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

Those who come here on visas to work are of course welcome.

It’s the 30,000 + arriving annually by small boats or in the back of lorries, predominantly young men who according to government sources have been told to destroy their papers.

Even more worrying is the young women and some men trafficked here who have their papers taken by the traffickers and then forced to work in the black and illegal economy

This is not racism on my behalf it is being a concerned citizen.

I think there are some who see things only in extremist ways of one way or another, which results in people failing to understand anyone who might be able to view a situation from all angles and see the positives as well as the pitfalls.

We've encountered immigrants as neighbours, friends and family members for many years but they are what might be termed privileged - or educated and came here as legal immigrants or welcomed refugees.

That is different from people living in cities or those impacted by having asylum seekers on the doorstep who might have different mores than ours.
I don't inhabit an ivory tower and am not so scornful of others' views that I cannot see that these situations might instil fear in some people, exacerbated by some shocking incidents which are reported.

It's unfortunate that those in charge seem unable to cope with the situation and those with a voice play on those fears.

I am not anti immigrant, in fact I am the daughter of an immigrant. I am trying to explain why we are in the position we are currently in. I couldn't give a toss about immigration to be honest, has no impact on me. I do give a toss about a fairly privileged 'class' not understanding that other people may have different experiences of immigration to them.

Yes LemonJam I’d like to know that too.

What do those who are opposed to immigration think about the current figures?

theworriedwell

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.

Yes there was some of what you say but very many were made very welcome and made a great success of their careers that they stayed here all their lives! They could have gone back to the West Indies but CHOSE to stay here and work and raise families.

LizzieDrip 9.05 "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🤔"

Galaxy 9.11. "But too little too late. People have been trying to wave the red flags since Brexit, but people ploughed on shouting racist, or diversity is our strength ( which seems to mean that members of the middle class get to eat at a wide range of restaurants) and here we are".

LizzieDrip- Of course not 🤔! Well Galaxy doesn't answer for all those who are anti immigrant - but she's still not happy with the sharp fall in immigration achieved in the year up to mid 2025- not happy with the huge reduction and not happy that it may fall to more or less zero and not happy because its too late anyway (whatever that means) .

Her response begs the question that if she's not happy with that and it's "too little, too late" what she actually does want in relation to immigration in 20026, 2027 and 2028.

But too little too late. People have been trying to wave the red flags since Brexit, but people ploughed on shouting racist, or diversity is our strength ( which seems to mean that members of the middle class get to eat at a wide range of restaurants) and here we are.

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🤔

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.