WITH regard to D J Wathen's question, "why is that other countries get rid of their unwanted guests as quickly as possible", particularly in relation to Portugal and our hooligans, when this country does not return asylum seekers so effectively (Journal letter, June 24).

The answer is that our hooligans are immature, nasty, boorish, aggressively violent individuals, whose cultural nadir is the graffiti they read on the walls of their local pub toilet and the diatribes of our belligerent National Media Sleazesheets.

Happily they are a minority, though how long that will last, whilst we continue to suffer from a role model of wanton Iraqi warmongering by that guatanamic, robber oil baron Bushblair, remains to be seen.

This country has thrived for generations on the cultural benefits brought by immigration. The majority of those wishing to come here do so because they are, either escaping persecution, or admire our culture and want to share in it. One might wonder why this should be, when they have experience of "the Englishman abroad" but they know better than to judge us just on the behaviour of a minority.

I don't doubt that a minority of immigrants will also abuse the system and their welfare benefits, something incidentally that the "good citizens" of this country could teach them a trick or two about.

The majority however are desperate to become useful, hardworking members of our society, with its justifiable reputation for tolerance and fair play, and in most cases will benefit from what they have to offer!

MICHAEL T PARKER, Main Street, Sedgeberrow.