General News Thread

[Stevosevic]

10 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Why are Labour not shouting about the huge decline in net immigration numbers? 

 

Just under 200k at the end of last year.

Peaked at nearly 950k end of 2023. 

 

I don't hear anything about it apart from on social media (yes, it sometimes has its uses!). 

 

Meanwhile Jenrick decided to blame Brits leaving as a stick to beat them with as a reason for lower numbers . I wonder why they're leaving... 

The decline is obviously good in net terms but we have a lot of Brits leaving. British population is still reducing quickly which is making a lot of towns and cities unrecognisable. You would have had to have lived under a rock not to see the change that’s happened in the last 5 years.
 

 

[leicsmac]

40 minutes ago, davieG said:

Where there is discord may I bring more discord.

 

Even if he's correct making an attention seeking article is not helping his own party although as a none party political voter he sounds more centre right / right than centre left / left but then I guess he always was.

He clearly had appeal at the time - he remains the most recent PM to win more than one GE (and one of the few to win three), but yes, his alignment seemed and seems to be all over the place. 

 

 

37 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Why are Labour not shouting about the huge decline in net immigration numbers? 

 

Just under 200k at the end of last year.

Peaked at nearly 950k end of 2023. 

 

I don't hear anything about it apart from on social media (yes, it sometimes has its uses!). 

 

Meanwhile Jenrick decided to blame Brits leaving as a stick to beat them with as a reason for lower numbers . I wonder why they're leaving... 

 

28 minutes ago, davieG said:

Even though the decline is to be welcomed, to some it'll still be to many they may therefore think it will draws attention to and provide oxygen to Farage and his Extory party

 

24 minutes ago, Stevosevic said:

The decline is obviously good in net terms but we have a lot of Brits leaving. British population is still reducing quickly which is making a lot of towns and cities unrecognisable. You would have had to have lived under a rock not to see the change that’s happened in the last 5 years.
 

 

Or perhaps the idea of UK citizens heading out and seeing a bit of the wider world, and learning about it, isn't a bad thing?

 

Enclaved walled districts based on demographic with little coming and going doesn't lead anywhere good in the future. It leads to ignorance, which leads to mistrust, which leads to opposition, which leads to conflict, which leads to screwed. 

Edited 27 May by leicsmac

[davieG]

Not sure if genuine source

 

[Stevosevic]

19 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

He clearly had appeal at the time - he remains the most recent PM to win more than one GE (and one of the few to win three), but yes, his alignment seemed and seems to be all over the place. 

 

 

 

 

Or perhaps the idea of UK citizens heading out and seeing a bit of the wider world, and learning about it, isn't a bad thing?

 

Enclaved walled districts based on demographic with little coming and going doesn't lead anywhere good in the future. It leads to ignorance, which leads to mistrust, which leads to opposition, which leads to conflict, which leads to screwed. 

Of course if it’s a good thing but any country losing its own culture because the natives are a minority cannot be seen as a positive.  
 

People will think that’s extreme but the trends are scary. All across Europe. 
 

 

[leicsmac]

43 minutes ago, Stevosevic said:

Of course if it’s a good thing but any country losing its own culture because the natives are a minority cannot be seen as a positive.  
 

People will think that’s extreme but the trends are scary. All across Europe. 
 

 

All of this ties into general ideas of demographic change and birth rate changes, too. 

 

Thing is though, going the Korean or Japanese route to "preserve culture" by putting legislative (and literal) walls up doesn't seem to help with social and economic matters there either. 

 

The really scary thing is that what you speak of here about "losing culture" may be the best of a set of really bad choices, because all of the rest lead to increased conflict and/or a catastrophic population crash in many places due to declining resources. 

 

I don't envy anyone with power at the moment who is actually looking ahead at the big picture and is trying to make a decision based on it. 

Edited 27 May by leicsmac

[leicsmac]

59 minutes ago, davieG said:

Not sure if genuine source

 

You would think that they know what they're talking about, but unfortunately it is very easy in this day and age for perception to supercede facts and drive decision making anyway. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

The changes in towns and cities over the past 5 years are far more a result of the pandemic than immigration.

 

Businesses closed, or went online. People started buying much more online. They didn't like the thought of going out to eat when it could be brought to you.

 

Essentially, people got lazy. Mega-corporations took advantage.

 

And here we are.

 

Not sure what immigration had to do with it.

Edited 27 May by Trav Le Bleu

[Wymsey]

With many of Turkish barbers and vape shops being on many high streets, even apparently in rural villages in Wales, was thinking why/how they suddenly appeared over the past 5 years or so..

[davieG]

I get that the triple lock needs to be looked at but it pisses me off to hear ex MPs /PMs suggesting it. How about looking at their pensions especially those that are MPs/PMs for a very short time.

[Stevosevic]

16 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The changes in towns and cities over the past 5 years are far more a result of the pandemic than immigration.

 

Businesses closed, or went online. People started buying much more online. They didn't like the thought of going out to eat when it could be brought to you.

 

Essentially, people got lazy. Mega-corporations took advantage.

 

And here we are.

 

Not sure what immigration had to do with it.

You think people are concerned more about empty shop units rather than the change of demographics of the country and mass immigration? 
 

Some people really will be too late to wake up. Britain is changing dramatically like the rest of Europe and if you ever speak out on it you are labelled a racist. Bizarre. 
 

 

[Free Falling Foxes]

38 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The changes in towns and cities over the past 5 years are far more a result of the pandemic than immigration.

 

Businesses closed, or went online. People started buying much more online. They didn't like the thought of going out to eat when it could be brought to you.

 

Essentially, people got lazy. Mega-corporations took advantage.

 

And here we are.

 

Not sure what immigration had to do with it.

Although the pandemic has played a part as you suggest in recent times, it doesn't explain the demographics massively changing in several areas of the city over the last 60 years.

This is, certainly, down to immigration. 

It is clear from the evidence, whether it is accepted or not, that when a different ethnicity, culture, call it what you will, start moving into an area, the indigenous folk start moving away.

Leicester has seen this in Belgrave, Rushey Mead, Highfields and other areas. It Is happening in Oadby and other suburbs too and it will continue to happen.

 

I don't know what the answer is.

 

I guess I've played my own small part in welcoming and perhaps as a consequence, encouraged immigration to these shores during my 20 odd years with the local authority.

We put on support groups, support packages. Myself and colleagues made presentations to local Asian groups raising awareness of council services they could access or we could help them create new ones. We would ask for feedback, make changes, offer funding and  on.

 

I was proud of what we were doing but not so sure now.

 

We are a diverse populace but true integration is a pipe dream I think and the local Asian and other groups are complicit in this. I could go on, give examples even but I think deep down, most folk reading this know what they are.

 

 

 

[DJW1]

27 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The changes in towns and cities over the past 5 years are far more a result of the pandemic than immigration.

 

Businesses closed, or went online. People started buying much more online. They didn't like the thought of going out to eat when it could be brought to you.

 

Essentially, people got lazy. Mega-corporations took advantage.

 

And here we are.

 

Not sure what immigration had to do with it.

Going back further than the pandemic, there have been cultural changes that are nothing to do with immigration. 

In 1950 the UK population (only people born in the UK) was 48 million. In 2020 it was 57 million. So the population of "natives" has increased 18%, yet the number of people participating in "traditional" events has declined: church attendance, seaside holidays in the UK etc.  This is not because immigrants are beating up Morris dancers, it´s because people have lost interest or "can´t be bothered".

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

You would think that they know what they're talking about, but unfortunately it is very easy in this day and age for perception to supercede facts and drive decision making anyway. 

 

2 hours ago, davieG said:

Not sure if genuine source

 

Doesn’t look official to me 

 

[DJW1]

3 hours ago, leicsmac said:

Tony Blair weighing in on current matters again. 

 

Is there a single other UK leader who managed such a difference in good between domestic and foreign policy that they're only (and rightly) remembered for the latter rather than the work they did for the former?

Anthony Eden: Suez

Neville Chamberlain: Munich 1938

William Gladstone - his nickname of GOM (Grand old man) was changed to MOG (Murderer of Gordon) after the death of the hero General Gordon in Sudan

 

I don´t know about the first two but Gladstone was an admired reformer whose legacy was tarnished by the death of Gordon. And don´t get me started on Viscount Melbourne...

The Iraq disaster at least prevented the UK from getting directly involved in subsequent conflcits like Syria and Iran-USA-Israel

[DJW1]

15 minutes ago, DJW1 said:

Going back further than the pandemic, there have been cultural changes that are nothing to do with immigration. 

In 1950 the UK population (only people born in the UK) was 48 million. In 2020 it was 57 million. So the population of "natives" has increased 18%, yet the number of people participating in "traditional" events has declined: church attendance, seaside holidays in the UK etc.  This is not because immigrants are beating up Morris dancers, it´s because people have lost interest or "can´t be bothered".

Of course, since the 1950s the people born in the UK ("natives") has increasingly included "non-whites", but the population of "whites" (or however you wish to define "traditional" British people) has also increased, so my point in my previous comment is still valid

[bovril]

2 hours ago, Stevosevic said:

Of course if it’s a good thing but any country losing its own culture because the natives are a minority cannot be seen as a positive.  
 

People will think that’s extreme but the trends are scary. All across Europe. 
 

 

It's not the same "all across Europe"

[Stevosevic]

Just now, bovril said:

It's not the same "all across Europe"

You’re right - Eastern European countries are not allowing it to happen.

 

But Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden etc… are seeing exactly the same issues. Trends like the below in Vienna are common. 
 

https://brusselssignal.eu/2026/05/muslims-now-make-up-almost-half-of-all-pupils-in-viennas-public-schools/

 

 

[bovril]

Just now, Stevosevic said:

You’re right - Eastern European countries are not allowing it to happen.

 

But Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden etc… are seeing exactly the same issues. Trends like the below in Vienna are common. 
 

https://brusselssignal.eu/2026/05/muslims-now-make-up-almost-half-of-all-pupils-in-viennas-public-schools/

 

 

So Western Europe then. 

[Stevosevic]

Just now, bovril said:

So Western Europe then. 

Are we saying that’s it’s fine that it’s happening in Western Europe then? 

[filbertway]

7 minutes ago, Stevosevic said:

Are we saying that’s it’s fine that it’s happening in Western Europe then? 

I may be reading between the lines, but when bovril said, 'It's not the same "all across Europe"' I reckon they were saying it's not all across Europe.

[bovril]

22 minutes ago, Stevosevic said:

Are we saying that’s it’s fine that it’s happening in Western Europe then? 

To be fair British right wingers spent years writing off east euros as knuckle dragging racists so it's quite funny they now point to them as a model to follow

[leicsmac]

Again, I have to repeat that the current systems on this matter may represent the best of a series of really bad choices that it's going to be necessary to take as the world changes (in various different ways). 

 

Though I guess that depends on how much people view "others" as expendable in order to safeguard their own "tribe".

[leicsmac]

1 hour ago, DJW1 said:

Anthony Eden: Suez

Neville Chamberlain: Munich 1938

William Gladstone - his nickname of GOM (Grand old man) was changed to MOG (Murderer of Gordon) after the death of the hero General Gordon in Sudan

 

I don´t know about the first two but Gladstone was an admired reformer whose legacy was tarnished by the death of Gordon. And don´t get me started on Viscount Melbourne...

The Iraq disaster at least prevented the UK from getting directly involved in subsequent conflcits like Syria and Iran-USA-Israel

Good examples. Would also suggest Lord Palmerston in there as well now that I think about it - what he advocated for outside the borders of the UK was certainly... interesting. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, Stevosevic said:

You think people are concerned more about empty shop units rather than the change of demographics of the country and mass immigration? 
 

Some people really will be too late to wake up. Britain is changing dramatically like the rest of Europe and if you ever speak out on it you are labelled a racist. Bizarre. 
 

 

Britain has changed dramatically.

 

Do you think Britain was like this 100 years ago?

 

Or that the Britain of 100 years ago was like the Britain of 200 years ago?

 

Or the Britain of 200 years... etc, etc...

 

Perhaps we should be wearing sack cloth in roundhouses?

 

I'd say nobody's calling anyone a racist, but that's not true. It is true though that I'm not doing that here.

 

However, people need to realise that whatever concept they have of Britishness is a constantly evolving and indefinable notion which has been/is/will be heavily influenced by foreign actions.

[21st Century Fox]

White House erects UFC cage ahead of US 250th anniversary celebrations

We've actually entered the term of President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho!