The Guardian would know all about toxicity.
Next year’s general election in Britain could be the most toxic in decades. Two things, Reform UK and immigration, seem certain to plague debate on the political right. The latest polls show the Tories on 21% and Reform up from 2% in 2019 to 10% now. Immigration is not the biggest electoral issue for voters, ranking behind the economy and health, but it is totemic for Reform.
Fuckwit. Like the rest of the media luvvies and the Westminster blob, this man is completely out of touch with the rest of the country. There’s a reason that Reform is rising in the polls – it’s because what this lackwit just said is the precise opposite of reality.
Bear in mind that the economy and health are directly impacted by a large influx. But, perhaps, mainly because Jenkins and his snobby friends have never been culturally enriched, so have no idea how it is affecting those of us who are now prepared to give Reform a punt.
Notice that like all leftists, disagreement with them is ‘toxic’ or ‘far right.’
Excessive immigration was the primary issue that led the 2016 debate towards a hard Brexit.
This, too suggests the Jenkins is talking out of his arse in the paragraph above. People who have to live with the consequences, do care about untrammelled immigration.
It is now taking the Tory leader, Rishi Sunak, down the same path, one of unattainable pledges to appease populist emotions. Brexit was supposed to curb immigration.
For ‘populist’ see ‘a democratic outcome I don’t like.’
Since 2019 it has shot up. For whatever reason, this central objective of Brexit has failed.
It hasn’t been allowed to succeed. However, for me, Brexit has been a success – if nothing else, arseholes like Jenkins whining on six years later is a joy to behold.
Populism is an intangible phenomenon.
No it isn’t. Fuckwit.
Immigration is not a rational issue. It does not remotely threaten to “swamp” Britain, which has a lower foreign-born population than many other countries in Europe. A migrant inflow is, on various definitions, an economic boon, a humanitarian obligation and an irresistible force. It throws up social problems that need sensitive handling. But for it to poison the next election would be a tragedy. Farage should stick to his camel.
Tripe, drivel, poppycock, hogwash and balderdash. This halfwit gets paid to write such ignorant garbage.
Britain’s immigrant population, plus subsequent offspring deemed British which most obviously are not, is most certainly amongst the highest in Europe, when one looks at the PER CAPITA figures
A city bigger than Birmingham in the last 2 years alone.
What is it they say about statistics?
I noteSir Simon Jenkins never writes under the byline of Sir Simon Jenkins in the guardian. i wonder why? Could it be he’s worried about his credibilty with the left if he uses it?
My town in Suffolk feels swamped by turkish barbers and gangs of romanians who hang around doing fuck all except producing kids and shoplifting- it beggars believe that the local tesco minimarket has to hire a security guard – 20 years ago you would have been thought mad if you predicted it. There was a hotel in the town centre used to house migrants and the sex crimes grew. Apart from the criminality, the sexual assaults and the general feeling you are living in a foreign country sometimes diversity is our strength- is it fuck.
If it were not for Brexit we would have more immigration than now.
The Netherlands had 403,100 last year half from the EU – far more proportionally than the UK.
We all must be pretty stupid if we can’t see what a boon immigration is despite our betters explaining it to us over and over again.
Especially when those doing the pontificating are so quick to offer their own homes and gardens as refuges for those boat people fleeing the horrors of the EU . . .
“Immigration is not a rational issue. It does not remotely threaten to “swamp” Britain…”
1.2 million immigrants last year. That’s about 2% of the population. It’s unsustainable if you want to keep Britain British. But these people don’t really like the British. Or maybe I should say they really don’t like the British. So they don’t want to keep Britain British. Welcome to the Caliphate.
You could make an argument that while control of immigration is a major issue, it is the Governments’ inability or unwillingness to deal with it that is the cause of disaffection with the Conservatives. And probably with Labour in the future.
It is an Elites’ trick to deliberately confuse ‘uncontrolled’ immigration with ‘justified’ immigration. So, in my opinion, Sir Simon Jenkins is either a useful idiot or a co-conspirator.
I think that Reform polling 10% could be highly significant. How many people are afraid not to vote Conservative in case they end up letting Labour in? Now that the Conservatives are nearly as bad anyway and something definitely needs to change to stop the rot, Reform would seem to be the only sane choice. The sound of exploding heads would be amazing if they actually won.
It might not be a problem for Sir Simon Jenkins on his private estate with decent security and lots of comfy jobs coming in and loads of wonga to not worry about day-to-day insecurity, but that is not the reality of life for most in the UK.
Irrespective of whether these migrants are criminals, welfare layabouts or hardworkers it increases taxation (to pay for the buggers that don’t, won’t or can’t work) and stretches already thin public services like health and education.
But no doubt Sir Simon has BUPA and sends his kids to private schools so doesn’t give a shit.
Dear Mr Longrider
The immigration figures overlook a more far-reaching fact – 30% of births in England and Wales are to foreign born mothers:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths
In London the percentage is more than double that.
DP