MR Olliver correctly writes about the importance of other Middle Eastern countries in addressing the biggest migration crisis of modern times. (Syrian Vote Makes Sense, November 10th).

He is also right to highlight that the right to asylum and the right to claim welfare are different things. However, to suggest that Britain doesn't have a role to play in the face of a crisis that we are partly responsible for creating and to cite the burdens of austerity as a reason for inaction is a conceited viewpoint and I refute it entirely.

The fact is that 3,000 child refugees equates to roughly 5 per UK constituency, hardly a 'burden' especially in an excellent care providing borough like ours.

On the wider principle, it is hypocritical for an interventionist nation like Britain to attack people for seeking a better life here.

It should be unpalatable to anyone who is 'thinking with their head', that as a country we berate those who seek refuge from conflicts that have roots in our own foreign policy.

Jewish people, black people, Indians, the Irish, Eastern Europeans and in this instance Muslims. All were attacked as unworthy outsiders at one time or another. All were seeking better fortunes here for a host of reasons, including decisions taken in Britain that affected their homelands.

To infer, as Mr Olliver did, that Britain only offered help to Jewish refugees in the 1930s because they were viewed as 'culturally similar' is to airbrush history. A headline from the Daily Mail in 1938 read, 'German Jews Pour Into This Country'. The outrage expressed in that article matches much of the sentiment in todays debate. The fact is that there are obvious parallels between what happened in the 1930s and what is happening presently and it would be churlish to deny as much.

This is just one of a range of huge issues that we face. No one person has the answers but attitude is what is important here. If, as a nation, we want to hold ourselves up as a beacon of freedom to the world, to the extent that we are prepared to use military force in other nations under that mantra, we should not be surprised when those who suffer from the ensuing conflict aspire to send their children here.

These are children who instead of being orphaned, nation-less and frightened could one day become proud, contributing British citizens if only we were a little more progressive in our approach.

In my opinion, both head and heart oblige us to help.

Shaun Ennis, Davyhulme