Last week I mentioned the arrogance of Sir Keir after bad results in the elections, well Monday saw a new Nigel Starmer with some ideas and having the nerve to say that England is becoming an ‘island of strangers.’ The dingy arrivals are at record levels, you walk around, even Wigan, later in the evening and it has a very different feel to it. My solution, arrive on a boat, leave immediately, no hotel no free stuff, just a ticket back to safest country of origin, France usually. Then he comes out with the most controversial measure in the strategy to cut net migration, an end to overseas recruitment for social care visas. Announcing it will close social care visas to new applications from abroad.
My mother, 89 ninety this month, has two carers visit four times a day, most are, as she calls them, ‘internationals, trust me that is a massive improvement from her descriptions a few years ago. When admitted to hospital, there is always a delay getting her back home as a ‘care package’ is needed and even though she has these visits daily, when they stop, they take days, even weeks to get back, holding her in hospital blocking a bed.
Why the care sector is being targeted is beyond me. I agree with the Foreign-born criminal crackdown, but it does not do anything, the Home Office get informed of any crime committed, no I would say to them commit a crime, you get deported, no prison no tenuous human right reason not to, you are gone. Serious crime, murder and sexual, deported to prison of country of birth. Commit a terrorist crime your whole blood family deported, why would you want them to stay in a society that you felt strongly enough to hate that you became a martyr?
In Wigan the scaffolding at the Market site has come down, with other scaffold going up elsewhere on the site, there are even bits sticking out of the ground, with cement mixers working hard on the site of the food box building. Progress? Mind you the Civic Centre is now free from its hoardings and looks magnificent.
I walked the recently upgraded footpath, cycleway between Standish and Beech Hill. I assume the Whelly Loop line path will link up at some point, but both are fabulous, sadly I have had reports from people that motorbikes, electric cycles and the like have been on the Whelly Loop line already, hopefully there is a safe solution to stop them, I have seen a group, more than once riding at speed down the plantation woodland road, I just hope no one gets hurt, or worse!
Meanwhile on a personal note, something I rarely do here, I achieved a minor landmark on my YouTube Channel (TheElder Gamer) of 5000 subscribers. In the scheme of things that amount is tiny but for an old bloke who talks about Wigan on Wigan Watch, walks around Wigan on Wigan Walks, cooks with an air fryer and plays games, including retro ones, give my opinion on world news every Thursday LIVE on my News @ Ten past Eight stream it is not a bad achievement, if you fancy a YouTube channel like Channel 5 without the budget or talent, you know what to do.