Lynn Henderson, chair of Politics for the Many and PCS national officer
James Meadway, economist, former adviser to John McDonnell
Paul Mason, journalist
Pauline Bryan, Labour peer in the House of Lords
Cllr Amna Abdullatif, Manchester Labour councillor
Shavanah Taj, vice-president of Wales TUC
Sam Tarry, president of Class think tank, national political officer TSSA union
Holly Rigby, Momentum activist
Mathew Lawrence, CommonWealth
Adam Ramsay, journalist, openDemocracy
Rick Burgess, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People
Charlotte Hughes, writer and campaigner
Singapore isn’t the answer
What is it about Singapore that fascinates the doctrinaire wing of the Conservative Party? This time it’s the
management of immigration. Singapore has a population of just under five million. In addition to the Port of
Singapore Authority which maintains five wharves and terminals, there are two other wharves, three ferry
terminals, three marinas and a pier. In addition there are three airports and four airbases and one railway
station. Two bridges connect Singapore to Malaysia.
There are five authorised entry points, three by air, one by sea and one by rail. At least this is what my
reading of chapter 133 of the Singapore immigration act indicates. It’s hardly comparable to the United
Kingdom with over 140 million international visitors each year.
Perhaps the Home Office officials could spend a day or two looking at socialised housing and medicine in
Singapore instead. The streets are safe as well, but perhaps that’s what a highly controlled political system
delivers. Politically, economically and socially Singapore is very different from the United Kingdom, it also
runs an annual budget surplus.
Possibly the only thing that we have in common is that we are island states.
Chris King London N3