Nearly half of the British public have no sympathy towards migrants. The recent wave of migration saw numbers of record highs in August. This has brought the migrant debate back to centre-stage. Time and time again, it is apparent is that the discourse is dangerously manipulated by toxic British exceptionalism.
In 1968, Conservative MP Enoch Powell delivered his notorious ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech to the Conservative Association in Birmingham. He stressed the “evils” of Black and Brown immigration, which he compared to “the River Tiber, foaming with much blood”. Powell regarded himself as the mouthpiece of the “decent, ordinary fellow Englishman”. He championed men who expressed anti-immigrant sentiment as those with the courage to say what everyone is thinking. Sound familiar?
“Nigel Farage speaks to a very specific cohort of British people who find their precarious British national identity slipping from them one Black History Month at a time.”
In August 2020, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage tweeted a video of a group of migrants arriving onto Britain’s shores in rubber dinghy, in what he claimed was a “shocking invasion”. The tweet amassed over 10,000 retweets and over 14,000 likes, as once again Farage attempted to rouse anti-migrant sentiment.
In a post-Brexit world, the salience of immigration has fallen. Ipsos MORI polls has found that the number of people citing immigration as a significant issue fell from 48% in June 2016 to 13% in November 2019. Nevertheless, while immigration is not at the forefront of most Britons’ minds, the toxicity of British exceptionalism, as always, prevails.
As with Enoch Powell, Nigel Farage speaks to a very specific cohort of British people who find their precarious British national identity slipping from them one Black History Month at a time.
Farage is often condemned and criticised for his inflammatory and often false accusations regarding immigration, but his platform speaks volumes. The majority of Brits do not share his hatred towards migrants, though many are apathetic.
Nearly half of Brits show little/no sympathy towards migrants
The Wave 9 Longitudinal Survey in August 2019 found that 43% of Britons had little/no sympathy towards migrants attempting to cross the English channel by boat. 38% of Britons believe the government do not have a duty to ensure the safety and protection of those crossing the channel.
The European Social Survey in 2018 found that 25% of Britons believe immigration makes somewhere a worse place to live.
The Migration Observatory found 44% of Brits had a clear preference for reduced numbers of migration in 2020.
These polls and statistics show that the UK is deeply divided over the issue of immigration and sympathy towards migrants.
Toxic British exceptionalism which champions reverent patriotism runs deep in the belly of British consciousness. Most Britons still can’t grapple with the idea that Churchill was not the freedom fighting hero we have been conditioned to think he is. For many, the sun still shines on Britain’s (non-existent) Empire.
Pride and joy in one’s country and culture is not outrageous – no one is asking for a ban on bunting. But this kind of patriotism in the hands of the Nigel Farages, Katie Hopkins’ and Tommy Robinsons of the world has the power to breed poisonous xenophobic rhetoric. It is this kind of poison which swung the 2016 EU referendum.
Many have become desensitised to the plight of migrants due to the toxicity of discourse
Sky News and BBC Breakfast broadcasted migrants attempting to make the journey in August as if they are simply a story to be shown, rather than people needing to be helped. The migrant debate has dehumanised these individuals and these families. They each have their own story, yet are rendered to pawns in a global game of politics and mass diaspora.
This kind of rhetoric is inflamed by government response: Home Secretary, Priti Patel has vowed to make the route to Dover “unviable”. Boris Johnson emphasised the need for tougher immigration laws, arguing that the UK is a “magnet” for people trafficking. He pampers to the idea that immigration dilutes this notion of civilised Britishness. This is tale as old as time in the history of modern migration to Britain.
One only needs to mention ‘Windrush’ in order to sum up government antipathy towards immigration. Around 83 British citizens were wrongfully deported thanks to Theresa May’s hostile environment policy, which began in 2012. Those of the ‘Windrush generation’ were granted citizenship under the 1948 British Nationality Act, but years of repressive policies undermined this claim. The history of modern migration is one of perpetual restriction.
Government policy and public opinion have gone hand in hand, with a general distaste towards migration numbers. Nevertheless, politicians love to emphasise how the UK is one of the most tolerant and open nations in the world.
The discourse surrounding migrants must change
“Toxic British exceptionalism has no place in politics or in people’s minds.”
It is nothing short of outrageous that the same individuals who cried ‘All Lives Matter’ following the Black Lives Matter protests over summer after the murder of George Floyd, are silent as migrant lives are lost on the perilous journey to safety.
Or that the same individuals who champion good old-fashioned graft and hard work and family values are quick to condemn migrants coming to this country to work and put the safety of their families first.
Or that some Brits have the audacity to be so precious about borders and shores when we spent hundreds of years pillaging the shores of the world.
Toxic British exceptionalism has no place in politics or in people’s minds. It is high time we reject it and have a little humanity.
Kim Singh-Sall
Featured image courtesy of Gage Skidmore on Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.