to be concerned re. what is going on re. immigration and population growth?

[ClarityJane]

So many non-English voices, especially East Europeans, but so many different nationalities en masse it seems have moved here in the last 10-20 years - completely unprecedented historically. And in an already very over-crowded island.

Today I read Labour MP Frank Field say that the population increase due to immigration by 2031, i.e. less than 20 years, will be approximately 10 million and will require building something like seven new Birminghams! Or another London! Based on latest predictions in the papers today anyway.

Did Blair and Mandelson envisage this when they signed up for European Community rules on immigration and refugees? Or did they cynically not care because it meant cheap labour, cheap votes, increased profits (via membership of the European Community).

Did the architects of this policy not consider how it would affect housing, jobs and education and the resulting massive investment needed there, and the over-crowded population we have already.

I believe we have never been consulted or told anything honestly about what the consequences of EC membership was immigration-wise, if indeed there was ever any plan (doesn't seem to be, just a kind of opportunistic carpetbaggers philosophy approach of selling England by the pound).

I feel deceived and hoodwinked really. But are there any more positive thoughts on this? I find it v. depressing.

Tthere is a difference between discussing immigration as an issue or attacking individuals and making it about them.

Some posters need to look up attribution theory.

LurcioLovesFrankie but why does everyone bring our connection to Slavery and Colonisation up?! It's in the past!

Immigration can be good for a country. I recognise that. Immigration in such high numbers over a short period of time can be disastrous. As some people around this country are seeing.

William the culture argument is ridiculous. I am English born and mostly bred, three of my GPs English. I am not remotely interested in football, eating fry ups, monty python...I am quite fond of our national dish, curry.

I have felt very fortunate to have been accepted into v
arious immigrant communities and have hugely enjoyed celebrating, for example, holi, rosh hashanah, various other festivals with them. To be honest I often feel that culturally I have more in common with immigrants than Brits.

But it isn't an issue for most right-minded people. It is only an 'issue' for people who are bigoted and believe the Fail and other dubious media.

Misspixie - I know, and those disgusting people fleeing persecution - people should come to this country for honest reasons, like my ancestors, y'know, a good bit of rape-and-pillaging. (Important note for anyone who's irony detector is defective - this is satire, along the lines of Swift's "modest proposal").

Wow Eofa what did I write that was 'illiterate'? My statements were fairly straightforward and i didnt think there was anything contentious about them at all.

But then I must have missed that night course offered by the LSE on 'defending and challenging immigration rhetoric using appropriate discourse.' Darn I was probably too busy watching TOWIE at the time!

Misprix re tinmug's post. It's been deleted, quite rightly in my view, so I can't remember his/her exact words but it was along the lines of getting great enjoyment in coming to this country to piss on us because of what Britain did to her country in the past.

From what I recall reading news reports, in polling the areas that tend to be most anti-immigration are the ones least affected by it. So fear of an unknown rather than of an actual situation.

williamina, unprecedented' or 'socially unique' are not 'more pc' ways of putting it, just more accurate, as others have pointed out.

Also, if posters get challenged when they 'throw up anecdotes or experiences', that's probably because anecdotes are just that: anecdotal. Individual experiences do not add up to robust data. This kind of thinking IS by definition bigoted ie prejudiced; it ignores evidence from studies such as this recent one and figures such as those discussed here.

Hi everyone,

Sorry we should have confirmed - not all posts were deleted for racism. We also had to delete posts for being personal attacks, in particular labelling people as racists. Hope that clears things up a bit.

Is it a personal attack to call a racist a racist?

Muddled policy. Let the racist posts stand and let everyone declare them racist, or delete not just the PAs but the entire goady thread.

But why is it wrong to call a racist a racist when that is what they are?

What like British go over and claim German dole. You know. Pissing all over them because of what Germany did to us in the past.

I'm a bit fucked off at being deleted for calling a racist a racist.

Because the troll poster who I called a racist got deleted for ,err,being racist.

This thread should be deleted.

I'm not scared of ppl well depends what area I'm in but I'm scared of overcrowding and I'm worried if my kids will even be able to move out before they are 30 due to lack of housing .

I worry that my dd won't move out before she's 30 but it has nothing to do with immigration and everything to do with greedy landlords who charge way too much for poky, badly maintained flats.

AmyMumsnet just for future reference, what is the definition of a racist?

And when someone forfills the above definition, what are we allowed to call them?

And also very stupid governments who have sold off our social housing and not built any more.