Romanian families: don't punish people for being poor!

A shocking story about Romanian families who have been living in an unused football stadium in Cricklewood. Twelve of their children have been taken away by social services, after the electricity has been cut to the stadium - which is going to help them how?

When Romania joined the EU, Romanian migrants weren't granted the same rights to work and settle in the UK that, say, Polish migrants were when Poland joined the EU. In other words, they had the basic bad luck to have been born in Romania, not Poland... or the UK.

My take on all of this is that people shouldn't be punished for being poor. Most people in Britain were poor until not so long ago - absolutely poor, as well as relatively poor. People would do well to remember that before they start tutting and shaking their heads at how other people live.

And Barnet council should house the families, not take their children away!