I deplore Jim Ratcliffe's words. (owner of Man U)

aanncc

I don’t think he was racist at all Just saying as it is and what most of us think.

Speak for yourself. He wasn't saying anything that I think, thank you.

aanncc

I don’t think he was racist at all Just saying as it is and what most of us think.

You will get absolutely jumped on! I think you are absolutely right!

'Most of us'? No, count me out.
Think he is a complete hypocrite.

He wasn't saying what I think either Paperbackwriter. Anyone who reads newspapers and or listens to the news would also realise what he actually said was incorrect and inaccurate. You can agree with what he said but you have no basis for asserting what he said about "what most of us think". Many have called him out on it and I'm not sure what measurement you are using and who forms the "us" group you are referring to.

The point is those who agree with him don’t think. At least their thoughts are not based on facts or intelligent analysis. Scary

LemonJam

Opal 15.27 : Just watching the news - three muslims have been sentenced for plotting to attack Jews in Manchester. Why are we putting up with this on our streets? We're in the UK, not the bloody Middle East. If they want to live here, in a Western civilisation, with all the rights and privileges that entails, then sign up to our laws when you move here. If not, go back to your country or origin and wage your war there".

Well we're not putting up with terrorism acts here in the UK are we? They were not from the Middle East as far as I am aware. One I do know was originally from Tunisia and married a British woman from memory. These terrorists did in fact sign up to our laws- they were arrested and jailed for life before carrying out any attack- a testament to our wonderful UK security services. The privileges and rights of these terrorists were taken away from them before they carried out their crime, for plotting their crime and have been on remand in prison since arrest. They mostly likely will be deported back to their countries of origin in due course.

Terrorism happens in most countries around the world.

There are also no doubt UK born terrorists operating in other countries around the world who will also be subject to the laws of whatever country they are residing in at the time of criminal activity. Do you know the number or names of UK terrorists that have gone to other countries to commit terrorist acts- if so let the relevant security services know

I am unclear how the "terrorist acts" of these individuals can be fairly applied to immigrants as a whole.

At last, an informed and intelligent comment.

How disappointing that quite a few on here felt there was nothing wrong with what he said, or how he said it.

So many older folk setting such a poor example for the youth of this country. No wonder bigotry and racism raises its ugly head once more.

Some people have always felt it and were too embarrassed to say it, but now the likes of Ratcliffe, Farage and their ilk have emboldened them.

I don't think I'll waste any more time on this forum when so many exhibit these unreconstructed views.

Goodbye. I'm off for some fresher air.

Jim Radcliffe is a hypocrite of the first order. Supporting Brexit , yet living in Monaco to avoid U.K. tax. Moving most of his manufacturing to countries with cheaper labour. Many of those he employs in the U.K. are immigrants, most of Man U players are immigrants, accepting U.K. tax payers money to shore up his business, he couldn’t put his own hand in his pocket. He should keep his nose out.

StoneofDestiny

Ratcliffes comments were meant to be divisive. What else did he hope to achieve by saying what he did. He is an economic migrant living in Monaco, to avoid paying taxes where Man United are based. What millionaires and billionaires, who earn money in this country but chose to locate abroad, are doing is taking money out of our economy. They do more economic damage than migrants. Why does he think migrants do not pay tax? He is like all the other agitators who cannot distinguish between migrants, illegal migrants, asylum seekers and the native unemployed! Shame on him and all those who blindly agree with him without thinking of the consequences of blaming the more marginalised in our society while ignoring the damage multimillionaires and billionaires tax avoiders are doing to our country.

Well said! It’s too simple to blame all our problems on immigrants and to cast them all as benefit scroungers. Mike Philpott was not an immigrant.

foxie48

Immigration is being blamed for pretty much everything ATM. Doesn't it ring any bells with people? Find a scapegoat and attach society's ills to that scapegoat and then use it to offer an easy answer to a range of very difficult and pervasive problems. This is what Reform is doing and it was at the heart of what brought Hitler to power in Germany.
Ratcliffe's use of the word "colonised" was not an accidental misuse of the word, it was IMO a deliberate device to suggest that British people were being subjugated by immigration. What absolute tosh!

So true!

Belardo

How disappointing that quite a few on here felt there was nothing wrong with what he said, or how he said it.

So many older folk setting such a poor example for the youth of this country. No wonder bigotry and racism raises its ugly head once more.

Some people have always felt it and were too embarrassed to say it, but now the likes of Ratcliffe, Farage and their ilk have emboldened them.

I don't think I'll waste any more time on this forum when so many exhibit these unreconstructed views.

Goodbye. I'm off for some fresher air.

I am sure you will find that fresher air on the moral high ground.

More should seek the moral high ground, or are morals declared bad now, just like the NRLI . No wonder we are seeing the Christian symbol of the cross carried by fascists.

Meandrogrog

Belardo

How disappointing that quite a few on here felt there was nothing wrong with what he said, or how he said it.

So many older folk setting such a poor example for the youth of this country. No wonder bigotry and racism raises its ugly head once more.

Some people have always felt it and were too embarrassed to say it, but now the likes of Ratcliffe, Farage and their ilk have emboldened them.

I don't think I'll waste any more time on this forum when so many exhibit these unreconstructed views.

Goodbye. I'm off for some fresher air.

I am sure you will find that fresher air on the moral high ground.

Riding up there on a high horse 😄
If you can’t deal with different opinions then forums aren’t for you.

Glenfinnan

Think a few of us agree with his overall comments but it was very clumsily put

I think more than a few if you were to ask countrywide.

A few or more than a few - but clearly from the degree of push back not most- thank goodness.

Not something we can know LemonJam as there’s always a big fuss on SM with everyone elbowing to show how very liberal they are where immigration is concerned.
The truth could be quite different nationwide.

Calendargirl

I felt he wasn’t meaning immigrants who came after the war, the Windrush generation and others, who we invited and needed to work for the NHS, the transport system, factories and so on.

He was talking about the last few years when it’s all so different.

His choice of words wasn’t the best, I think he realised that afterwards, but many will agree with his sentiments.

I did.

I agree with you one hundred per cent

Are we now pretending the windrush generation were welcomed with open arms. National Front, Enoch Powell, the "no blacks no Irish no dogs" notices didn't exist? Can we at least be honest about the prejudice in this country.

Well said, Worriedwell Let's not forget that Farage was spewing his vile antisemitic tropes at school in the late 70's/early 80's. Those who want to believe that the racism of today is justifiably caused by immigration in the 2020's need to read their history books. It was what fuelled Brexit and UKIP and it is what is fuelling the popularity of Reform.

A sizeable section of society have been voting for reduced immigration for over a decade now, it would probably have been wise to pay some attention, too late now I suspect.

Which is why all the political parties are running scared of Reform.
If only they had listened earlier!

Oreo

Which is why all the political parties are running scared of Reform.
If only they had listened earlier!

We should all be scared of Reform. If you look at their ideas for how women should live their lives and their association with Russia then you would see that this party is not good for the British people.

A bit confused by the Reform 'Population' problem.
On the one hand we are in imminent danger of being overwhelmed/overcrowded.
On the other hand, women must produce more babies, as the population is diminishing.
Both 'concepts' can't be true.

Many on this site have responded that they deplore JR's anti immigrant, prejudiced, hypocritical, divisive, inflammatory comments based on incorrect data. His comments mirror the calling card of Reform. However thankfully we do not yet have a Reform government and recently they have fallen in the polls.

However they may welcome well managed, controlled immigration without all the Reform racist, anti immigrant rhetoric and without the need to implement their ICE style deportation plan to deport 600,000 people over 5 years, and leave the ECHR.

Yes indeed Galaxy, it's wise to pay attention to the facts- immigration has sharply fallen under this Labour government, dropping two thirds to around 240,000 in the year ending June 2025, down from a peak of over 900,000 in 2023. Oh- and we didn't even need a Reform government to achieve that.

Yes indeed Galaxy, it's wise to pay attention to the facts- immigration has sharply fallen under this Labour government, dropping two thirds to around 240,000 in the year ending June 2025, down from a peak of over 900,000 in 2023. Oh- and we didn't even need a Reform government to achieve that

Precisely LemonJam … and net migration is expected to fall to more or less zero this year.

What will Reform (and the folk on here complaining about immigration) say about that? I presume they’ll be happy and will congratulate the government🤔