Letter: Our ‘Liberal’ Society is Now Showing Its True Racist Qualities

Published on: 28 Jun, 2016
Updated on: 28 Jun, 2016

From Chris Ogle

In response to the letter: Hysteria Over the Referendum Result is Absurd.

So it was all about immigration was it? And yet now we are being told actually immigration is not going to be affected.

Control? Does that equate to telling people to go home. My son, as English as they come but with brown complexion, was asked in a pub where he works, by a regular customer, when is he going home.

Our ‘liberal’ society is now showing its true racist qualities. Being concerned about that, I would suggest, is not hysteria.

Responses to Letter: Our ‘Liberal’ Society is Now Showing Its True Racist Qualities

Ben Paton Reply

June 28, 2016 at 6:37 pm

If a British Citizen is asked to ‘go home’ on the basis of their colour that is obviously a disgrace. I am heartily sorry. We fought to depose Hitler’s Third Reich which had stupid ideas of racial ‘purity’.

Offensive remarks in a pub are obviously wrong. But it does not change the fact that immigration is not a racial issue. It is not the colour of people coming into the country that is the issue. Quite likely most of the people coming in are ‘white’ in colour. That does not make it better or worse. It is the absolute number of people and the strain on our infrastructure.

This is objectively a problem. In 1916 there were two billion people on the planet. Today there are over seven billion. By 2050 there are expected to be over 9 billion. In 1916 long distant travel was rare and expensive. Today it is commonplace and cheap.

This has profound implications – which are very well explained in a book called An Economic History of World Population by Cippola, a distinguished Italian academic.

As one of the most popular destinations for economic migrants the UK faces particular issues. It is not racist to point that out.
Stuart Barnes Reply

June 29, 2016 at 9:05 am

Of course immigration is going to be affected. Any potential Conservative leader (and PM) who does not promise that is dead in the water.

England is full up. It may be that there is space in the other countries of the UK but it seems that the migrants don’t want to go to them.
Margaret Ferns Reply

June 30, 2016 at 1:39 am

I agree with Ben Paton. Debate about EU migrants is not “racist” – EU citizens are mainly white Caucasian. Nevertheless, it is unforgivable to tell anyone to “go home” – whatever their complexion.

This country more generous than most other European countries – particularly with in-work benefits – making it a popular destination for low-skilled/low-paid migrants.

UK citizens in other European countries do not do so well. Just try it in Germany. But please don’t blame migrants.
John Lomas Reply

July 4, 2016 at 1:02 pm

A cousin and his British work mates, who work in an office with a number of Polish nationals were threatened with violence if they expressed pro-Brexit views.

Management were not interested because, of course, racism is only a Brit phenomenon.