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AIBU?

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Are these people really British?

237 replies

glitterpaperchain · 21/07/2026 14:07

In 1688, foreign strangers were arriving on British shores daily. The locals complained of despoilment of their environment. Londoners complained that French was everywhere, and not a word of English could be heard spoken! The French immigrants were denigrated either for being too poor, thus a drain on rate-paying parishioners, or too prosperous, at the expense of local merchants and business owners.

(Taken from Thou Savage Woman by Blessin Adams, great book!)

That sounds exactly like what I hear the media saying about immigrants now! So when the far right are making sure that Britain is for the British, shall they make sure we all trace our lineage back to the 1600s, and make sure no descendents of those awful French immigrants count as British?

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Bringemout · 21/07/2026 14:27

Migration is a fact of life but stuff is a bit different now, we have a welfare system and we don’t execute people anymore so when people commit crimes we have to keep looking after them. I’m pro reasonable migration which I think most people are. But I don’t think you can compare the two times really.

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 21/07/2026 14:26

I discovered the existence of various societies the other week, dedicated to the firstborn sons of each generation who are descendants of officers who served in the Revolutionary war, or people who are direct descendants of those who were on the Mayflower and so on, many of these societies. And these very same people come to Scotland (or wherever) and proclaim that they are Scottish. Some people are divisive, desperate to have a club that they belong to that you can’t and never will because {reasons}.

There is no one who is truly any random nationality, maybe for the last four or five generations, but look further than that and people have always moved around.

BirdLandedonmyHead · 21/07/2026 14:24

Withpout migration, the human race would have died out millenia ago. Its been hapoening since various tribes claimed different bits of land.

SerendipityJane · 21/07/2026 14:23

upinaballoon · 21/07/2026 14:21

I think I've got some African and Viking and Roman in me.

We all have "some African" in us. It's where we evolved.

glitterpaperchain · 21/07/2026 14:23

mishmashmess · 21/07/2026 14:15

It's always been the case. Wait till they hear about what happened in 1066. And will they be tossing out King Charles (and French / German / Belgian Nige, for that matter).

Yes doesn't Rupert Lowe like to talk about Brits as Anglo Saxons? So only going back to the 1600s is pretty tame really!

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RanniTheWitch · 21/07/2026 14:22

Yeah it’s always been the way. People a few hundred years ago were really not much different from us except they had less technology. They still believed that the old ways were better, and constantly complained about things like immigration, youth culture, and people being work-shy.

upinaballoon · 21/07/2026 14:21

lightseeker · 21/07/2026 14:18

Maybe Reform voters should all be forced by law to send in a DNA sample to Ancestry.com?

The British are one of the most mixed nationalities on earth.

I think I've got some African and Viking and Roman in me.

lightseeker · 21/07/2026 14:18

Maybe Reform voters should all be forced by law to send in a DNA sample to Ancestry.com?

The British are one of the most mixed nationalities on earth.

PrizedPickledPopcorn · 21/07/2026 14:17

So your argument is that people were unreasonable in 1688, and are unreasonable now?
The information could be received as, ‘Twas ever thus, and not in fact a far right resurgence after all.’.

mishmashmess · 21/07/2026 14:15

It's always been the case. Wait till they hear about what happened in 1066. And will they be tossing out King Charles (and French / German / Belgian Nige, for that matter).

glitterpaperchain · 21/07/2026 14:13

lightseeker · 21/07/2026 14:11

I think your premise is a bit silly OP, tbh. But yes, of course it's true that immigration is a fact of life.

Sounds perfectly sensible compared to what some Restore politicians say, I think!

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lightseeker · 21/07/2026 14:11

I think your premise is a bit silly OP, tbh. But yes, of course it's true that immigration is a fact of life.