Personal stories of outsiders who have come to Britain hit home
|
Version 0 of 1. Your stories of immigrants (‘I am here to stay...’, G2, 24 March) were sometimes heartwarming, but are they representative? Twelve per cent said they would support immigration controls. That does fit with recent polls of Ukip supporters. Forty-five per cent of them have higher education, including professors, partners in law firms, doctors and Shakespeare fans. Of the UK population as a whole, between 26% and 40% have a degree (Most people in the UK do not go to university – and maybe never will, theguardian.com, 4 June 2013), so these immigrants were more highly educated than the mass. This was clear from the literate and well-written pieces from most. I know that you wanted to bring their human stories to us, not to do a formal poll, but human stories appeal to the heart, not the head.Dr John DaviesLancaster • I was incredibly moved by the personal stories in Tuesday’s G2, but none more so than Marzanna’s. As a fellow incomer, albeit south Wales is a lot closer to Scotland (and arguably less foreign), I have also been made welcome and embraced the wonders of the “dear green place”. I felt a lump in my throat at “Glasgow is my place”, and the tears were flowing by the familiar, but always moving, final line; I too belong to Glasgow, and Glasgow belongs to me.Philippa ManleyGlasgow • Meera Syal’s success story in this country (Growing up between cultures is tough – until you realise it’s a creative blessing, 24 March) should be used as a template for all would-be immigrants. She has made every effort to integrate through hard work and study; preserved the good things about her culture, like a respect for elders; and ditched the bad things about her culture, like forced marriage and female subjugation. Above all she has discovered, as many immigrants have discovered before her, that being an outsider can be a positive force for creativity and entrepreneurialism rather than a negative force for rejection and marginalisation.Stan LabovitchWindsor, Berkshire |