AIBU to think that racism is getting a lot worse of late.

[AliceMaforethought]

Just read this awful story in the Guardian. Awful and makes me feel so angry and so unsafe as a half Black woman.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/20/family-in-fear-after-tommy-robinson-shares-video-of-black-man-with-white-granddaughters

The poster is saying that the majority of the population and everyone they know is talking about it. It's certainly been whipped up into a hot topic by some.

I've experienced this. Third generation British Asian. Been told to "fuck off back to Muslim land" and asked, "do you speak islam?"

I think it's important to differentiate between those who dislike and are hostile to those already living in the UK (racism) vs those who are concerned about uncontrolled and excessive immigration which is currently impacting our infrastructure. Entirely different, yet people seem to be determined to lump both under the 'racist' label.

The £500k net cost to the taxpayer is an OBR figure for a low-skilled migrant living to 80 years old. £151k net cost when they reach state pension age. OBR assumes they earn half the average wage.

Average British-born worker is a £280k net contributor by retirement. So presumably also a net cost if living to 80 years old?

Thanks you've validated what I've said through out these threads.
The NF ,BNP,C18, Blood and Honour were minority groups back in the day but now their ideology reaches a wider audience.

As it's continually pointed out on these threads, the media has a lot to answer for. You can't get away from it. How many days in a row can the guardian publish headline news on immigration? And then pages and pages of comments. It's depressing.

There is nothing in the article in the OP that would justify a concern about excessive immigration though.

It’s pure racism and it’s important to call it out.

That the victim of racism was dropped from his management based on hearsay is terrifying. Do you acknowledge that?

What about migrants who are not in the low skilled category?

And the daily heil .. leaving comments sections for contentious issues on race and immigration but closed to other important issues within the Uk

Who knows? Look it up. I was responding on where the £500k figure comes from because its quite regularly touted around

As I said before. Yes people obviously are talking about those things. You are right.

They are also talking about immigration.

I dont need to defence anything. I am telling you topics that people are talking about across all spectrum of our country and theres nothing to defend. It is what it is. You can stick your head in the sand all you like. It’s not going away. It’s progressively getting worse.

And you just dismissing what people are saying is not helpful. That was my initial point of posting. That if people can not have reasoned discussion then this will not be resolved.

The opening post is referring to clear racism.

You have a link then?

Do you have a source for this.

The Guardian? The Telegraph might as well rename itself "Illegals!", The Daily Heil, The Express, The Sun, Farage, Jenrick, Badenoch, Robinson and social media, are constantly stirring this up.

Yes, very true.

Yes, absolutely. But you can't ignore that the guardian also writes continually about it either!

We're going around in circles because we fundamentally disagree about why people are talking about foreigners. Certain sections of society, backed up by right wing press are stirring up hate and division and scapegoating foreigners.

You're saying that that means I have my head in the sand and can't see the problem with foreigners. I'm saying you've got your head in the sand and can't see when you're being manipulated.

You think for example that the far right groups currently organising protests outside hotels and people draped in flags are just 'concerned citizens.' That the recent 'take Britain back' movement of tying flags to lampposts is 'pride in Britain' and Richard Tice is just passionate about his country.

I agree. There has definitely been a shift and although I think racism has always been there, people don’t seem to be ashamed of voicing their racist views now. I do feel nervous for the future and worry that it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

The Guardian aren't writing racist articles that stereotype foreigners.

No I get that. You think everyone who’s talking about immigration is far right. I’m saying that from what I am seeing that’s not the case.

I have no idea who Richard Tice is. As for flags and protests. These are related issues to immigration as a whole. You have to be a bit mad/ extreme to be doing this stuff so yes that’s not surprising to me.

OBR Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report, Sept 24

India toured the summer he said that.

Where I worked then, we used to have a day at the Oval test every year, and we were all supporting India!

No, they're not. Quite the opposite. But they're still part of the media wheel influencing public discourse, they just happily align with my own views..

So the comparison is a low-skilled migrant against an average British-born worker? Do you see the flaw in that? Even if they both end up not being net contributors, you are not comparing like with like, but you are also making assumptions about migrants having low skills. How does it take account of the fact that we are deliberately courting "low-skilled migrants" to fill our care homes with workers. Or what about the highly skilled but relatively low paid medical staff we deliberately recruit because we need them? They are also migrants. The vast majority of migrants do not arrive on small boats. They don't even claim refugee status.

You also need to take into account that lower paid workers of any ethnicity tend to die younger, so many won't make it to 80. Longer lifespans are directly related to income, education and housing.

Although the government has never kept records - perhaps they should start - a range of research shows that a significant portion of refugees possess high levels of education and skills, such as degree-level qualifications and professional experience, similar to the general UK population. I personally know three medically qualified doctors who can't work as doctors because somehow we can't figure out a way to recognise or convert their training. We have utterly no need of doctors though, so that is fine. A friend works as a taxi driver. He's a physiotherapist with nearly 15 years experience. Can't get a job because apparently we don't need physiotherapists. Two women who are nurses, can't get a job because again, their qualifications somehow aren't quite right, yet we are importing nurses because we don't have enough, all of whom also qualified elsewhere. There are a couple of people who simply can't find work and have been trying really hard. Apparently putting your life on the line to work with British forces isn't a qualification in anything useful - both of them have degrees and qualified as teachers. No teacher shortages in the UK though.

Quite apart from the fact that migrants and refugees are not the same - some refugees may be migrants but all migrants are not refugees - there are loads of assumptions being made that simply don't hold up to scrutiny. In 2024 only 16% of migrants arriving in the UK claimed asylum.