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...

😂 It’s you that needs to educate yourself.

Mass immigration / migration was, for example, the half million people who left their homes in the West Indies to come to Britain in 1940s to 1970.

Or more recently the EU free movement, which HAS NOW STOPPED.

So no, we don’t have mass immigration.

Full transparency, I can't tell if you are genuinely interested in the answer, being obtuse, trying to gaslight or just a card carrying racist. Nor am I assuming you are not black or brown - You could be Candace Owen for all I know. Either way, I respectfully decline. It's not my place to educate/ bring you up
to speed the subject racism and prejudice, history and systems of power and privilege. There are reams of resources available, videos, post casts, books. Feel free to get up.to speed and once you can meet me half way, I will happy to elaborate further.

What do you call 1 million people a year? A trickle of immigration?

The government love mass immigration for the reason outlined above.

The middle class love it as they get some one to serve them their Starbucks, wipe their arses when they are older (as someone already stated they wanted them to do), and push up their asset prices (houses, pensions etc)

The working class might not be so keen now life is starting to get a lot harder and they are competing more than ever with the new bodies.

So I ask again, what genuine problem has been solved with mass immigration*

• and not including anything that is required because of it!

It hasn't stopped though

WTF is up with people.
There's a widow in our street who moans that the neighbours don't do enough for her, yet in every interaction I've had with her she's moaned about the increase in immigrants in our area.
My kids are mixed race. 🙄

Yes foreigners are responsible for all this countries ills. <<sigh>> is your card laminated?

*Country's

Of course they are not but the constant influx of people whoever they are puts strain on our services and amount of land

It's not about race. It's about numbers, maths. It's about looking for infinite growth with finite resources.

People who make it about race are part of the problem.

In which case there's no point in discussing with you further. I have educated myself. You either have not, or you don't have the skills to actually explain yourself. I will not waste time with you any more.

Mass immigration / migration was, for example, the half million people who left their homes in the West Indies to come to Britain in 1940s to 1970

The population has increased by potentially 25 per cent since 1981. This is people coming from outside the UK. It's increasing year on year by an additional 1 million people added from outside every single year. That's considerably more than half a million of which you speak, which in the whole scheme of things is a tiny amount.

We were not having a discussion, that would require you to contribute. You were drip feeding questions, expecting answers and contributing nothing. If you cannot see what the problem is with that in the context of a point that is clearly around race and racism, I suggest re-examine what you think know. This is a well trodden scenario, don't get what you want and then cry victim. Feeling generous, so I will recommend Di Angelo's White Fragility - really it's useful whether you are non white or white. Not perfect but a good starting point.

Smoke and mirrors.
The West Indies is/was home to a number or British colonies. Have you ever seen one of the passports? It was stamped with ' British Subject, Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies'. They came here to help rebuild Britain after the war and had/have as much entitlement to come here as people from Scotland, Wales amd Northern Ireland. Throughout slavery and the years following slavery they told that England was their motherland. Many even fought for Britain in both world wars along with people from the continent of India. The Windrush scandal is a perfect example of the institutional racism and and abuse of power.

My apologies Freedom. That was not actually supposed to be addressed to you.

There are too many people here though- it’s obvious everywhere. At some point we are going to have to be able to have a sensible conversation about this.

Actually I wasn't drip feeding questions. I was contributing knowledge and you are dripping back your ideology with no critical thought whatsoever. And thanks for the book recommendation, it's not for me though. I've read enough of it to know it has no useful contribution to the discussion around the impact of mass immigration on the native population in the UK. You are conflating two separate issues and dragging issues that may well be present in the USA and shoehorning them in to the UK to fit your narrative.

As an aside, I am surprised that anyone takes Robin DiAngelo seriously. A white woman who has made millions of dollars on pushing her anti racist message but actually contributing towards hatred and division. Whilst making herself very wealthy. It seems at odds with it all. I can only assume that it's white people who think this book is ok.

I see now that you and I are having parallel discussions. You are contributing to the thread on the subject of immigration. My responses apart from the West Indies one have been focused on the racial/xenophobic aspect of the interaction not the actual topic of UK immigration. I interpreted your responses, as trying to get me to justify to you why I felt it was racist /xenophobic. I am in the 'its not my job to educate camp' on those topics, hence the meet me half way comment and no critical discussion on racism nor immigration in the UK. Whilst Di Angelo is not perfect it is accessible for those people who want to be allies and who are just starting out on that journey.

The view that 'they are coming over here taking our x ', =add subject (s) of choice in this context, has been around since before I was born and is usually a way of try to legitimise racist/xenophobic views. Hence my comment about smoke and mirrors. There are places it is healthy to expose yourself to views you disagree with or find just plain reprehensible. I do not think your your home or your neighbourhood is one of them, if you can avoid it. The OP from the sounds of it did not solicit those views and therefore should not have been subjected to them. Views that it is ok for the neighbour to the OP are IMO enabling racist/xenophobic narratives. As for those that say educate her that's just plain offensive. Just politely cut her off - your limbic system will go crazy every time you have to interact with her, 'sorry, can't stop...' was made for people like this.

I am not engaging in the UK immigration issue because, it seems to me many people aren't really interested in anything other than reinforcing stereotypes.

Although the op says

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

So I'm surprised that you're not engaging with it when it's what the ops neighbor is talking about. (Unless of course the op is going to come and drip feed some new information at this late stage.)

I don't believe any stereotypes are being reinforced here. Just facts about what mass immigration does to the native population.

There's nothing in the op to suggest the neighbour is either racist or xenophobic. Just a visceral response from the op, and many others on this thread that she must be those things because she dares speak of the impact of mass immigration on this country.

It's easy to make talk of immigration
all about race and xenophobia. It's a quick way to shut people down, and it did work once, although of course, looking at this thread, it's heartening to see that people are not being driven away by such mindless accusations anymore. And quite rightly so.

Your casual ageism speaks volumes. It's not worth engaging with people like you.

Well said. Thank you.

We have to agree to disagree. on the neighbour. That behaviour is unacceptable and should not be defended. Its easy to dismiss xenophobic and racist behaviour as just being emotional. Facts are an interesting thing - For the neighbour, immigration means less appointments, I read a study, that showed waiting times went down in an area with increased immigration. Its doesn't make it any more relevant for the whole country than the neighbours racist opinion.

Happy to contribute to a discussion on immigration in contexy, on a thread dedicated to the topic. A thread that enables racists snd and xenophobes is not the plsce.

That behaviour is unacceptable and should not be defended

You make little sense. What sort of behaviour? Your reading in to something that simply isn't there. I think you should do more reading. I'm happy to leave it there. We have little to offer each other.

I don't need to make sense to you and I don't need your validation.