Never mind whether it’s safe or not, is Rwanda even an issue?
In today’s MetroTalk, readers are asking why the government is willing to spend millions of taxpayers’ cash to deport just a small number of refugees per plane to Rwanda.
With a rising number of issues in this country – from NHS waiting lists to the cost of living crisis – I’m sure most can think of a better use of their money.
Meanwhile, on hold to the DWP, big builders’ monopoly, how restaurants can deal with dine and dashers and was the NHS that much better pre-Tory government? One reader remembers.
Share what you think about these topics and more in the comments.
Do Rishi Sunak's priorities match the public's?
I may be wrong but with long NHS/dentist waiting lists, the cost-of-living crisis, crumbling schools, etc, I’m not sure that prime minister Rishi Sunak’s top priority – to deport refugees to Rwanda at great expense – is at the top of most people’s list of concerns. Sara, Cheltenham
Rwanda, safe by law, yet anything but
So, Rishi Sunak is going to spend millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money during a cost-of-living crisis to deport a handful of people per time to Rwanda, in an act of performative cruelty that Amnesty International has correctly labelled a ‘national disgrace’.
This is a policy that was not in the Tory election manifesto, which is deeply unpopular, does absolutely nothing to stop illegal immigration and which our own Supreme Court has described as illegal.
In response, the government introduced a law simply declaring the African country was, in fact, safe – with the UN since stating that the so-called Safety In Rwanda bill is ‘anything but safe’.
It is now law for no other reason than an attempt at political point-scoring by a zombie government wishing to somehow look ‘strong’.
This is an insanity and a dark stain on our country, and it must be opposed at every step until it is eventually, inevitably repealed by the next government. Federico Moscogiuri, Hertford
I’m looking forward to an easyJet or Ryanair citybreak to Kigali in Rwanda this summer, now the government says it is all ‘safe’. Wee Haggis, Edinburgh
Call waiting – why is DWP so slow?
Why does the Department for Work and Pensions take so long to answer one phone call? Calling about a Personal Independence Payment (Pip), we get an answer machine saying, ‘Thank you for waiting. We know you are waiting to speak to an agent. We will put you through as soon as we can.’
We never got through and the government department hung up the call on 52 minutes. They should work a lot quicker than this and should be ashamed of themselves.Martin, Nottingham.
MRSA, cancelled operations and that was under Labour
Martin (MetroTalk, Wed) suggests an increasing population puts no pressure on the NHS (because there will be an increase in tax receipts to pay for it), that it worked well before 2010 and hints that its current problems are the fault of the Tories.
If you have an increasing population without a corresponding increase in doctors – as witnessed amid the mass immigration of recent years – this will present difficulties in the short and medium term.
Under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, there were complaints about cancelled operations, waiting lists and MRSA.
It’s been a long time since the NHS was the envy of the world.
If its staff, including its army of managers, are blameless and the Tories the cause of its faults, does it work much better under Labour in Wales and the SNP in Scotland, where health is a devolved issue and in Scotland public spending even higher per head? Rupert Fast, Esher
We rely too much on big builders
Housing is a pivotal issue given its correlation with economic stability.
Recent upticks in prices and mortgage approvals hint at recovery, yet the persistent shortage threatens prolonged recession.
The UK faces a crisis of affordability due to insufficient homes for rent and sale.
We urge each party to present a radical yet credible long-term plan.
The government’s target of 300,000 homes annually echoes long-standing government aspirations unmet since 2004.
Four primary factors underpin this crisis: over-reliance on major housebuilders, politicised planning discouraging development, net loss of social housing and post-Brexit labour shortages.
Reinvigorating SME housebuilders is pivotal. Incentives should include allocating small land plots for development and streamlining brownfield site permissions.
Boosting skilled labour domestically and reforming the planning system are equally crucial, with private sector assistance able to expedite approvals and reduce costs.
Lenders must offer flexible financing to smaller developers. Despite potential temporary unpopularity, a steadfast commitment to a pro-growth agenda is necessary.
These challenges demand decisive action. Embrace this opportunity to steer us toward a balanced and sustainable housing market, ensuring prosperity for generations to come. Daniel Austin, CEO and Co-Founder, ASK Partners, London
A haunted piano, zombies on the move, disappearing diners and missing money
You featured Yasamin Feehily-Ghazizadeh’s home renovation project and tips on where to buy second-hand furniture (Metro, Tue). I sincerely hope Yasamin didn’t experience the same problems as a friend of mine who bought a second-hand piano from part of a house clearance. It came complete with… a ghost! Patsy Sorenti, Feltham
Your Money section (Metro, Mon) on the many ways women lose out financially in life – whether because of the gender pay gap, pension contributions or even retail costs – was absolutely amazing, a real eye-opener. Money facts and figures should be taught in every secondary school. Robin Bond, Nottingham
John Bradley (MetroTalk, Tue) talks about the ‘phone-addicted zombies’ on his train each morning, with their eyes on their screens and ears encased in headphones.
It is necessary to understand that some people often use the time they spend on public transport on the way to school or work to perform a productive activity such as revision.
I use my phone to read and write revision notes as it can be difficult to hold, read and write on paper without a seat table, as is the case on buses and the London Underground.
I am also sure that people, Mr Bradley included, would prefer ‘ears encased in headphones’ to having the loud music blaring out of phones he also complains about. Alex, Kent
Given the number of ‘dine-and-dash’ incidents of people leaving restaurants without paying (Metro, Tue), would it not be wiser if restaurants insisted on payment up front? Geoff Hall, Croydon
MORE : I found out about the Home Office’s Rwanda plan just before I crossed the English Channel by boat
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