This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Why is Leicester a "Sanctuary City"?
I share Russ Ball's concerns about decisions made by faceless apparatchiks to dedicate – without consultation – certain days to their pet causes ("Who decides how Leicester is portrayed?" Mailbox April 4).
I am tired of being constantly told how lucky I am to be living in a multi-cultural city. I hadn't noticed.
A few years ago, our posturing Labour administration decided arbitrarily to make Leicester a nuclear-free zone and constantly told us how lucky we were to live in this area. Long-suffering ratepayers had to pay for signs on all approaches to the city.
Russ, however, hasn't mentioned the big one. This is the ludicrously named "Leicester City of Sanctuary". Whoever thought that one up needs to get out more. If they did they might notice that what appears to be half the population of the world seems to be living in our city. Naming Leicester a sanctuary city will encourage a large percentage of the rest of the world's population to head our way.
Forget sanctuary city, "Leicester full city" sounds snappier.
Don Tallis, Wigston
Mr Tallis sems to be confused on two accounts. City of Sanctuary is a name of the registered charity which is active in Leicester. The charity is is a part of a vast national movement helping asylum seekers and refugees.
ReplyDeleteMr Tallis is also confused about the facts about Leicester's demographic data. It is probably the case that more than half of the population living in Leicester has been born outside the city and it is very likely that the percentage will increase. Mr Tallis has a right to dislike this fact but fortunately he will not be able to do anything to stop this this trend continuing and most importantly he will not be able to come with a scientif formula which shows that ''Leicester is full''.