Suella Braverman a disgrace to humanity

I am not arguing that ethnicity doesn't exist, simply that English as an ethnicity does not exist. Because there is no such 'ethnicity'. Unlike Indian or Chinese which is a distinctive ethnicity, English should be thought of as more of a civic identity, if you feel like you are English and you ascribe to core English values like tolerance, religious freedom and the rule of law then your English as far as I am concerned.

As white English people become a minority in 40 years they are bound to start to identify themselves more as a group and to think more about ethnic identity.
It was never necessary before as it was taken for granted that England would be a Christian heritage Anglo Saxon country.
Other groups such as the Jewish community and the Muslim community collectively fight for their own ethnic identity, the issues that affect them are addressed as a collective and this is why it is becoming more of an issue now as identity is becoming more relevant.

I think this is a bad take. No ethnic group has ever lived in total isolation. So if this is a reason that there is no English ethnicity, then no other ethnicity exists either.

And if you want to claim that ethnicity is all fake, well I have some sympathy. Its certainly mapping a continuous, multi dimensional variable onto a discrete list. But also, if you try to model the world without the concept of ethnicity, you'll do a worse job, it's clearly pointing at something real.

I just find the outrage over this so very odd, and I really am no Suella fan. I am not ethnically English and would find it absurd and tbh dismissive of my real ethnic origins if anyone suggested I was ethnically English. As though my living in England erases the blood of my ancestors. I wasn’t even born in this country, though I’ve been here since a young child and do have citizenship. I’d describe myself as English if someone asked where I was from, yes. I feel culturally really quite English, especially compared to extended family back in my country of origin. But my DNA has no connection to the British isles whatsoever. I’m not sure why anyone would be bothered by this - it’s just factually correct.

People describe Britain as an island of immigrants or as JRM said a “mongrel” people, but that’s true of, I would argue, most countries across the world. The fact is that ethnically British people share similar DNA when analysed - including the very fact that this dna reflects various migrations to Britain.

The topic of DNA and its origins is important to me because my ethnicity is Romani. If you tested my DNA for ethnic origins, there is no “Romani” gene. However, my DNA would show origins from Asia and Europe that when looked at as a whole betrays me as a Romani gypsy. I would wholeheartedly object to the idea that my ethnicity doesn’t exist just because there is no specific “Romani” gene. I cannot see why it is different for ethnically English people - there are patterns of specific ancestral origins that could reveal you to be English if analysed.

I also find it a bit odd because if you say there is no English ethnicity, you are saying that ethnically English people have no ethnicity. But I, an English person of foreign ethnicity, most certainly do have an ethnicity which I’m proud of. Are you saying my ethnicity doesn’t exist either? Or are you just saying you are the default, neutral human and us ethnics are different flavours of exotic English?

I am English in attitude and nationality, England is my home. I’m proud and supremely grateful to be able to call myself English. I don’t feel my ethnicity makes me any less English in any meaningful way. I don’t feel remotely threatened by ethnically English people correctly acknowledging themselves as ethnically English.

"I desperately wish we could go back to when people knew they didn’t know what they were talking about and didn’t feel entitled to voice their baseless opinion"

You pretty much described yourself there didn't you?

Did you even bother to read the nuance of what the data is actually showing? There are loads of people there explaining it, you do have to be able to understand it though.

Did you bother to open the ethnicity classifications which have been in use in the census for 4 decades?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1x04362/bbc_pays_white_staff_less_in_almost_every_pay_band/

Have you seen the BBC ethnicity pay reporting?

They are paying white people less in almost every pay band. Do you hate that young white people know they will be paid less by the BBC?

Is that "spouting hatred"?

I wholeheartedly agree with you. There is no English ethnicity, we are a nation of immigrants and our language is German. We aren't even indigenous to these bloomin Islands for goodness sake!

Are you referring to an intervention that will actually identify and require action to prevent, racial and disability bias in employment as somehow ‘damaging’?

what on earth is ‘ethnically English’? I desperately wish we could go back to when people knew they didn’t know what they were talking about and didn’t feel entitled to voice their baseless opinion.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-commits-to-introducing-mandatory-ethnicity-and-disability-pay-gap-reporting-for-large-employers

Are you going to describe this as "spouting hatred"?

Ripping the country apart?

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups/

This ethnicity monitoring classification list is public policy on the government website. It's been in use for decades. The groups were agreed with immigrants from ethnic groups. The counting of ethnicity is mandatory for many services. The data is used by the government for planning everything.

Suella simply described herself in line with this public policy.

Has this ever been described as spouting hatred? Are we ripping apart the country when we fill in the census? Are you upset that a woman who is not ethnically English knows that?
Is mandatory ethnicity monitoring in every single public sector organisation dividing and conquering?
How do you think young English people think when you tell them that their own ethnicity is hatred?