worth considering

[kinboshi]

I'd expect that most people in the UK are descended from immigrants.  I know my father's parents were immigrants during WWII (from Russia and Spain), and some of my mother's grand parents were from Ireland.  Immigration over the past 1,000+ years is what's made the UK what it is today (the good and the bad - I like to focus on the good).

The UK is a truly multi-cultural society.  The problem with many people's perceptions of immigrants is one of ignorance - and is often fuelled by the media (epecially the crap published in the Daily Mail).

Prejudiced views, whether they come from people in the UK who are white, black, christian, muslim, jew, atheist or whatever are unpleasant, but all too common.  A web-based forum is often going to be a platform for many to air their views from behind the safety of their own screens.  No one has the right to discriminate based on race, religion, etc., but they are allowed to air their views and state their opinions.  I'm a devout atheist, and I will argue about the harm religion causes until I'm blue in the face - but I support anyone's right to believe what they want (as long as acting on their beliefs doesn't harm others in any way).

I can't remember what my original point was now, but I'm sure that most would agree that most people on the forum are generally decent people.  The few 'bad apples' shouldn't be allowed to tarnish the rest of the people on here.

[AndrewT]

  Tantrum.

Part of the problem is that (even though the government are pulling the wool over your eyes due to numbers-massaging) people are realising that there is something very wrong with the economy in this country. Prices and bills are rising by far more than the actual inflation figure would have you believe. People are up to their eyeballs in debt. The demographic profile of the country is such that pensions will be completely shot to pieces in a couple of decades. In order to pay for the old, the economy needs immigrants in the short term to pay NI and tax (as they are more likely to be young, fit, healthy people of working age). So the government is quite happy to 'open the floodgates' (© Daily Mail) to young workers.

However, an influx of workers keeps wages down, so people are actually becoming worse off as wage increases lag behind the increase in the cost of goods and services. If people are worse off economically, there are those who will feel it more than most. They'll look for the reason why this is. They'll look out of their window and see another black or brown face move in across the street, put two and two together and get five, and blame the immigrants for the ills of the world.

In actual fact, for the long term social and economic good of the country, we need fewer people, not more. The only way to stave off a pensions crisis for good is to get people to keep working past the current retirement age. They can't do this if employers are able to hire immigrants to do the work cheaper. The problem is government decisions being made with the priorities of business before those of the people.

[Colchester Kev]

There is a massive difference between immigrants and illegal immigrants ... the two should not be confused.

[pokerram]

Remember booder said illegal immigrants. BOODER FOR PRIME MINISTER

[Nem]

Remember booder said illegal immigrants.

They are all the f'kin same

[AndrewT]

Remember booder said illegal immigrants.

They are all the f'kin same

*waves irony detector over post*

*results inconclusive*

*gives benefit of doubt pending further data*

[Nem]

Remember booder said illegal immigrants.

They are all the f'kin same

*waves irony detector over post*

*results inconclusive*

*gives benefit of doubt pending further data*

Just the thoughts of some on here but I shall not be mentioning any names...the italics were the clue, that the comment did not have any relation to my actual views...

[AndrewT]

Remember booder said illegal immigrants.

They are all the f'kin same

*waves irony detector over post*

*results inconclusive*

*gives benefit of doubt pending further data*

Just the thoughts of some on here but I shall not be mentioning any names...the italics were the clue, that the comment did not have any relation to my actual views...

OK. Quote marks may have helped me as you were effectively quoting someone else.

[Nem]

Remember booder said illegal immigrants.

They are all the f'kin same

*waves irony detector over post*

*results inconclusive*

*gives benefit of doubt pending further data*

Just the thoughts of some on here but I shall not be mentioning any names...the italics were the clue, that the comment did not have any relation to my actual views...

OK. Quote marks may have helped me as you were effectively quoting someone else.

But I'm actually not quoting anyone  - just their perceived 'thought process'...

[kinboshi]

Remember booder said illegal immigrants.

They are all the f'kin same

*waves irony detector over post*

*results inconclusive*

*gives benefit of doubt pending further data*

Just the thoughts of some on here but I shall not be mentioning any names...the italics were the clue, that the comment did not have any relation to my actual views...

OK. Quote marks may have helped me as you were effectively quoting someone else.

But I'm actually not quoting anyone  - just their perceived 'thought process'...

Maybe a nice thought  bubble then?

[AndrewT]

OK. Quote marks may have helped me as you were effectively quoting someone else.

But I'm actually not quoting anyone  - just their perceived 'thought process'...

Dangerous road to go down. Either someone has said something, in which case it can be quoted, or they haven't, in which case it's not up to someone else to insinuate things they might say.

[boldie]

OK. Quote marks may have helped me as you were effectively quoting someone else.

But I'm actually not quoting anyone  - just their perceived 'thought process'...

Dangerous road to go down. Either someone has said something, in which case it can be quoted, or they haven't, in which case it's not up to someone else to insinuate things they might say.

Nem works for the Sun..he can say whatever the hell he wants

[tantrum]

LOL @ boldie

I thought though that Nem is the Sun?

[Nem]

I stopped reading 'The Sun' when my IQ reached double figures.

[thetank]

I find jokes about immigrants - very inappropriate on public forums - where always some will join in and will call immigrants - 'spongers but not all spongers,' few will chip in with Muslim allusions and so forth.  Yes I might be a liberal Nazi who says no to ignorant and insensitive jokes that might be read by few on this forum who are immigrants living in this country.  Confusing various immigrants groups with asylum seekers is another good example  of lack of knowledge on the subject.

I am one of the immigrants.  Everyday anywhere I go, there is someone who will say - immigrants this, immigrants that, wtf- then some will try to say 'but we are more tolerant then others' - perhaps, but not as tolerant as one might wish from the so called 'civilised country'.   


I never made my 'foreign' status obvious on this forum as I thought it is not necessary, but every few weeks someone will manage to express their views or jokes that frankly are replacement of the jokes from the past that were about Irish, blacks and whatever.


As an internet forum, and run by British people it is easily assumed that only white Brits would read the threads.  The assumption of white is quite obvious because of quite frequent comments with racist undertones emerge from time to time.

I had few friends who have looked through this forum while back, and they were shocked by some of the views posted here and being allowed. 

The obsession that is ever present with asylum seekers and immigrants verge on pathological in this country.  Thanks to 'PC brigade' there are laws in place that at least can enable 'non-white Brits' to have some rights.

The reason I moved here long time ago was because London was a multi - racial and fairy integrated city; London is unique in the level of multi-cultural integration, this is what has attracted me here in the first place.  But with the New Labour- the word tolerance to wards 'the other' is slowly fading from the political landscape.  It is so easy to blame 'the others' - immigrants for the NHS failing, lost manufacturing, jobs and poverty.

Easy scape goats we immigrants are.   Part of being an immigrant is to learn to get used to ignorance, but it does not mean we can't question it.  And for those who wish we would go away- we are to stay here whether you like it or not

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