DAY in, day out, we hear about the dire shortages of doctors, nurses, ambulance and lorry drivers etc, with no qualified workers to fill the gaps.
At the same time we see daily, pictures of desperate refugees from war-torn areas arriving on our shores, only to be herded like cattle into an old, derelict army barracks until Priti Patel and co work out how to get rid of them.
The fact that these folk have fled for their lives from a situation that we can barely imagine does not preclude there being fully qualified personnel among them who could fill these vacancies, at least while we have this dire need of workers in so many fields and while their asylum claims are being processed. They could be housed, meanwhile, in some of the many unoccupied homes the MOD owns around the country and at least be treated with dignity as valuable human beings.
READ MORE: Michelle Mone among 10 Tory politicians to refer firms through Covid 'VIP lane'
Of course, they are “foreigners” and as such, not fit to treat Great British patients etc. Better to let our desperately ill lie in corridors untreated and our supermarket shelves lie empty than descend to that level.
Instead of these parochial, exceptionalist attitudes, how about a bit of joined-up thinking that combines self-interest, pragmatism and compassion, or is that too much to expect of a Tory government?
P Davidson
Falkirk
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here