Immigrants but legal ones?

Like others I am sorry you feel this way and have been made to feel uncomfortable. I'm from a small town where about 5 years ago it was pretty much all white people with a small but notable population of Eastern Europeans with a few shops catering to Polish emigrants. My cousin is married to a woman who moved here from Poland.

In the past 5 years there seem to be a lot of people from Africa and India moving here to work in care, retail, security and so on. It is a very noticeable and shift as literally a few years ago you would never have seen anyone black or asian living here. We also have a migrant hotel in the town centre housing asylum seekers. However even though all this change has happened there seems to be no issues at all. The hotel that houses asylum seekers is very quiet and I've never heard of any trouble. We have a homeless hostel just outside town and there are always stories about fights and trouble there.

New arrivals from India and Africa seem to have just fitted in and you see them in the supermarket, going to church, taking their kids to the local leisure centre, putting their bins out. I can't see what anyone has to complain about and to be fair I don't hear anyone else complain. However I know that doesn't mean that people don't and that if you are an immigrant you won't be getting the brunt of that.

My husband is russian but he's been here for 31 years now since he was 17 and now speaks english with scottish accent more or less so most people wouldn't know he wasn't british. We've also spent time living in London, Prague and Dublin over the years and so I'm not sure perhaps we just have a different view of things.

I do see on social media, youtube especially a lot of racist bile that seems to pop up at the drop of a hat so it does feel like that content is being directed at people and if you didn't look at it critically then I worry it could almost brainwash / radicalise people. I just see a big disconnect with what I have heard people say online and the reality of my own suddenly quite diverse town where if anything recent immigration has brought a bit of life back to the place.

Now that is actually quite accurate. It is this kind of attitude that will bring a Reform government imo.

If you’ve been here for 16 years then surely you know this isn’t a new issue. Did you forget the outrage and headlines about the EE “invasion “ and “swarms” way back when? We were the baddies then. Followed by the Brexit rhetoric , then actual Brexit. Now this . If you go further back , you’ll find more of the same. Immigrants are an easy scapegoat and it was ever thus. The “bad kind of immigrant “ might change, but the underlying sentiment is the same, and for some people no immigrant is a good immigrant.

I’m a big girl , I can take it and I’ve made very conscious decisions in regards to DD so she’ll never be seen as anything other than British so she doesn’t have to deal with any of the shit I’ve had to.

You're arguing against someone's personal experience.

We are generally a xenophobic country, it's just in the past it's been largely covered up in many by politeness. I've known plenty of people with mildly racist views, who would never have publicly voiced them, and would have been genuinely horrified at abuse or violence aimed immigrants. They still would like them to "go home", but would never dream of putting a brick through someone's window and look down on those who would.

Ok. I think you are deeply insular and are unfamilar with internationally mobile people working across the world, but that's your prerogative. My son has just got both an Oxford and Cambridge masters offer so perhaps he will make a home here. Or not. Who knows? He is going to be in an internationally mobile profession too.

As a tall brown man he will be yours and some people's worst nightmare, but that's your lookout really. Not his.

I also hesitated, but eventually applied for citizenship for practical reasons.

I'm always conscious, however that I can be kicked out. Citizenship can be taken back, so I treasure the citizenship of my birth country. Thankfully, I'm allowed both.

Um no. You stated and implied that the majority of UC claimants are British and Irish, they "just don't work" and are "xenophobic".

1. UC claimants include non British citizens.

So, please, do petition government to channel your higher rate tax to asylum seekers instead of understanding the broader economic landscape of the UK, the working people claiming UC to top up low and stagnant wages because, as you said, British and Irish claimants "just don't work". I, however, am happy for my higher rate tax contributions to be used for the benefit of the citizens and residents of this country that need it.

There is a huge eastern european community where I live, although it is a small town - there was a resettlement camp here in WW2 and a lot of people stayed on, so a lot of people who have names that identify their heritage but sound as local as local can be.

I think where we get into trouble is where there is a refusal to integrate. I dont mean you have to throw all of your own culture out of the window, there is no need for that. But if you do not largely accept the culture, language and values of the society you move to, even if you keep different customs, that is where problems begin. I guess the reason people immigrate is a factor- you are more likely to want to fit in if you move of your own free will.

I grew up in London, have lived all over the world and am a big fan of diversity. But when I see things like a rise in birth defects because of cousin marriage, or a drop in vaccine take up, or I go to an area where most people are not speaking english, it does make me uncomfortable. And if you combine that with economic difficulties, these things seem to be making a powder keg.

I mean speaking English is another bare minimum, yes

Definitely hang on to your EU passport! I wouldn't give it up if I had one - we're effectively prisoners in this bloody country after the self-inflicted wound of Brexit

Your post would be funny if it wasn't so depressing so see people display such racist ignorance throughout this thread.

There is a very long history of people from Britain migrating all over the world and not making any effort to learn local languages or respect local cultures and traditions, but instead forcing everyone too speak/ read/ write English.

Many of the yobs going on about 'stopping the boats' and 'illegal immigrants' now (and/or voting for Brexit a few years back) are exactly the same folk who will go on holiday (or even more hypocritically, migrate themselves) to places like Spain and then complain about the Spanish population's habits (or speaking Spanish, and eating traditional Spanish foods). No attempt to 'integrate', understand, 'fit in' by them....

As a third generation, there is definitely an uneasy feeling, but I wouldn’t say it’s exclusively an English only problem- I and many friends have experienced xenophobia in many Eastern European countries openly. And adding to the narrative to Create this idea of a ‘good’ immigrant just adds fuel to the fire IMHO. There is definitely a problem - cost of living, public services, housing issues- and the blame for these lies in many things and not one.

As long as you dont have british accent you will be an unwelcome outsider who needs to go back “home” in those peoples eyes.

Yes I have to agree with that. If you are dealing with a real racist they don’t care about your contribution, your presentation, standard of English, how many generations you have been here etc. You have the wrong skin colour. Thats it.

The paperwork being completed for a passport is not going to cut it.

The racists argue that a non-white person can't be British.

But to some of them I'm not British enough either, even though I'm white, because one set of great grandparents and their children came here as refugees (on a small boat!). Unless you can trace your ancestry as 100% British for centuries you don't count - a minority view, admittedly, but one that has either gained more supporters or the people who believe it are shouting louder online.

I agree with this.

I really think you have a very poor grasp of economics. I didn't say takers are fleeing to the UAE. They wouldn't be allowed. Tax-payers are fleeing, of all kinds.
If it's your goal to have British tax-payers fleeing, then ok.

Exactly. I even learn a few words of the local language when going on holiday so I can be polite in shops etc.

According to census data, over 1 million adults in the UK can’t speak English - either none or to an inadequate level). That involves huge costs to them NHS, police and court system for interpreters.

The NHS is spending approx £40 million per year (I looked it up for the non believers) on interpreters. That’s worth quite a few new doctors or nurses.

Immigrants aren’t going to integrate if they can’t speak the language. There are reports of many kids at school being the only English speaker in their family, that being a long term situation, not a question of time for learning.

As a country we offer immigrants free English lessons (and driving lessons etc but that’s another issue) so it’s not about resource.

Racism is always alive and well. Racists just need a new excuse to justify it and be vocal about it. I’m not an immigrant but I’m Jewish and I’ve been the target of racism on almost a daily basis lately. It’s exhausting and demoralising. I’ve started being outspoken at times, I often call people out to their face which stops them in their tracks. I can’t educate people, I know that, but I can say: did you mean to make a racist comment to me? And things like that. I’m so sorry it’s come to this, you deserve better. But it’s not going away so you need to find your voice and stand up to them in a way that makes you feel more secure and confident.

No, actually, Britain hasn't been. There are xenophobic elements but by and large, Britain has been hugely accepting of different races and cultures (not just recently but for many centuries - after all, how many European countries have had a Jewish Prime Minister?). More so than a number of our European neighbours.

For you to declare that Britain is largely xenophobic is very wrong and extremely insulting - and you should be embarrassed to make such a statement.

This person is clueless. She thinks waving british passport will save someone with a foreign accent from xenophobic attacks.

@RedMaker 74.4% of the UK identifies as White British and it will be a lot higher than that outside of major urban areas.

I am not sure the "indigenous population" will be in the minority any time soon.

Also I am not sure what is meant by indigenous British anyway - we are an island formed by waves of migration. I am white British but my ancestry on both sides is not British (Askenazi Jewish and French Huguenot). Mr Monkey is white and was born here but is Irish. Is he "indigenous British"?

Have you not heard of Scotland?

What would you like me to do? I speak English to native level, take nothing from the state, and have friends from all races. I don't only socialise with people from my own country. Oh, and I volunteer. Is there anything more I can do?