Revel Barker writes (August 29) in response to a letter I wrote regarding an article of his.

He seems to be under the impression that I was making an ad hominem attack on his position. This is not the case. I have no wish to imply he supports racist views but I do disagree with his original comments.

I believe I am capable of reading his article and drawing a conclusion and, having revisited it, my impressions are broadly unchanged. I accept that in his opening paragraphs he is referring to a past when views on migrants were different and language would have been used that would be unacceptable today.

He does, however, write in a style that promotes the idea that this was a relaxed and carefree time regarding such issues and that people, including the migrants themselves, would happily use language that would draw censure if used now.

He does not seem to consider that, in truth, they were less than happy about it but felt compelled to go along with such talk to try and assimilate into British society. We have to remember that this was against a background of overt discrimination with even lodging houses displaying the infamous ‘No blacks or Irish’ signs. Was this really the relaxed and carefree attitude to immigration that he wishes to portray.

In focusing, on this part of my letter he ignores my other points regarding his view that the recent verbal and physical assaults on migrants following the UK referendum are exaggerated or non-existent, that the UK remains a welcoming society for migrants and the failure of the UK to implement existing EU rules to help control migrants from other EU states. These are perhaps less subjective and more difficult to explain away.