Letter: Politicians ignored rising problem of immigration - but it's not going to go away

When people raised it and called for an informed and civilised debate, they were bullied and labelled racist.

Our politicians kept their heads down, ignored it and hoped it would go away - it won’t, it will only get worse!

Now, the same politicians who failed us are lecturing us with pious platitudes addressing the problems they helped to create.

It’s not rocket science to work out that if you allow large numbers into your country from a different culture, who practice a different religion, and in many cases don’t integrate, you are sowing the seeds that will grow and become thorns in your side.

Our politicians and the media have acted irresponsibly for years and in sheer blind indifference have allowed this toxic plant to grow. They are now washing their hands in self-righteous indignation.

The burden of this neglect, as always, falls more heavily on the working class who bear a disproportionate erosion of their culture, their social services, and an increase in community tension, and as always in situations like this the innocent suffer more than the guilty.

For our sakes, for the sake of hard-working migrants who are integrating and playing a constructive role in our community, we need to find solutions without making political capital.

There are factions turning this tragedy to their own political ends.

Both communities have to bear a heavy responsibility for this problem and the churches in the background supply the chants. It would be enlightening if people in both communities with leadership qualities found common cause to solve a problem that troubles all of us.

Unfortunately we are too bogged down fighting wars of the past that have no bearing on the modern world. If we can do all that, the rhetoric about a New Ireland will clear the next hurdle.. If not, we can always return to what we do best - fighting each other.

Until the light shines on a new dawn and filters through we can prepare the ground and ease the problem by moving the migrants to nationalist areas where they seem to have a lot in common.

In addition to that, we could build social housing for them in the leafy suburbs - mixing with the residents there would improve community cohesion.

If we don’t have a serious conversation about this, and continue to insult and patronise those most affected, the working class, it will grow horns and become a monster that will devour us. Time to act, while we still have a choice.

Clive Maxwell, Bleary