we just need to think.....

It's funny. Everyday there is something in the papers or online that rattles my cage and makes me want to write stuff. And, almost always, it's something the Government has done, is about to do or is thinking seriously about doing that gets me incensed enough for me to get itchy typing fingers and for the words to flow. I sometimes wonder if I should write David Cameron a thank-you note. Honestly. if it wasn't for him I'd find myself with very little to say.

Yesterday, I wrote my blog about bed-blocking in hospitals due to the paucity of Social Care in the community. Today my ire has been raised by the Government's plans to deport people who are not EU citizens, from the start of April. Two different topics but topics that are, none the less, inter-connected. Many of the dedicated men and women who are employed by agencies nationwide as home-care workers are the non-UK nationals and are the very people who are likely to be affected by this deportation policy. Just thinking about the dedicated team of ladies who come, every day, to look after and help me. They are from many different countries that are not part of the EU. Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jamaica, Malaysia, Nigeria. All wonderful, caring individuals and none of them an EU citizens. Granted, several are married to British citizens and, granted, some of them may have 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' status but, I'm equally sure, some of them don't. They have work permits and visas that allow them to work, I'm certain none of them are here illegally, but, at least some of them, have not, as yet, achieved British Nationality

And this, as far as I am concerned, is the problem. So many people who work for the many agencies we have, nationwide, that provide home-carers, are not British or EU nationals. They, invariably, work for a low wage, well under the required £35,000 per annum that is the cut off point in this policy, so their continued stay in this country must be under threat. They may well find that they are going to be deported because they don't earn enough. Over the past year I have been cared for by people from all over the world and now they are all under threat. How is the Government planning on alleviating the problem of bed-blocking in our hospitals if they are going to be deporting the very social care workers who will be needed if patients are to be discharged and allowed to return to their own homes? What are they going to do?

As always, I believe Mr Cameron and the Tories have failed to consider the longer term implications of the policies they are proposing. Everything is connected and our politicians need to think about these connections when they propose new legislation and before it is enacted. How will the situation that is causing us a problem today be affected by what we are thinking about doing tomorrow. How is the legislation that was passed yesterday going to affect our proposals for the future. Day after day we see the possible difficulties that might be caused by a knee-jerk reaction to something or other. One policy affecting another and causing more problems than it solves.

I believe that there needs to be a rethink the deportation of non-EU citizens and this rethink needs to happen fast. We have all seen the stories about the teachers, health care professionals and charity workers who are going to have to return to their countries of origin if this legislation continues without reform but we also need to think about all the other, lower paid jobs that non-EU citizens are employed to do. We need to think about how we will cope if they all have to go. We need to think about how our lives will be affected. We need to think about who will do the work they are currently doing if they are not here. What will happen to us all if they are forced to leave.

We just need to think.