To think my friend was racist, rude or both?

This. Britain is a mongrel nation. Your ‘friend’ is an idiot to not realise that, is quite thick and uneducated it seems- and yes, racist and an anti-Semite. Make an excuse and get her to sling her hook, then drop her. Life is too short to tolerate this bullshit!

And does not warrant the statement made to a “friend” which suggests that she envisages and longs for the day when all non English people’s (according to her definition) get kicked out.

She should not be in your house and benefiting from your generosity. If you can’t turf her out and put an end to this weekend of “fun” grin and bear it but tell yourself that there will be no more. She is not your friend. This is the end of it.

She will find new friends in the Reform
party.

None of the issue with infrastructure is to do with immigration. It’s to do with lack of investment and growing wealth inequality. It’s the top 1% causing the damage, not immigrants.

Yeah, but just imagine if we could export all of the racists off to Rwanda or something!

Racism is very real. And I’ve never said it doesn’t exist, because I know it does. But having concerns about uncontrolled immigration isn’t racist. And in fact every race living in the UK should be concerned about immigration, because our collapsing infrastructure affects everyone living here already, whatever the colour of their skin. I’m sure a POC is as equally as frustrated about the state of the NHS and housing as anyone else. And to blame it on the government, present and past, might be correct, but sorting out our failing infrastructure is going to take years. We chant change what’s happened so have to focus on resolving it in future decades. Meanwhile, let no-one else in. It’s madness, like being on a raft at sea, yet letting more and more people on it til it sinks.

Good on the OP's racist friend?

More like shame on you.

She’s 100% British, being a citizen. She doesn’t need to have her family circumstances align with what you think is ok in order to be safe from removal. What an outrageous thing to say.
Saying someone isn’t English but is partly another race IS bringing race into it.

Incidentally I’m 100% not English, being Welsh. English is not synonymous with British.

Can I decide that someone is no longer British because I deem their views to be too racist and not aligned with British values?
Oh @MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack if only we could do this. We could improve the country no end. I’m joking of course. A citizen is a citizen and that’s that.

You said yourself you're 1/4 English and the conversation was about immigration.

I don't know why you've brought race into it.

It sounds like your friend was reassuring you that if Reform deport illegal immigrants you won't be removed - despite being predominantly not English - because of your family circumstances.

Good on your friend!

What on earth do her views on Israel/Palestine have to do with her right as a British citizen to be in the UK? Do you believe that some views would make someone "less British"? Who would be the arbiter of which views were British enough to qualify?

Can I decide that someone is no longer British because I deem their views to be too racist and not aligned with British values?

So you want to pay for US style health insurance - Farage is on record saying this is his solution to NHS ‘reform’.
You disagree with him on fox hunting and immigration, so which boxes is he ticking for you?

There are some issues which turn me off them, but atm they’re ticking more boxes than either Labour or Tory for me. Even by reforming or partially dismantling the NHS, which is absolutely dire, but that’s for another thread. I strongly oppose fox hunting too, and it would be a deal breaker for me if he started making that legal again. Also don’t agree with some of his more extreme views on immigration, but I will await to see his published manifesto nearer the GE before making any decisions on how I vote.

So you are saying that if someone has an ethnic heritage from outside the U.K., but is a British citizen, they need to be careful what their opinions are or they become open to being not considered British?
That is what you have written here, to be clear. I’m asking if that’s what you meant or if you’ve explained yourself incredibly badly -if so can you explain in a way that doesn’t continue to make you sound like you think someone who is a British citizen could be considered less of a citizen?

I don't have a feeling about it. Two sides to every story. If friend implied this, could it be that the OP's loyalties lie elsewhere? Skin tone has nothing to do with it. By loyalties I mean - she could be either too pro-Palestinian or too pro-Israeli (just an example) not in a general-type conversation sort of way, but by insisting that our government should do something or other either on the part of one or the other side or equally to get involved in wars to that other actors would benefit - not the UK. Immigration was implied everywhere in the thread.

I'm always interested in why so many Reform types seem desperate to pretend that racism isn't real.

If they're willing to admit that they're going to vote for a party that has racism at its very core, what do they think this pretence is actually achieving? Do they think that the rest of us might stop noticing racism if they tell us that we're imagining it?

Someone voting Reform would definitely turn me off them

What other reason than racism could you have for voting reform @Livelovebehappy ? Their policies are utter nonsense (and based, largely, on racism).

So what does immigration have to do with the thread then? OP is British. Friend implied she wasn’t properly. How do you feel about that?

Absolutely with her re immigration and reform. But a bit insensitive and rude with the line ‘you’ll be okay’ comment. If in fact the comment was made, and not just an add on to your post to whip up the weekly ‘Reform voters are racist’ posts. The thing is, people can and do have their own valid reasons for contemplating voting for Reform, but as with anything else, shouldn’t make throwaway comments on a personal level to anyone. Having said that, I certainly wouldn’t be discussing this kind of topic with someone who it seem is likely to not share the same political views. It will always have the potential to offend. Also, I don’t understand why you’ve been friends with someone and not had indications previously of their opinion on this issue? Sounds like she isn’t someone who holds back.

I have tons of these people in my life -friends and unfortunately family, as I am very mixed. It's very easy to just say to strangers on the internet bin them or why are you friends with such people ? Because it fcking complicated Sally !!

I have a lifelong friend who is in a very precarious situation where she was brought over to the UK at 3 months old from Australia by her British mother in the very early 70's.
To this day, she has no real citizenship, no birth certificate, no idea who her father is, her mother isn't very forthcoming (and is quite old) and more importantly - has some very dodgy views about certain immigrants .

Like I said, it's complicated , and I'm glad she doesn't have the ability to vote because she could be a dinosaur voting for the asteroids.

Why would you have Reform voters in your home? 🤢

Sorry for being dense OP, but were you born here?

To some, if you weren’t, you’ll always be “other”.

Nice to see that you’re only ok because other people validate you (DH and your DC). Doesn’t sound as if you’re “ok” without them according to your “friend”.

Anyone who wasn’t born here, has non-white skin, or is in any other way “not 100% British” is a prime target right now.

I find it really shocking how xenophobia and racism has rapidly risen. It’s always lurked in the shadows but until recently, it wasn’t openly encouraged.

I don’t know where we are heading as a country but Reform, Tommy Robinson et al are dangerous. They spread lies and propaganda with no regard for the truth. Their sole goal is to whip up hate while lining their own pockets.

I’m sorry your friend said this to you OP. Ideally you’d confront her about her views and she can fuck off out of your house but I understand that might be difficult. If you don’t feel able to do that, then I’d grit my teeth and get through the weekend and then I wouldn’t see her again. She’s effectively told you she sees you as less than her, and only acceptable because of your DH and DC. You deserve so much better than a friend like that. Lots of us don’t buy into any of the vile ideology, despite what’s being written in the media these days.

That's quite upsetting OP. She seems to be confusing nationality with ethnicity, and in doing so implying she only believes 'white' people to be British. She doesn't see you as her English peer. I'd be interested to know her stance on white immigrants like Irish or western European. I think people are absolutely allowed raise concerns about immigration levels but when they start specifying who they see as the right sort and the wrong sort based on ethnicity then that's just racism isn't it.

Being born in the UK doesn’t automatically confer citizenship.