The commentators                    30-10-14

...on immigration

The thing we need to remember is that, while it’s a problem, it’s ultimately a problem of success. People want to come here because this is a stable society with a stable economy, not to mention one of the best places in the world to build a life. And most of those people are not the poor, huddled masses that we picture storming the fences at Calais, but members of the aspirational middle class - at least in the context of their own countries.
- Robert Colville, Daily Telegraph
Suzanne Moore
.We are indeed swamped. By stories about immigration. Someone somehow has decided that stories about immigrants are top of every news agenda at every hour. We are under siege from great hordes of immigrants as we wave around our “lavish” benefits. They climb over huge fences erected to protect politicians from protestors. They dangle on spikes of barbed wire, half-gone from exhaustion. No one can stop them. All the systems that are meant to control their numbers are in disarray.
- Suzanne Moore, The Guardian
no foreign power could have inflicted more damage on Britain than our treacherous political class has done through its wilful demolition of our borders and its aggressive imposition of the dogma of diversity. We are living through the most profound social revolution in our history.
- Leo McKinstrey, Daily Express
In a global economy, immigration is really important for Britain, but the system needs to be controlled and managed so it is fair. The asylum backlogs are growing, the crisis in Calais is continuing, and 175,000 people here illegally are not being sent home. That’s why Labour are calling for stronger border controls to tackle illegal immigration, action against agencies who only recruit from abroad to undercut local wages and jobs, stronger English language requirements, and better integration.
- Yvette Cooper, The Independent
Thursday 25 September Judges for the Editorial Intelligence comment awards announced their shortlists today, with ten nominations for the FT, nine for the Times, five for the Guardian, four for the Independent - and two for SubScribe. 
The Times and Sunday Times scored a clean sweep in nominations for the main award of commentariat of the year, which will be decided between David Aaronovitch, Camilla Cavendish, Daniel Finkelstein and last year's winner Caitlin Moran.
Guardian's Jay Rayner was shortlisted in the food writer category, but said that he did not wish to be considered as that award is sponsored by Tesco. 
The awards will be presented on November 25. 
See the full shortlists here
The decision to free Roberts is clearly  of great public interest,  so the story required prominence. Of course it was appropriate to seek the opinions of those close to the victims and interested parties. Their reaction, however, was predictable...it would have been good to learn what is involved in preparing an institutionalised 78-year-old man for life in the outside world? Where will he live? What money will he have to live on? What benefits will he receive? Will he be given a new identity? What, if any, consideration has been given to the company he will keep, bearing in mind that a man who has been incarcerated for two-thirds of his life is likely to be acquainted almost exclusively with criminals?
SubScribe The release of Harry Roberts and how the murders were reported
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October 29
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