The "CROOKED MAYpole's" NEW CLOTHES

The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary of the UK have stated that it is their intention to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion. Bluntly speaking, these are just words. I made contact with the task force set up by the Home Secretary on Monday and already I have concluded that it is not possible to deal with these people and maintain my sanity. Frankly, it is a complete dog’s breakfast.

I wrote to them and received an immediate reply saying they would call me within two days. The next day I received an email from another person, with a telephone number, which I was asked to call. This time I was given a name. So, I called asking to speak to the person named in the email I had received, only to be told that I could not. I was told there were too many people in the office and the person I was speaking to did not know who the named person was. He invited me to give him my details. After ten minutes giving him my details, I realised it was not a freephone number as I had thought. The money on my phone had run out and I was cut off.

I rushed out and topped up my phone. I then called again asking to speak to the person I had been speaking to ten minutes previously. I was told it was not possible because the person currently on the phone did not know who I had spoken to before. It may have been helpful if I had had a name, but everything seems to be done to avoid giving contact names. I was advised to give him my details. I had to begin again.

After another ten minutes he began to ask me questions, the answers to which I had put in the first email I wrote to them. I asked this gentleman to refer to the email. To which he replied that he did not know to which email I was referring. I suggested that perhaps it would be best if one person could collect all the information they had been given and then communicate with me. At which point this person hung up the phone. I mean at precisely this point in the conversation, he hung up. How would you feel?

I have had two further contacts with the Home Office in the last 24 hours, both telling me that they were unable to call a telephone number in Poland. For example, they were unable to connect because they did not know they should add ‘00’ before ‘48’ when making a call to Poland. I know this because the first email told me exactly the number he had dialled, which excluded the 00. I sent the man an email suggesting he try adding 00 before the 48.

The next email I received explaining that he still could not ‘connect’ included the 00. I was forced to spend the entire day sitting anxiously by the phone waiting for a call which did not come. What is more, it appears that I am dealing with one team of people in Sheffield and another in Liverpool. 

I believe from examination of the source of these contacts with the Home Office that the matter has been outsourced to people who have no idea about the issue. I am convinced the people I have communicated with are not civil servants.

This is Theresa May’s idea of making things simple.

Guess what? The Crooked MAYpole is wearing no clothes.