If you live in England and are not white are you considering leaving the country?

[GreyingSunshine]

I'm really starting to worry about our future here now that anti immigration / nationalistic feelings are running so high. Our town is full of flags, reform is on the rise (and is pushing everyone, including the other parties further and further to the right) and every day there is news of some sort of anti immigration / anti asylum seekers / stop the boats protest. Dh has said for the first time ever that he doesn't feel safe anymore when out and about. I worry about the kids' future. They were born here and consider themselves British but what if a large proportion of the population doesn't? I feel it's just going to get worse.

I don't really want to leave. I have lived here for more than 20 years. I feel at home here. My kids are at home here. We have a massive mortgage and I don't really fancy starting all over again now that I'm in my mid forties. Also, not sure where we could go as the whole world seems to be becoming more right wing and intolerant and more importantly we obviously both would need to find new jobs first.

Is anyone else worried? Is anyone else considering emigrating? At what point would you say that we (as in anyone visibly not ethnic English or Anglo saxons or whatever, ie not white) need to get out?

I won't be leaving the UK, its my home, I've lived here all my life. But its unlikely I'll move out of London. Maybe Brighton.

Its a sad state of affairs that as a poc those are the only two places I feel comfortable living. And yes the 1980s were terrible in lots of ways too but I thought humans were supposed to progress not regress.

I'm white but I'm not fully English, I'm tempted to leave- life in a remote part of a different country is very appealing when I'm surrounded by so much hatred. The worst thing for me is I appear English to others, so they try to involve me in their reform-esque gammon style opinions.

But if I leave, they win. So I shall stay, and have less and less contact with gammons.

You used the word ‘illegals’.
It isn’t just about people having had enough of various things. Racists feel emboldened. I’ve travelled in the last few days on A roads around the Midlands and down to the south and the proliferation of flags lining the roads for miles and miles is horrifying. It’s got nothing to do with national pride. It’s designed to intimidate and to shows people that they are not welcome.

I don’t think it’s worth this level of moral panic. All that’s really happened is a few people have put up the flag of the country, it’s hardly a reason to emigrate

Whereas I live in Manchester and have not seen any flags, whereas currently on holiday in the far South and there are St George flags on roundabouts and last night my Uber eats driver - a South Asian man- got lost and rang me and while on the phone I overheard one of the neighbours come out and yell at him in disgusting hostile and racist tones.

The labour party under Starmer seem to be doing their level best to push the electorate into the arms of Reform. They need to start listening and listening hard

What do they need to listen to? The country is an economic shit storm. People prefer the lies of Reform rather than acknowledge that something has to give.

I think the flags and protests will die down once the summer ends and hanging a flag or protesting outside hotels means getting cold and wet.
Sadly, Reform have a very good chance of getting in. I blame the Tories and Labour, neither got a grip on the issue of small boat crossings.

I am white and my perception is that this whole movement that’s happening now is more or less anti-Islam and against illegal immigration via boats. It is not about the Windrush people or the black or Indian or Chinese or whatever population, but against the Islamisation of the country.
People feel that a culture so vastly different to ours will threaten national identity and safety. The boat people are all from Islamic countries and sexual assault and the degradation of women is part of their culture, just as an example of what is not compatible with western values (among many other things) As their numbers grow exponentially, people feel they have to accommodate themselves to this alien ideology instead of nurturing their own.

I think those who have professional jobs and enough money will be thinking of leaving. It’s when Brexit happened mainly driven by racism and look what happened, the country has become poorer, Farage promised lower food prices etc. If reform gets in the racists will have a field day and people with money and means will leave making the country even poorer.

I lived through the 1970s and as a brown person it was a hundred times worse.

Most people are not racist now. They are just fed up, as am I.

we're Irish and if reform are voted in we are definitely moving home. (I've been re-watching handmaids tale from the start and honestly it's chilling seing how suddenly things can change!) look at the US with how quickly the abortion laws / woman's rights have changed!

Exactly this.

It was a lot worse in the 1970s when a large minority of white people were not decent.

Now, most people are and many people have non-white family members in their extended family. That was very rare in the 1970s. People used to stare when a mixed race child was with a white mother. Now it is normal.

I agree most British people are decent and kind. Indeed, up until a few years ago, most white people were overly worried that they were being racist to me. When they weren't!

Sadly, Reform have a very good chance of getting in. I blame the Tories and Labour, neither got a grip on the issue of small boat crossings.

Do you honestly believe Reform will?

You could well be getting an extreme right government in Ireland soon which would be worse than Reform.

Do explain.

Let’s hope these decent kind people vote then because they don’t usually. And that’s how we end up with these shitty governments

There a quite a few extreme right wing parties gaining ground in Ireland so I would not say that going back to Ireland would necessarily mean that you will avoid an extreme right wing government.

I mean we got Labour in. But now they have to tilt to the right, to keep up with Reform.

Yes. This sums it up succinctly.

Thank you for your very sensible post.

Succinctly, what do you expect 'legal' brown people to do if their 8-year-old kids are attacked?

I don't think your point and my point are in anyway linked!?

In white British (English) and the rar right, reform, flag wavers and painters certainly don’t represent my views or those of anyone I associate with. Please don’t leave x

Yes, they are. Because people are being encouraged to see anyone non-white as an invader.