The UK Now: Part I – The Population.
I have lived in this country for most of my 70 odd years. During the course of my career in international business I have travelled to most countries in the world and have lived in a couple for extended periods. However, during all that time I have regarded England and , by extension, Britain and the UK, as “home”, no matter where I was in the world.
In addition, I have always felt that the UK was a country (yes, a single country) of monarchy, history, architecture, agriculture, industry, literature and art; of amazing vistas, forests, fields, wildlife; of sporting prowess in many fields; of corinthian ideals; of bustling cities and towns full of people going about their business and, yes, there were poor and impoverished people as in all countries, but I have always felt that wherever I went in the country, that it was , by and large, homogenous. A mix of those born here and those people from around the globe who had chosen to make their life here, irrespective of race, colour, creed or religion; they all bought into the seamless continuity of life. An evolution through history from pre-Roman times to modern Elizabethan. A wonderful pageant of life which, for most people, was, by and large, good for most of the time.
This is not to say that there weren’t bad times as well as the good. Invasion, plague, war, rebellion, repression and poverty, all were there at one time or another; but these things were all part of the pattern that made us the country we are today. A land admired by almost everyone around the world. A bastion of freedom and democracy; a country that developed the welfare state as an answer to the poverty of old, and still runs it even at great cost; a country that almost destroyed itself to protect European liberty; a country which built and controlled the mightiest empire the world has ever seen, and most likely will ever see, and then gave it back to the colonised peoples, albeit grudgingly, so they could rule themselves once more. A country proud of its history and independence, its monarchy and institutions, its form of government — but is this view, and the assumptions which underlie it, correct?
In the months following the EU referendum I have had an opportunity to travel widely in the UK (except, unfortunately, to Northern Ireland) and have been able to look at the country around me with different eyes, seeking to understand if the view of the country and its people which led me to vote “Leave” was actually the correct one. So, to start with, let’s look at the people. Is the population still largely homogenous in terms of its daily life? A quick look around will tell you that that is no longer the case. There are people here from all over the world, of all colours, creeds, religions, races and ethnic origins. At one time Jews lived happily alongside Christians alongside Buddhists alongside Muslims and so forth. However, in the last 30 odd years the population of these “ethnic minorities” has increased significantly. In particular the rise of East European Christian populations, who have arrived from the newly incorporated countries within the EU, and the growth of the Muslim populations in the UK, mainly from third, fourth and fifth generation residents but also from the significant number of refugees and asylum seekers from Middle East and Africa nations.
Most of these people fall into several clear categories. The first is those arriving in the country with a view to staying for a relatively short term. These people tend to keep themselves to themselves as they have no intention of integrating, and why should they, as they are visitors to the country. This group include the large number East European economic migrants who are here for work and intend to return to their country after two, three or even four years.
The next group includes asylum seekers and refugees. These, over the last 30 or so years, have mainly been from the Middle East and from African nations and have been almost entirely Muslim. A large number of them have been from countries without close connection to the UK. Thus they arrive here not having an understanding of the country, its language or its culture and consequently feel more comfortable forming or joining groups which tend to be inward looking. This does not help integration, as particularly the older and female members of the group do not learn English and maintain their own language and culture. Whilst maintaining their own language and culture is an excellent idea, it is not good if this is at the exclusion of understanding the language and culture of the country they live in.
The last main group is the subsequent generations born of earlier migrants. These are clearly British people but, by and large, these people, mostly of the Muslim faith, do not seem to be connected to the rest of the UK population, neither are they connected to their own familial faith or culture. This is particularly true of the Asian populations of the Midland and Northern cities of England.
So it is clear that the make up of the population is now quite different to what it was 30 or 40 years ago. The towns and cities are more separate than ever before. The non-white section of the population has increased significantly and that sector itself is made up of diverse groups, all with their own culture language and ethnic traditions. History shows us that this diversity is good. For example, the structure of society we have today is largely forged from the co-existence of the Saxon population and the Norman overlords in the early part of the second millennium. However, today it is less clear that the population is cohesive and homogenous and working together for a common goal. Whilst there appears to be very little over overall racial or ethnic tension, the country clearly does not, and cannot have, the same view of the continuity and flow of history. There appears to be little empathy with the country that produced, amongst others; Henry II, Richard III, Elizabeth I, Shakespeare, Newton, Blake, Nelson, Dickens, Disraeli, Churchill or Crick to name just a few.
This may be good: it may be bad. We will find out in the fullness of time……..
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