”

To find out more about Marcus Fysh and the Yeovil Conservatives – click on their logo/advert on the right-hand side of this website.

Mr Fysh will be writing a regular column on the Yeovil Press website between now and the start of the official campaign in the build-up to next year's General Election.

PHOTO - TOP: Marcus Fysh.

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