Why is there so much more anti immigration sentiment NOW?

[GreyWasp]

Half my family are Indian and came over in the 50s. My British Indian dad (born here) said he has always been very lucky to have not experienced much hate and discrimination. He has a wide friendship network of people from all backgrounds. I’m not saying racism doesn’t exist. Not at all, just that the environments my dad was placed in outright racism was minimal. And he felt pretty much like a normal British lad going to school, uni, clubs, bars etc. My white grandparents had their concerns in the 90s when my parents married mostly in regards to potential bullying any future grandchildren would experience but really they were fine with their marrying. I have genuinely never had one negative experience (granted I have been in somewhat privileged situations in middle class areas in the South plus am white passing but do look ambiguous when tanned).

In recent years I have noticed a shift (for the worse) in terms of negative sentiment towards immigrants/poc. For me, it’s the worst it’s ever been. I certainly did not feel it 10/15 years ago. I see SO many racist comments on social media. Was not the case previously.

Im just interested in having a discussion why this could possibly be the case? People are definitely more woke now than they have ever been.

Is it the social media sites themselves? Less moderation? More political influencers?
More media attention?
People looking for an excuse to blame the economic decline (pandemic, brexit, col etc)?

Just curious what people’s thoughts are?

To add, but can't edit. The issue with getting close to that outcome is seen on all these threads

People can't discuss the necessary changes in law to get there

Reform are supported by about 25% in current opinion polls. Years ago that would be a distant third place (see the SDP/Liberal Alliance in 1983). Nowadays with the support for other than the two historic main parties, that puts them first or second.

If we had a system of PR, they would be marginalised and nowhere near any chance of being in government with that share of the vote.

There are some choices on migration which can be made. I have never seen a government in my lifetime have the appetite to do them. The issue is always the economy and the refusal of a government to accept that they will need to make huge investments in the current British population to skill them up. That always wins.

Surely PR would give them more representation that FPTP

Similar to Lib Dems wanting it

They'd get a high number of votes rn but getting seats is harder with FPTP

I think it is because of the mass migration started by Blair.
The fact that the native population of Britain will be in the minority some time after 2050 and what that might mean for Liberalism, women's rights, gay rights and the rights of minorities if Parliamentry representation represents this demographic.
The increasing balkanisation of Britain into a patchwork of different ethnicities and beliefs and no longer a cohesive society.

@EasternStandard

And then I hear reports from Sudan where mothers do unbearable things to try and protect their dds

It was awful to watch women living in tents having suffered FGM living in fear of being raped. I mean what sort of a life is it for a young girl/woman?

I think the point about a kind of Balkanisation is an interesting one. Though I do not the UK is very liberal. More small c Conservative.

I do wish we could choose who we could help. Families, women, children rather than boat loads of young single men. I think this is what scares people. It's not like we don't have our own epidemic of VAWG, why would we import more of the same from other nations.

Because the level of immigration is so much greater now. More people are directly affected by the downsides and feel that their views are ignored, so they become more extreme. Its happening all over Europe.

@Signalbox

I wish we could choose who we could help. Families, women, children rather than boat loads of young single men. I think this is what scares people

I agree & I would be curious to know whether those in favour of allowing anyone in would be happy if their local hotel got turned into a migrant hotel. I think sometimes it's easy to say it’s the right thing to do when it's not right next door to your house/children's school.

Se need to stop selling arms to enable foreign wars. That's what creates refugees.

We need to allow asylum seekers to work.

It's been legitimised by the rw press that is so dominant in this country.

Standards of education aren't very high in the U.K. so the people believe any old shit the Daily Mail tells them.

I would challenge the idea that RW press dominates this country, especially when one considers that MSM itself is dominated by the tv and related internet sites. The BBC, for instance, is markedly left wing, and as the national media outlet it continues to dominate.

Do you make a habit of questioning the education levels of anyone who disagrees with you? There are extremely erudite individuals who question the effects immigration has on society, Wes Streeting has started questioning the “white privilege” narrative, it is becoming increasingly accepted that certain cultures clash with accepted British values.

Anyone who can apply critical thinking realises that the level of net migration is not sustainable and is affecting the quality of life here.

What does show a lack of intellect is the inability to form a coherent argument against any of the above points and resorting to trying to shut down debate by using one of the magical words, in this case “racism”. However, magic only works if all parties believe in it. Luckily words being used to shut down debate are becoming impotent as more people move into reality. Unfortunately, due to the misuse of words like racism, the power of these words no longer exists where it is important and accurate to use them. It’s essentially a case of “The boy who cried wolf”

But you’re one of the highly educated ones who sees through it all, right? 🤔

It's very closely related to the area where you live IMO. Here (rural SW), the population is 97% white and predominantly Methodist. PoC are the minority, but a 10 acre piece of agricultural land has been bought as a Muslim cemetery to serve an area west of Gloucester, which is 150 miles away. Locally, it is not popular.

So even the dead 'immigrants' are upsetting the locals.

Thank you for your considered feedback. It seems like you have a fair amount of emotion under there and I appreciate you putting so much energy into my post.

I didn't compare the two, you aren't reading what i actually said.

The fact is throughout history there has been anti "other" rhetoric, this is not new and ranges from low level "they're taking our jobs" to using rhetoric to justify horrific acts. It's not neither/or.

I simply point out that anti immigrant rhetoric (aka. othering) can lead to atrocities and we should never assume that relatively innocuous sentiments can't lead to terrible events. Anyone who wants to ignore that is, in my view, naive at best and actively minimising those events at worst.

It was not one man's lunatic fantasies, the people were complicit in his actions and that was based on "othering" people. This isn't controversial. In fact, basic knowledge of that time - that one gets in secondary education - makes that clear. It does not take much effort to read about this.

I am also intrigued as to your assumption about my own background including my ancestors of that era.

It'd be helpful for you to reflect on what meaning you placed on my wording, as I was very specific in what I wrote. I suspect you won't because in the bad guy in this exchange but what can I do :)

W blessing.

@converseandjeans my local hotel is a migrant hotel, No locals don’t like it and that includes my non white face and that of the neighbours I know who are also not white. The white ones seem the least bothered. Two reasons I feel, white guilt which I think needs sorting out as it’s one of the main reasons there are issues. Also settled migrants liking the way the UK is. My Dad arrived as a documented immigrant from a commonwealth country so had some British ideals not the medieval thinking that dominates some of these countries, especially their attitudes to women.

Well, there is a shift. Btw I agree with this, if it actually means British doctors get hired. What does "boost" mean. What is the point of training them otherwise? From the Telegraph;

Streeting: NHS is too keen to hire migrant doctors
Health Secretary pledges to boost ‘home-grown talent’ as data show medics trained overseas are coming to UK in record numbers

@CharSiu

My Dad arrived as a documented immigrant from a commonwealth country so had some British ideals

I think those who came over legally from Commonwealth countries do seem to dislike people arriving with no papers. I guess Commonwealth countries have some shared values.

Because they're the current targets of the "2 minute hate"

Really? What does that actually mean?

The top three countries by absolute numbers entering the UK are all Commonwealth countries. That is since Brexit when migration has suddenly become much greater.

I think people are kidding themselves to imagine that there is some sort of residual British ideal that migrates over. Maybe in the 1950s when Britain still had an empire. Now? No way. And even then, you might be discussing a tiny minority of such countries where people were educated with some of those ideas, people who must now be retired.

@bombastix

Really? What does that actually mean?

Well I was replying to @CharSiu who is saying white people are less bothered/upset than people who are from families who came over as immigrants. I was surprised as I would have assumed they would be more sympathetic.

I guess years ago Great Britain was considered to be a place worth going to. I don't know that this is the case nowadays.

It's mostly a self preservation thing. The racist/xenophobic idiots don't really care about papers or bother to ask any questions. They just hurl(or worse ) their abuse. It's easier (and sometimes a sing of "assimilation ") to hate on the "wrong" kind of immigrant and distance yourself from them. Sometimes it's essential for their safety. The media encourages the division too.

@BlueSilverCats

Yes maybe some people who came over in the 60s & 70s see themselves as the 'right' sort of immigrant? I believe Kemi Badenoch was born here but grew up in Nigeria & she is saying others don't have the same rights as she does. So that seems a bit ridiculous that she wants to stop others from doing what her family did 🤷🏻‍♀️