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| The Observer view on Britain becoming mean and narrow-minded | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Just four years ago, Britain proudly projected the image of an open, tolerant, confident nation onto the international stage. We luxuriated in the glow of an Olympic opening ceremony that drew together the best of British: from Shakespeare to EastEnders the Queen to James Bond; the NHS to the internet. | Just four years ago, Britain proudly projected the image of an open, tolerant, confident nation onto the international stage. We luxuriated in the glow of an Olympic opening ceremony that drew together the best of British: from Shakespeare to EastEnders the Queen to James Bond; the NHS to the internet. |
| It featured Dizzee Rascal and Rowan Atkinson, Arctic Monkeys and the London Symphonic Orchestra. It was, according to writer Jonathan Freedland, “a byword for a new approach, not only to British culture but to Britishness itself. Politicians would soon be referring to it, using it as shorthand for a new kind of patriotism that does not lament a vanished Britain but loves the country that has changed.” It was hailed abroad and Britain, it seemed, had shown itself to the world as a vibrant, open, confident, multicultural country. | It featured Dizzee Rascal and Rowan Atkinson, Arctic Monkeys and the London Symphonic Orchestra. It was, according to writer Jonathan Freedland, “a byword for a new approach, not only to British culture but to Britishness itself. Politicians would soon be referring to it, using it as shorthand for a new kind of patriotism that does not lament a vanished Britain but loves the country that has changed.” It was hailed abroad and Britain, it seemed, had shown itself to the world as a vibrant, open, confident, multicultural country. |
| That all seems like a long time ago. | That all seems like a long time ago. |
| Over the last few weeks, the image of a country celebrated by the genius of Danny Boyle is being replaced by one marked out by narrow minds and mean spirits. What has happened to us? The messages being sent across the world is that foreign students are not welcome and that British firms will have to list foreign workers. The loose language that started at the Conservative conference in Birmingham has consequences, domestically and internationally. | Over the last few weeks, the image of a country celebrated by the genius of Danny Boyle is being replaced by one marked out by narrow minds and mean spirits. What has happened to us? The messages being sent across the world is that foreign students are not welcome and that British firms will have to list foreign workers. The loose language that started at the Conservative conference in Birmingham has consequences, domestically and internationally. |
| It seems that some in politics and the press have misinterpreted the referendum result as a justification for an alarming shift in our political discourse. The referendum created a popular mandate for Britain to leave the European Union and demonstrated public appetite for a more controlled approach to immigration. It was not a mandate to descend into a brutish politics – and a brutish public discourse fanned by the lie factories of Fleet Street. The discourse is built on the assumption that we are a country with hostile views towards those who do not hail from these shores. That is not true. | It seems that some in politics and the press have misinterpreted the referendum result as a justification for an alarming shift in our political discourse. The referendum created a popular mandate for Britain to leave the European Union and demonstrated public appetite for a more controlled approach to immigration. It was not a mandate to descend into a brutish politics – and a brutish public discourse fanned by the lie factories of Fleet Street. The discourse is built on the assumption that we are a country with hostile views towards those who do not hail from these shores. That is not true. |
| Politics has never felt meaner-spirited. We have seen the home secretary announce plans to force companies to disclose how many foreign workers they employ. MPs have called for dental checks to determine the age of refugees, even as the British Dental Association declared this inaccurate and unethical; and sections of the press have been attacked by Microsoft for using an inaccurate “fun app” to “prove” that child refugees are adults. The prime minister has reinforced the message that international students are a drag, not a boost, for Britain. And those who voted Remain and dare to scrutinise the government’s position on Brexit are now deemed unpatriotic and undemocratic. | Politics has never felt meaner-spirited. We have seen the home secretary announce plans to force companies to disclose how many foreign workers they employ. MPs have called for dental checks to determine the age of refugees, even as the British Dental Association declared this inaccurate and unethical; and sections of the press have been attacked by Microsoft for using an inaccurate “fun app” to “prove” that child refugees are adults. The prime minister has reinforced the message that international students are a drag, not a boost, for Britain. And those who voted Remain and dare to scrutinise the government’s position on Brexit are now deemed unpatriotic and undemocratic. |
| It seems those politicians and commentators who flirted with xenophobia and bigotry in the referendum campaign have been emboldened. Theresa May’s government has done nothing to challenge the tone of discourse. She once described the Tories as the “nasty party” – it would be shame if she is the prime minister who oversees the rise of the “nasty country”. But that is what is happening. As Seema Malhotra says on other pages today: “The post-Brexit debate is becoming less reasoned, more toxic and more intolerant. Language matters and political rhetoric has consequences.” | It seems those politicians and commentators who flirted with xenophobia and bigotry in the referendum campaign have been emboldened. Theresa May’s government has done nothing to challenge the tone of discourse. She once described the Tories as the “nasty party” – it would be shame if she is the prime minister who oversees the rise of the “nasty country”. But that is what is happening. As Seema Malhotra says on other pages today: “The post-Brexit debate is becoming less reasoned, more toxic and more intolerant. Language matters and political rhetoric has consequences.” |
| It is true that public concern about immigration has risen, particularly since the wave of European immigration after the EU expanded eastwards in 2004 and the financial crisis. But such concerns cannot be allowed to obscure the fact that Britain is, on the whole, a tolerant, diverse and successful society. There is a small segment of the population – the thinktank British Future puts it at one in 10 – who endorse nakedly racist views. But racist attitudes have sharply declined over the last 30 years. The World Values Survey rates Britain as one of the most racially tolerant countries in the world. | It is true that public concern about immigration has risen, particularly since the wave of European immigration after the EU expanded eastwards in 2004 and the financial crisis. But such concerns cannot be allowed to obscure the fact that Britain is, on the whole, a tolerant, diverse and successful society. There is a small segment of the population – the thinktank British Future puts it at one in 10 – who endorse nakedly racist views. But racist attitudes have sharply declined over the last 30 years. The World Values Survey rates Britain as one of the most racially tolerant countries in the world. |
| An analysis of public attitudes by the campaign group Hope Not Hate finds that England is a more tolerant and confident multicultural society in 2016 than in 2011. The proportion of the English population broadly positive about immigration has risen to 38%; and the proportion most hostile to immigration – whose attitudes are driven by opposition to ethnicities and religions other than their own – has shrunk from 13% to 7%. The biggest chunk – 42% – are concerned about the economic impact of further immigration or have concerns about its impact on cultural identity. | An analysis of public attitudes by the campaign group Hope Not Hate finds that England is a more tolerant and confident multicultural society in 2016 than in 2011. The proportion of the English population broadly positive about immigration has risen to 38%; and the proportion most hostile to immigration – whose attitudes are driven by opposition to ethnicities and religions other than their own – has shrunk from 13% to 7%. The biggest chunk – 42% – are concerned about the economic impact of further immigration or have concerns about its impact on cultural identity. |
| The majority position in England can be characterised as tough, but pragmatic: 60% favour only allowing in migrants who help the economy. This is reflected in the lack of public support for government policy to reduce the number of international students: one poll suggests 87% of the British public would like to see the same number, or more, international students when they are given information about the economic benefits. | The majority position in England can be characterised as tough, but pragmatic: 60% favour only allowing in migrants who help the economy. This is reflected in the lack of public support for government policy to reduce the number of international students: one poll suggests 87% of the British public would like to see the same number, or more, international students when they are given information about the economic benefits. |
| No matter: the government seems determined that the rest of the world hear the message that Britain is no longer the country it used to be. The world has started to notice. The Times of India has condemned the government’s approach, declaring: “Other countries like Canada and Australia are much more welcoming.” The Irish ambassador has made similar noises. The irony is that we need to be projecting precisely the opposite image to make a success of Brexit. We need friends and cordial relations with as much of the international community as possible. | No matter: the government seems determined that the rest of the world hear the message that Britain is no longer the country it used to be. The world has started to notice. The Times of India has condemned the government’s approach, declaring: “Other countries like Canada and Australia are much more welcoming.” The Irish ambassador has made similar noises. The irony is that we need to be projecting precisely the opposite image to make a success of Brexit. We need friends and cordial relations with as much of the international community as possible. |
| Irresponsible political discourse shapes whose voices get projected and whose get silenced. It empowers the small minority who openly admit racist views, like the far-right protesters who jeered Tracy Brabin, the newly elected MP for Batley and Spen, as she paid tribute to Jo Cox. Meanwhile, the tabloid vilification of public figures, such as Gary Lineker, who bravely challenge hateful tones in the debate has a chilling effect on the voice of the decent majority. For the Sun to challenge Lineker’s “lies” about child migrants on the day that their reporter Mazher Mahmood is sent to jail as a result of the fallout from a story in the Sun on Sunday in 2013, is beyond parody. | Irresponsible political discourse shapes whose voices get projected and whose get silenced. It empowers the small minority who openly admit racist views, like the far-right protesters who jeered Tracy Brabin, the newly elected MP for Batley and Spen, as she paid tribute to Jo Cox. Meanwhile, the tabloid vilification of public figures, such as Gary Lineker, who bravely challenge hateful tones in the debate has a chilling effect on the voice of the decent majority. For the Sun to challenge Lineker’s “lies” about child migrants on the day that their reporter Mazher Mahmood is sent to jail as a result of the fallout from a story in the Sun on Sunday in 2013, is beyond parody. |
| The referendum resulted in a popular mandate that cannot be ignored. This cannot mean dismissing public concerns about immigration or continuing to argue that Britain should remain a member of the EU. But neither does it mean being swept along by a dangerous politics of hate most Britons reject out of hand. | The referendum resulted in a popular mandate that cannot be ignored. This cannot mean dismissing public concerns about immigration or continuing to argue that Britain should remain a member of the EU. But neither does it mean being swept along by a dangerous politics of hate most Britons reject out of hand. |
| Britain needs a government prepared to lead a responsible and honest public conversation on immigration and integration, while challenging the racism and bigotry of a small minority. Instead, by assuming the 52% who voted Leave will embrace her government’s policies on foreign students and child refugees, Mrs May is committing the same sin she has been quick to attribute to the liberal elite: patronising and belittling voters concerned about immigration. In doing so, she betrays her misunderstanding of who we are as a country. | Britain needs a government prepared to lead a responsible and honest public conversation on immigration and integration, while challenging the racism and bigotry of a small minority. Instead, by assuming the 52% who voted Leave will embrace her government’s policies on foreign students and child refugees, Mrs May is committing the same sin she has been quick to attribute to the liberal elite: patronising and belittling voters concerned about immigration. In doing so, she betrays her misunderstanding of who we are as a country. |