I really liked my neighbour until she said this

[neighbourhoodwatch]

I've recently moved to a new area and was talking to my neighbour, who I really like.

Somehow the conversation went to GPs and how you can never get appointments and basically have to beg to be seen nowadays.

She was saying how it didn't used for be that way... before...

She then went on to say that it's because of all the immigrants that have come into this country and how our country is too small to hold all these people.

She also talked about the illegals coming in on boats etc and how terrible it is.

I am immigrant. I didn't come on a boat and I have a good job etc. But essentially I came to this country. I've never claimed benefits or anything like that. I'm on a high salary etc and studied here etc etc. So, I'm well established. Essentially whenever people say stuff like that, alarm bells start ringing for me.

Am I seeing it too black and white ? It's just difficult when someone says stuff like this to someone who also came here..... as an immigrant...

This - brilliantly put

because you speak the language, perhaps for historic reasons (colonisation?), because there is already a community of your nationality or culture in the uk, because you have family or friends here, because you know it is a wealthy and democratic country, because you are prepared to work hard and try to build a life, because you have the right to choose which country to claim asylum in (although many many more claim asylum in numerous other countries, contrary to what many in politics and the media would have you believe).

I had similar conversations with Parisians when I went to live there in my 20s. I was warned very early on by work colleagues about ‘The Immigrants’ and told how they have caused all of France’s woes. When I pointed out I was also an immigrant, they obviously didn’t mean me at all. Ironically, one of the guys throwing xenophobic comments around was Portuguese.

She's wrong. It's not because of immigrants, it's because of the lack of health workers, which is due to Brexit and the pandemic, which has led to a huge exodus of health workers. In fact, immigrants made up a lot of the Health Worker cohort.

If immigration is a big concern for yourself, I'd like to know how many times you've voted for the political party that's been in charge of it for most of our lives?

I'd also like to know if you voted for Brexit, which of course will increase immigration. Indeed it already has,

While you're at it, what do you think of Priti Patel's tenure as Home Secretary?

People who are up in arms about immigration tend to love any non white person who denies racism or demonises refugees, but undeniably immigration is up and climbing.

If you don't want people coming over the channel to claim asylum in dangerous little boats, then provide legal routes.

This really isn't complicated

Or offer them asylum in other safe countries, like France.

This.

OP yes I agree that'd be horrible to hear and is ignorant. But as you're friends, maybe telling her you are an immigrant and telling her the real story might change her mind for the better? Its worth trying and she might feel terrible once she's taken time to really understand.

What is there for her to understand? Recognising that the infrastructure of the UK cannot support mass immigration does not mean the neighbour dislikes the op for being an immigrant. The two things don't go hand in hand.

We seem to expect a lot of France in this country.

We expect the French to keep us supplied with electricity, to put on extra staff to cope with our decision to leave the EU, and to take our share of refugees?!

Are they our share?

Don't you think we have taken our share of refugees over the years'?

We tend to take a lot less than everyone else @woodhill

We are a small island

We haven't. France had taken more. As have other European countries.

So many people in this thread seem to think that none of these asylum seekers are stayinng in France. Many are. More than are coming here.

My takeaway from this thread:
People are ok enabling racists.
People expect those who are on the receiving end of overtly racist behaviour and micro aggressions to take the time to educate the perpetrators or just ignore it.
So many people really do not understand the concept of stay in your lane.

👏

You should have said your an immigrant as soon as she said that. Challenge her from the off.

My mum holds the same views and there's no changing that mindset. Unfortunately my mum has some horrible views.

I honestly think that is someting (mostly) older people say without thinking it through, and in most cases don't mean anything much with it, other than these people have shown to be a nuisance in certain arreas of life. I am not sure your neighbour really would be brave enough to actually state that she has something against the actual people.
What I am trying to say, maybe I wouldn' t judge her to harshly on that. I've noticed older people are harsher with words when it comes to issues like that, but would still decide to be helpful to those very people if need be.

I don't know, what do you reckon?

Also, just to add this chart I found..

Interesting article on increase of immigration to the UK in recent times.

archive.ph/pussF

Depends which chart you look at

We have taken many refugees alongside general immigration so I think we have and continue to play our part

Where does it end

The U.K. consistently lags behind other European countries and other G7 countries on taking refugees.

Look at Ukraine. At the point that Poland had taken in a million Ukrainians the U.K. had taken 12. That proportion hasn't really changed.

The amount of refugees coming in is a nominal amount compared to the vast amount of people entering the country legally. All the focus is deliberately focussed on refugees by the government, its smoke and mirrors, although no doubt it certainly still impacts negatively on the native population. Whilst people are looking at the people crossing the channel in boats (and there is a lot of them), millions of people are coming in legally and this is what causes the real problems for the existing population.

The most recent census demonstrates how many new people have legally come into the country in recent years. It's worth a look to see how significantly your own local area has changed.

It's worth noting that between 1971 and 1981 the native population grew by 0.9 percent.

Since 1981 the population has grown around 21 percent. But the native birth rate has gone down slightly and has been reasonably stable for years.

With the additional possibility that there are around another 2 million undocumented migrants in the UK, that population increase (through immigration) could actually work out to be around 25 per cent added to population since 1981.

We are also adding around a million people from outside the UK year on year.

People's communities are changing beyond recognition, their culture is being diluted, their history erased, it's harder to get school places and access services. When they dare mention it they are viewed as luddites, xenophobes and racists.

It's fine for the global people who want open borders and everyone to be a big melting pot of the same. However many many native British people valued their community and country. And why shouldn't they value it and mourn that loss? Why shouldn't they speak up about this change. Vast cultural change is not what they agreed to and Boris Johnson knows that.

The infrastructure cannot support mass migration. The loss of community and culture makes people's lives worse.
Clearly the Brexit vote, amongst other things was to take control of the borders and create more opportunities for the existing population.

Obviously all that has gone now, the price of housing is through the roof and young people can't buy anymore. And they won't be able to whilst the demand for housing is high and still rising.

This is not progress. Not for the native population.

Is it legal? For the most part, yes. Is it right or moral? Absolutely not.