Hate how racist everything has become, and how quickly it’s happened.

[Silverbirchleaf]

I was just looking at facebook, and a ‘Sad face’ newsmaker article came up. Practically all the comments mentioned boats, asylum seekers etc etc. Its really getting me down.

Travelled to the south west last weekend. On the way down no flags on bridges. On the way back, in some areas, every bridge.

Its scary how quickly it’s all happening.

Different entirely. Though ,no, don't agree with what is a stronger power ( China) enforcing its will on a neighbouring country . Much like Russia v Ukraine. . Do you really feel like you are in a minority and your rights have been taken away by migrants ? Really ? I think the time has come to forgive the Romans for invading the UK now !

It’s not that easy to just show up in places like China and live there? I hope you can actually appreciate that.

I was on a student visa and converted it to a work visa later on. And I literally know friends and colleagues who were deported for working on tourist visas. China is STRICT. And I had no problem with that, tbh. It’s their country, their rules.

I think it’s patronising to tell someone they can’t hold a belief because they are an immigrant. I work with immigrant colleagues and have family members who are immigrants who are totally against the people coming by boat. The people I know all came here legitimately-they paid their visa fees, stuck to the rules and paid the NHS surcharge enabling access to healthcare. They aren’t eligible for benefits. So yes, I think it!s quite understandable for them to be miffed and see those arriving by boat housed, fed and given medical care although they arrive illegally when the immigrants who did the right thing don’t get that.

Oh and I had to have a criminal background check for the student visa. And yeah, it was a pain but I had to do it and now I understand why.

Do you really feel like you are in a minority and your rights have been taken away by migrants ?

In many areas of Britain white Britains are in the minority.

Demographic change is happening constantly, and has done throughout history. It isn't being "forced", it is evolving, as it has evolved over many years. And all of us are the products of such evolution. I'm not sure why you think that, in itself, is a tragedy?

British culture is not being suppressed in any way. It is absurd to draw comparisons to what the people of Tibet have faced and are continuing to face. There is no comparison.

I was referring to you living in the UK, do you live in the UK? You implied you married someone from the UK so now you live here and presumably that's why you have an opinion on racism in the UK which it what this thread is about? So essentially you are an immigrant? Why is it ok for you but not others to the UK?

Many of the millions who died in the world wars would feel that did pay for the country and that it is the property of its citizens.

But why are you distinguishing asylum seekers (they haven’t been assessed so you have no idea how credible their claim is) and Ukrainians from local homeless people? Why aren’t you inviting them into your home if you don’t think you deserve it more than others (though it seems you do)?

Not this quickly unless you’ve lost a war or some such.

It is absolutely forced: do you literally think British people would have voted for this, if given the chance? Their betters have decided this fate for them.

If it isn’t being forced, why is there resistance? If British Culture is not being suppressed, why the concern about British flags?

But...and big BUT here...MOST are NOT !

Most what are not what?

Thanks for explaining

It isn't forced. That implies that there is grand master plan somewhere that is being deliberately imposed on people. Whereas the reality is that it's happening organically and successive governments have failed to get a grip.

Forced demographic change would be an accurate description for e.g. the slave trade, where people were taken against their will to work in other parts of the world, resulting in lasting demographic change. That is not what is happening here, so you can quit your hyperbolic claims.

And what's the actual percentage of people that arrive via boats in the overall immigration statistics?

Good twisting of my point there, I was confused as I believed that poster to be an American living in the U.S. so not an immigrant at all, I questioned whether someone who doesn't live here can have a useful insight to racism on the UK. Having an opinion about those things and being miffed about being short changed is not the same as answering the question thread title, is the UK becoming more racist. It has on MN and I think it's a bit rich to preach about open borders when you have enjoyed that freedom of movement.

I suspect a lot of people who voted Leave just assumed/hoped/believed in all the promises. And I also suspect a lot of people who voted Leave didn't reallly know how it would play out but just assumed it would have to be better than the current status quo.

It's easy to be smug and superior in a secure job in a cosmopolitan city, but for people living in towns that were teetering on mass poverty, it probably just offered a 'chance for something'.

And I firmly believe that the vitriol poured on those people led many of them to feel disenfranchised, ashamed and labelled. These are also people who also rarely feel heard, whose lifestyles and views are not represented in parliament - all of which was the perfect arena for a strong 'voice of the people' like Tony Robinson et al to step in and 'represent' them. To tell them they have nothing to feel ashamed of would be a very powerful approach at that point.

So in the end, I blame Brexit, and by default, Cameron for creating the perfect storm.

Again, what the heck are you on about, have you really embedded yourself in UK culture if you think we are all die hard intolerants?

Because the racists have spotted an opportunity, obviously, and because they have orchestrated a very effective campaign of disinformation on social media which seeks to mislead and manipulate people who aren't intelligent enough to know better.

Who's the 'betters'?

Sorry, who are the 'betters'?

So… how do we have genuine and open discussions about uncontrolled immigration without being branded racist or a xenophobe?

So it is being forced on them?

Don't have time currently to respond to your whole comment but it's much easier for women and children to get on a plane from Ukraine to the UK and the situations aren't comparable. The risk of death and suffering associated with getting to the UK (or more likely, other countries) to claim asylum is high, and so typically the men endure the vast journey first and then bring their wives and children over on a plane as dependants once their claim has been processed. It's not that they value their lives and safety more than their children's and happily choose to abandon them (which is such an offensive and dehumanising trope), far from it - it's a calculation of risk between the journey and safety for the forseeable in their home country where they can hopefully be supported/protected by family. There are too many tales of children dying on the journey that most men do not even consider this an option, however much it may pain them to leave them behind. You make it sound like they're all skipping their way here merrily, laughing and singing "row row your boat" when the reality could not be more different.

You do have to accept that the population have not given consent for millions of new arrivals. It feels forced and terrifying for many because no one seems to have any control over it - nor does it seem anyone has even planned how the infrastructure will cope. It is now impacting so many people up and down the country. This is a failure of both policy and leadership of the current government. No one has the first idea what Labour’s policy even is on immigration, they don’t appear to have one. Tony Blair conceded a few months ago that they had completely underestimated the numbers and the consequences, but the current government is silent. Total radio silence. No action. No plan. No leadership or action of any kind.

That is the real failure here, the government are really letting all of us down. I am astonished we haven’t heard a peep out of them.

Unless this is fixed, the people Labour are letting down the most are the legal ethnic minorities both born here, and those invited to live here, because of government inaction the country is now becoming increasingly frustrated and angry. Unheard. Unseen and demanding that this is addressed.

WHEN will we hear from Starmer? Where the fuck is he?
Are we all supposed to stand by and allow this to happen in this great country known for its gentle tolerance and inherent kindness?

It’s an absolute disgrace.

That's easy. We just need to talk about it without invoking racist and xenophobic tropes or resorting to disinformation instead of fact.