What is meant by multiculturalism?

Growstuff. I am not going to name where I live to score a point. In the street where I live we all get on together, no problem, a few miles away a different story. Read the papers and in front of you will see how it most certainly isn’t working at the moment. It was obvious that not whole cities have the problem, parts of it, thought that was clear.

Denmark have this idea to create multiculturalism.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12627493/Danish-government-accused-racism-plan-break-ghettos-non-Western-immigrant-communities-bid-boost-integration-cities.html.

Allsorts Thanks for confirming that it's not whole cities, as claimed by "There are cities in UK that are no go areas".

I can assure you that when I was growing up there were areas of Liverpool where I wouldn't even have gone during the daytime. Even the police were wary. Maybe you could identify an area of the UK which is now "on a different scale", as you have claimed.

Growstuff, no not whole cities but whole large areas and districts, there has always been shady areas even growing up, this is on a different scale., but if others have positive experiences and are not affected that’s great. In theory it should work but after eight years working within such an area I had to leave because in practise it didn’t. That’s all I’m going to say, everyone working and contributing to Great Britain or any country really is as valuable as anyone else, I don’t need to be told that. The answer I gave to the question is just mine I don’t expect it to be others.

*Allsorts, which cities are no go areas? Do you really mean whole cities?

There have always been areas in most big cities, where the police patrolled in pairs, not many not large, but to pretend that there was some mythical time in our past when everywhere was safe is rubbish.

I was a 60s chick and lived in central London and I was well aware of where and when it was safe to walk alone at night and which areas were best avoided.

I was born and brought up on Merseyside. There were always areas I would have avoided after dark - and that had nothing to do with multiculturalism.

Whole cities? Which ones?

There are cities in uk that are no go areas, that I was safe in years ago, you can’t talk about it, you just avoid them, some you don’t go out after dark. To me being British, is all that’s been said, the buildings, history and people. Most of all is how I feel, as living in Britain I always felt safe, if you don’t have that problem near you, that’s good.

JaneJudge

I wasn't going to post this but there is so much negativity on this thread. My immediate neighbours, either side and across the road are all foreign, here on working visas. They are all educated and all fully integrate in our community. They are families whose children go to school in their local mixed schools. Two of my neighbours are working for the NHS as nurses. My work colleague is here on his wife's visa, she is also working for the NHS. I'm sure there are some areas where segregation happens but it isn't limited to 'foreigners' or people with brown skin.

Lots of Polish people moved after world war 2 Monica, it really wasn't limited to single men.

I agree 100%. Coincidentally, both my immediate neighbours are foreign.

Allsorts

It’s not the country I was born into for sure, it has changed and not for the better.. Everywhere you look there is conflict. On balance multiculturalism is an unattainable dream. I am pleased I am the age I am.
What in earth is dog whistle racism? I don’t think if we were racist people would prefer to come here than other countries. If you work here you can get on like everyone else, I am more bothered about people on benefits that could work but don’t, not the colour of skin.

The UK is a multicultural country and has been since history began! Why is multiculturalism an unattainable dream?

Many migrants have integrated, but nobody can argue that inner cities have not changed, in most there are large migrant communities in certain areas, the schools reflect that with 90% from that community.

For example Leicester City has over 45% Asian population plus 15% other migrants, I’m not commenting on wether that is good or bad but it has changed the city.

I wasn't going to post this but there is so much negativity on this thread. My immediate neighbours, either side and across the road are all foreign, here on working visas. They are all educated and all fully integrate in our community. They are families whose children go to school in their local mixed schools. Two of my neighbours are working for the NHS as nurses. My work colleague is here on his wife's visa, she is also working for the NHS. I'm sure there are some areas where segregation happens but it isn't limited to 'foreigners' or people with brown skin.

Lots of Polish people moved after world war 2 Monica, it really wasn't limited to single men.

There was a big difference between the poles, like Michael Marks and Jack Cohen, who were Polish jews and came over with their families and tended to live in their own communities and the Poles who came here after the fall of Poland in WW2, who were mostlyly young single men and Roman catholic.

With few young Polish women, most of them married British women. Most girls at school with Polish names and Polish fathers had British mothers. This undoubtedly hastened their integration into British society

My mother's employer moved from London to Edinburgh at the start of WW2 and moved their staff as well. The catholic church she attended in Edinburgh arranged social activities for the many Polish soldiers and airmen in Edinburgh. She used to go to these, but as she was already engaged, her socialisation was purely at the church events.

It’s not the country I was born into for sure, it has changed and not for the better.. Everywhere you look there is conflict. On balance multiculturalism is an unattainable dream. I am pleased I am the age I am.
What in earth is dog whistle racism? I don’t think if we were racist people would prefer to come here than other countries. If you work here you can get on like everyone else, I am more bothered about people on benefits that could work but don’t, not the colour of skin.

I know that Maizie, but you must know as well as I do that dog whistle racism is ignored on GN.

Over a quarter of a million Poles were given leave to stay in the UK in the immediate post WW2 years. I think there were Polish communities everywhere. Strangely enough, there were so many, they integrated quickly and we didn't even notice them.

They are white, growstuff. That's why they weren't noticed.

Unfortunately, the Windrush immigrants, invited to come and help us recover from the war, were much more noticeable.

There had, of course, been many Polish immigrants before then, including a certain Michael Marks, who jointly founded M&S and the family of Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco.

M0nica

Even when migrants do not settle in spearate communitties they often klive in greater numbers in one place than in others, for company, to speak their mother tongues and to shop for items they are used to that are not available in mainstream shops.

I went to school in Reading, which has, or had, a large Polish population, they had their own social centre, and church, but otherwise lived the same lives as anyone else. I was at the local convent grammar school and we usually had several Polish girls in every class. Other towns and suburbs like Ealing also had a large Polish population, integrated into the wider community but sufficient in numbers to have specifically Polish social institutions.

Over a quarter of a million Poles were given leave to stay in the UK in the immediate post WW2 years. I think there were Polish communities everywhere. Strangely enough, there were so many, they integrated quickly and we didn't even notice them.

Geese and ganders come to mind. There are 10s of 1000s of British expats all over the world who live parrallel lives in their own communities- and who can't speak more than a few words of the local language and hardly integrate at all, even after decades or more.

There are also many who do learn, integrate, whilst at the same time keeping some traditions and their language alive- which is totally fine.

Even when migrants do not settle in spearate communitties they often klive in greater numbers in one place than in others, for company, to speak their mother tongues and to shop for items they are used to that are not available in mainstream shops.

I went to school in Reading, which has, or had, a large Polish population, they had their own social centre, and church, but otherwise lived the same lives as anyone else. I was at the local convent grammar school and we usually had several Polish girls in every class. Other towns and suburbs like Ealing also had a large Polish population, integrated into the wider community but sufficient in numbers to have specifically Polish social institutions.

Chestnut

growstuff Just off the top of my head, I can think of dozens of people I know personally who were migrants to the UK and none of them live in separate communities.

Oh dozens, what about the other 9.5 million people living here who were born outside the UK? Can you confirm they are not living in separate communities?

No, of course I can't. What I object to is posters who lump all people with certain characteristics with the same label. It's how bigotry takes root.

growstuff Just off the top of my head, I can think of dozens of people I know personally who were migrants to the UK and none of them live in separate communities.

Oh dozens, what about the other 9.5 million people living here who were born outside the UK? Can you confirm they are not living in separate communities?

Now it’s a bankrupt city worth -£650m

Katie59

nanna8

From afar what I think of as British is
Very, very Historical buildings, especially castles,Westminster Abbey and things like Anne Boleyn’s residence. Stratford, of course and Shakespeare.
Green grass, really, really bright green
Pubs where people will just chat to you whether they know you or not
Accents wide and varied
Queues- mostly very orderly, no pushing
Red buses with a double deck.

That is all true BUT migrants do congregate in separate communities rather than disperse, which does change that area, particularly inner cities.

Nobody can argue that migrants have not changed Birmingham, Caribbean and Irish after WW2, more recently Asian and many other countries.

It has changed

Just as well really! In 1086, Birmingham was a hamlet worth 20 shillings. Nowhere is stuck in a time warp.

Just off the top of my head, I can think of dozens of people I know personally who were migrants to the UK and none of them live in separate communities.

I assume you include places such as East London, which has seen waves of immigrants from Huguenots, Jews, Irish and many others - or the Sussex and Kent Weald, which experienced immigration from Belgium for the ironworks - or Colchester, which had Dutch immigrants - or Liverpool, where it's estimated up to half of the population has Irish roots.