Newton Dunn - "we get cheaper vegetables"

Question

mark over

Boston talks

For some strange reason last Friday’s news on both BBC local radio and television was dominated by Boston and immigration issues.
The peg for the story alternated between the visit by a Home Office team to hear from local people – something which had happened a full week before - and the fact that the protest march which was cancelled on October 18th – more than a month ago - was … er … still not going to happen.
Thin stuff indeed – but it gave BBC Radio Lincolnshire programme pieces for the breakfast and lunchtime shows, and provided Look North with the chance to say the same thing all over again on television that evening.
At breakfast, we heard short clips from the march organiser Dean Everitt and Councillor Mike Gilbert – portfolio holder for communities – followed by an interview with Labour group leader Councillor Paul Kenny during which the debate advanced little ... quite possibly because he had not met the Home Office team.
On to lunchtime, and a live interview this time with Dean Everitt, telling us why he called the march and why he postponed it – followed by a chat with one of our Euro MPs, Bill Newton Dunn … a former Tory turned Lib Dem.
Again, nothing he said was particularly enlightening – he’s a politician, isn’t he? – but he did feel that migrant workers accepting lower pay than local people was clearly not without benefits … “It’s a market place, I suppose, and if people are willing to work cheaper, then we get cheaper vegetables as a result.”
Later that day, it was the turn of Look North to keep the story going - ad nauseam.
There was a filmed report - again including Dean Everitt and Councillor Gilbert – and then another live interview with Bill Newton Dunn … you’ve got to get your money’s worth when there’s an MEP in town.
We’re not experts as far as body language is concerned, but we have to say we wondered why Mr Newton Dunn spoke with his eyes nearly closed for much of the interview. One of the many websites devoted to the subject suggests:” Closing the eyes shuts out the world. This can mean 'I do not want to see what is in front of me, it is so terrible.' Sometimes when people are talking they close their eyes. This is an equivalent to turning away so eye contact can be avoided.”
Whatever the reason, Mr Newton Dunn came up with another bon mot along the lines of the morning’s quote on wages – this time on pressures caused by immigration. “It’s a seasonal business in the Boston area, picking the fruit and vegetables, so its very hard to plan and it puts a great strain at peak times.”
Perhaps as well as keeping his eyes closed, he does not listen too closely as well.
He reminded us that we were “all Europeans together” and banged the same drum that he had earlier in the day - that the real problem was illegal immigration from countries like Africa.
All of this made Friday one of those days that we dislike.
A quiet news agenda for the BBC – it was Children in Need, so they all had more important things to think about – meant that the Boston story was an easy knock-off … even though there was no real news peg to speak of.
Perhaps understandably, people seem obliged to accept an invitation to broadcast – even if there is really nothing to say.
The result was around 15 minutes of air time dedicated – yet again - to a negative portrait of Boston.
A simple refusal  from those approached would have spared us from still more poor publicity.
“I’m sorry, there’s really nothing to add, so I hope you won’t mind if I don’t take part,” is the kind of answer that we had in mind – one that would have sent the newshounds from the BBC baying after another, more malleable victim.
Only one thing was of real interest in all of this.
At the end of the BBC Radio Lincolnshire breakfast show interviews, presenter Rod Whiting read out the following – almost by way of a disclaimer.

“A statement by the UK Border Agency says that Home Office researchers recently visited Boston with the support of the council to listen to the views of public service providers, local residents and employers on migration. It’s part of a larger piece of work looking at the impact of migrants on public services in the UK and is not specific to Boston.”

We find it very strange that  someone felt the need to issue such a clarification  - and wonder why.
We also find the statement oddly contradictory when compared with the press release which quoted council leader Peter Bedford when the march was postponed.
“We had not been able to say anything until now about the sensitive talks we were having with the Home Office over the past few months which have concluded only recently with the Home Office agreeing to come to Boston to speak to people here about issues around immigration. I hope this provides an answer to critics who have accused us of having our heads in the sand and doing nothing.”
If nothing else, the statement suggested by omission that the talks were “specific to Boston,” and to learn now that Boston was simply added to the route of a travelling sideshow is a great disappointment.
Perhaps some clarification might be helpful.

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