The whole “I’m not a racist but…” thing has crept in because normal, non-racist people know full-well the moment they voice an opinion that differs from certain other people’s opinions they will be labelled a racist regardless of how reasonable that opinion is.
Until that 2nd group of people accept other people’s opinions might have some merit without instantly dismissing it as racist then things will never change and we’ll keep going round in circles.
Such effects are overblown. You should be more concerned about the effects of an ineffective immigration system on the abilities of these immigrants to actually contribute to the country, and the infrastructure and support network you’re referring to.
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No. They get labelled a racist (mostly) because they are expressing a racist opinion, even if they don’t realise it.
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That is generally true but I would challenge your assertion such effects are overblown.
Sadly people like Noo_Noo prove this to be untrue.
@Noo_Noo didn’t call you a racist?
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Not really
Nope.
Why?
As far as I’m aware, the bulk of the immigration into the country is skilled labour, which generally results in tax contributions and doing the jobs that the country has a shortage of?
Austerity and the thieving that’s resulted from that has had vastly larger an impact than immigration.
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Reasonable arguments don’t need that preface. If someone is completely that there is a shortage of affordable housing, or not enough school places, or a lack of GPs then those are quite possibly related to migration patterns. However, that is not related to the race of those migrants or where they have migrated from.
Remember that most migration is internal to the country.
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Hardly,
My point is that opinions vary, some wildly so and sadly many are formulated on some really poor information or worse still, down right lies.
That doesnt make someone racist, more misinformed.
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Don’t be so naive. The country’s fucked because of a few thousand people who arrive in rubber dinghies every year, not forty-five years of failed neoliberal economics.
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That might be true but the fact remains this country is in no position right now to offer decent housing, schooling, healthcare and financial support to everyone attempting to come here at this time, surely we can agree on that?
Reasonable arguments shouldn’t need that preface but many people have been cowed into using it as a matter of routine.
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If I, or a n other was to express concerns about the numbers of immigrants arriving, and the detrimental effect their added numbers has on already stretched services such as medical care & housing, many people (including a few on here) instantly jump to the conclusion that the concerns are borne from racist views.
Pardon the pun, but views on immigration are not black or white
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Lets be clear on whats going on here in the UK.
We have mass legal migration, while at the same time we have a far smaller number arriving in boats which comprise of asylum seekers some of which are possibly trying to get here for unscrupulous reasons, others genuine.
All migration, despite the fact that it was the previous government’s policy to leave the gate wide open, has been lumped into one bag with the message that all of them are those few that have arrived on a dinghy that are trying their luck.
Why? Largely government incompetence I’d say but I’m increasingly thinking they knew exactly what they were doing all along.
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Nobody is blaming all the country’s ills on a few thousand people who arrive in rubber dinghies every year (I’d advise you to go and check your figures at this point) but the simple fact remains we are in no position at all to accommodate the numbers who are coming.
We can argue about the reasons all day long but the fact remains.
In 2023, it was 29,437. To put that into context, there are only four Premier League grounds that would not be able to accommodate that number.
The highest annual figure was in 2022, when the particularly benign summer weather meant that 45,774 made the journey. Even that number is less than the capacity of seven Premier League stadia.
So, yes, we are talking relatively small numbers here.
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You clearly said a few thousand people every year. A few is generally regarded as being 3.
There’s a considerable difference between 3000 and 45774.
Not sure what’s funny?