To think this country’s gone to S***

[emsjk]

Second time now I’ve sat down to have drinks with a friend only to be met with “I don’t agree with Farage, but…”

Cue a rant about Muslims, immigrants, how the country is not what they remember in the good old days.

More and more people are starting to spout this drivel about immigrants. Yesterday it was literally ‘I’m not racist, I have asian family, but’ and then cue racist rant.

I feel like the country I love that used to be fair and tolerant has gone to shit.

@sowemeetagainbananaman They are not “hotels” as we would know them.
they are deeply unpleasant places to live.

I'm sure the owners of the Holiday Inn in Hoylake and the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool would like to see your views published on Trip Advisor (Sarcasm)

I could mention more but I'd be here all day...

I live in London. I live on a council estate. I also have worked in banking. I get why Reform are popular, I really do and if you dont think there are any issues with immigration then congratulations for being able to
live detached from it all….It will eventually affect you, as its said, today me, tomorrow you. However, I also know that politics is a bit of a sham. The system is so entwined in the economy, corporations, banks and even foreign entities and global systems and affairs that politicians surrounded by vested interest groups and advisors, have very little sway. If people think Trump has acted without the consent of the US corporate machine including the banks and even the Fed, then you are naïve at best. As the global economy is also so entwined, you can bet Trumps policies have had the green light from other global corporations and central banks. So Reform wont do much, they wont change what is not meant to be changed. However, if you think thats a good thing then you really are in a nice place because country is on a very bad path and even worse it could well be by design as the global economy goes in to a new phase.

WTF.

No, but racists also love talking about immigration and co-opting legitimate concerns into their cause, so tread very carefully.

No, but to paraphrase someone upthread, all racists are ‘worried about immigration’

Well of course they wouldn’t, just like any hotel / restaurant / takeaway / shop wouldn’t.

This makes no sense

I can’t help but feel those calling others racist and ignorant are not the people who live in the areas affected by these issues. The main parties have refused to engage with the public and instead of discussing valid concerns have stuck their fingers in their ears and attempted to shut down conversation by calling people racist and oh, look, here is Farage to —use— —this— —to— —his— —own— —advantage— save the day. Social media and society in general seem to be moving more and more to the right every day and it’s frightening.

I don’t understand what you are trying to say.

most of the places these men are living and overcrowded and squalid.

are you trying to say that is not the case?

Yes, 3 nice hotels in my area have got asylum seekers, 2 of them are open as usual for guests, only one is currently exclusively housing the asylum seekers.

The whole system needs an overhaul. The asylum processing needs to be carried out much more quickly, so that people can either be given leave to remain so that they can crack with their lives and become contributors as soon as possible and those that meet the criteria can be deported asap. Instead there’s too many people stuck in an endless limbo waiting for their applications to be be processed. Remember many of these people will have professional qualifications, such as doctors etc. But their skills and talent are languishing while their applications are processed

There was a story on the daily mail website about a “four star” hotel suddenly housing 300 “illegals”. I stayed in that hotel 20 years ago and the rooms were tiny and claustrophobic and I couldn’t wait to leave in the morning. The people living there now are not going to be living the life of Reilly painted in that daily mail report.

People always ask why these immigrants don’t stay in France - it’s probably to do with the language barrier. Thanks to our rich colonising history, English is the most widely spoken language across the world, it’s not difficult to imagine why people might think it’s easier to love and work in a country where they already know the language.

Farage is offering the only real alternative to Labour and Conservative so people will gravitate towards Reform even if they don’t agree with everything they stand for. I think a lot of people feel let down and abandoned and just want change and they will risk choosing Reform to get that change.

Contrary to popular belief only 5 to 10% of asylum seekers make their way to the UK. The vast majority go to neighbouring countries or other European countries. This is never reported by the right wing press.
This shows the countries who take the most refugees. Uk isn't isn't even in the top ten. Countries like Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Sudan,Germany, Turkey and Polan take way more than us. https://www.statista.com/statistics/263423/major-refugee-hosting-countries-worldwide/

It is not the case. You should be pleased about that.

To the poster upthread who suggests women and children should be prioritised especially from countries like Afghanistan, I feel this would be very welcome to most reasonable folk.

Tell that to the British citizens with small children living in dangerous accommodation with damp, mould, rodents...

Yes.

I've been to the places I quoted.

The Holiday Inn in Hoylake was lovely. It took in Golfers for international events at The Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

Now it can't be used for that because it's full of migrants.

It is illegal to enter the country without a visa which they need and don’t have. Or else people would get a Ryanair flight from Paris instead of paying £10k for a dingy

Is it a racist view though ?
My rant is as a nation we cannot allow the vast number of ( mainly men ) who are illegally coming over here and we are spending millions of pounds daily on their needs ( housing , clothing , food , spends etc )
For some people , yes they could be bringing ethnicity into it , but the vast majority it's just the amount of people.
I have no problem with legal migration , if they have a right to enter or a skill we as a nation need , then fine we will welcome with open arms.

We have lost control of our borders. Drugs gangs aren’t being run by the villagers of upper thistlewaite are they? County lines are everywhere now, even sleepy villages. How has that happened?

They speak English but not French, so their lives would be easier in the UK in terms of work and communication (Similarly asylum seekers from French speaking countries tend to remain in France).

They have family or friends here already.

The conditions in France are absolutely horrific.

France already has far more asylum applications than the UK, and can’t take them all. Germany and Spain also take more than their fair share - far more each than we do. In 2023 France had 167,00 asylum applications. Spain had 163,000 and Italy 136,000. Germany had 350,000. We had 67,000.

It is a complete myth that they’re all coming here.

It does feel like that. What’s controlling the borders?

Doctors can easily apply and be sponsored for legal migration. If people are coming to the uk illegally its almost always because they aren’t eligible for skilled workers migration

@NoThankYouSis (sorry I tried to quote you but lost it repeatedly thanks to the new swipe function)
There is a hotel in our local town. It has gone from being a primarily white area twenty years ago to being a real mix of cultures and ethnicities and it’s better for it.

More of an issue is the racism and aggression from people who have always lived here, complaining about someone having it better than them when generational unemployment has been an issue for at least 25 years.

Of course there are some unpleasant people within the immigrant population and there are some organisational issues which need to be addressed, statistically though I think the home bred arseholes outnumber the immigrant ones significantly.

Yep, France already takes way more asylum seekers than us: https://www.statista.com/statistics/263423/major-refugee-hosting-countries-worldwide/

You think it’s better for it. Lots of other people clearly don’t agree. That’s their opinion and they are entitled to it