Tuesday 18 September 2012

The Progressives Believe The Children Are Their Future…

…at least, as far as surrender to immigration and multiculturalism are concerned, anyway. Matthew Goodwin puts this spin on the findings of the Extremis Project’s YouGov poll:
We surveyed 1,725 British adults, and asked whether certain policies would make them more or less likely to support a political party, or whether these policies would make no difference to their choice at the ballot box. For those who may be interested in the methodology of the research, the figures that I am about to report are weighted and representative of all British adults, while the survey itself was undertaken on 19-20 August.
Notice how the credentials are pushed up front as being impeccable. When you see this, you know you’re in for some uncomfortable truth!

And what did you find?
…large numbers of voters remain open to the core ideas of the far right. Across Europe, the far right has recruited significant support by offering a combination of populist, anti-immigrant and increasingly anti-Muslim policies.
Oh dear! How terrible for you! And as Longrider puts it, how does this qualify as news?
Consider this: 66% of respondents in our survey would be more likely to support a party that promised to stand up to political and business elites; 55% would be more likely to back a party that pledged to prioritise British values over other cultures; 41% would be more likely to support a party that pledged to halt all immigration into the UK; and a striking 37% – or almost two-fifths of our sample – would be more likely to endorse a party that promised to reduce the number of Muslims in British society.
That this comes as a surprise to one of the cosseted, protected elites is really not much of a shocker, is it? But what does come as a surprise is how blatant he's prepared to be about a solution...
At first glance, these results may lead mainstream politicians to the conclusion that they would be well-positioned by appealing to these enduring concerns over immigration and diversity. They might also lead the far right to think that its future looks set to be a prosperous one.
But there’s cause for the ‘Guardian’ set to take heart!
But … there exists a sharp generational divide in our attitudes toward these issues. Whereas older generations – those who perhaps have less experience with mass immigration, and are less likely to forge relationships with people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds – appear relatively clear and resolute in their desire for a party that adopts a tough, populist stance toward elites, immigration, Muslims and British values, younger Britons are significantly less favourable toward this narrative.
Or perhaps younger people are just cowed into displaying the answers they know they are expected to give, whereas older people aren’t so easily swayed by the PC culture?
These findings are supported by research in sociology, which similarly points to a sharp generational decline in support for crude forms of racial prejudice.
And there we see concern over the pace of change and the less salubrious ‘benefits’ of mass immigration conflated into ‘racial prejudice’.

The first step is always making your opponent out to be a demon, isn’t it?
It is also worth noting that this process of generational change is a long-term game, and one that may not produce positive effects if mainstream politicians fail to protect young people from the effects of austerity Britain, and convince them that immigration and diversity are compatible with their own prosperity.
‘Save the children and they’ll save us progressives!’
But when seen at a broad level, the challenge is to avoid a short-term and knee-jerk response to the older, angrier and more hostile generations, and think about how best to support the "rise of the tolerants", and channel these more accepting generations into the political process.
Which really means ‘We’ll ignore you oldies, but we aren’t going to wait for you to just die off, we’ll get more youngsters into politics instead!’.

But given the younger generation is much less likely to vote, that might just be a pointless endeavour…

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

This latest survey reminds me of the time I was working for the NOP in the 70's (through an employment agency) seeking information from residents in Wembley whether they thought immigration laws were too strict. From memory, 22% said they were too strict, 17% said they weren't strict enough and 61% threatened me with spears!
Penseivat

John Pickworth said...

"55% would be more likely to back a party that pledged to prioritise British values over other cultures"

I bet if you asked a similar nationalist question in any other country the responses would be in the 90%+ range. So 55%, barely half, is rather surprising and refreshingly tolerant. And that kinda undermines the entire argument of Matthew Goodwin's article.

Edwin Greenwood said...

"17% said they weren't strict enough and 61% threatened me with spears!"

Excellent. Genuine LOL.

Edwin Greenwood said...

It's worth taking a look at the published survey data. Matthew's article concentrates on contrasting the liberal and tolerant young, in whom all hope for the future lies, with decrepit baby boomer racist oldsters like me who will die off soon enough anyway, probably in fatal mobility scooter crashes as we weave our way back from of night of heavy nostalgia down the boozer, sinking pints of Old Dog Fart and harking back to the apparently mythical good old days before the Darkies turned up.

But the actual survey shows a more-or-less straight line hardening of attitudes as age increases, suggesting that either

a) "Tolerance" has increased steadily over the past 60 years

or

b) People learn from experience.

I suspect the latter may be closer to the truth.

Tatty said...

So uh...who are these "British People" of which they speak ?

Born here ? Emigrated here ? Achieved citizenship legally or skidded in clinging to the undercarriage of a french lorry ?

The possibilities by which to claim you are "British" these days are pretty much endless and render the term almost meaningless.





Andy said...

He`s fooling no one,plenty of young white kids are only too aware of the racial realities of modern Britain and they dont like it either.

Dr Cromarty said...

'Progressives' don't have kids. The people they imported do and the 'progressives' are in for a shock if they think outs going to be handholding round the campfire and a rendition of 'Imagine'.

Dr Cromarty said...

'Progressives' don't have kids. The people they imported do and the 'progressives' are in for a shock if they think outs going to be handholding round the campfire and a rendition of 'Imagine'.

Noggin the Nog said...

I was immersed in all sorts of 'tolerance' bullshit, both in education and at work when I was younger.

I didn't really think much about race, didn't really care one way or another.

As I have got older, after numerous, almost exclusively negative experiences, some of them extremely serious, with various types of blacks and pakis, I have come to the only common sense conclusion the facts allow:

Britain was a MUCH better country when it was monocultural and I have developed a distindt distrust and dislike of blacks and pakis based on a desire to protect myself, my family and my friends.

I really don't give a shit if that makes me racist.

Noggin the Nog said...

Forgot to add,

My dislike of certain races is far surpassed by my dislike of those of my own race who allowed this insanity to take root in the first place and their followers which have actively pursued this headlong jump off the cliff, whilst trying to bully dissenting voices into submission with absurd rules, regulations and even laws.

Quislings.

Anonymous said...

Noggy,
In a previous blog I mentioned that you (sometimes) talked sense. To a certain extent, you are doing so in this one, though your seemingly increasinged bias towards coloured people does your views no good. Earlier today, a man shot two female Police officers - he was white. Fred West and his wife tortured, raped and murdered a number of women - they were white. A gang of London youths murdered a black man purely because of the colour of his skin - they were white. They were all citizens of this country, born and bred in this country but gave absolutely nothing to the progress of this country. Quite the reverse. My wife is Chinese; a Godfather to one of my children is a Fijian; I owe my life to a Sikh I served with in the Army in Borneo. The colour of someone's skin does not make them good or bad. Lcpl Johnson Beharry is not white, yet he received the highest gallantry award this country can bestow purely becuase of his actions - saving the lives of several white men whilst under heavy enemy fire and being wounded in the process. By all means, discuss the problem of unlimited and unchecked immigration, and the lack of ability by successive Governments in returning offending immigrants, but I request you use logoc and reason and not hysterical and inflammatory racial insults. Many thanks.
Penseivat

ivan said...

It would appear that the Dutch have had enough multi-cilti if their official web site is to be believed.
http://www.government.nl/issues/integration
They are saying anyone coming into the country to live must integrate - I'm not sure if they will be sent back if they don't but it is a step in the right direction.

Anonymous said...

A vote for Noggin - again based on experience.

It's a bit like dogs. Any of 'em might well bite your toddler, but you're less likely to take a chance with a rottweiler, no matter how much Dazza on the other end of the lead assures you it's gentle as a lamb.

Woman on a Raft said...

The coming mantra being road-tested by local pols:

"I don't say those people are racist but..."

JuliaM said...

"From memory, 22% said they were too strict, 17% said they weren't strict enough and 61% threatened me with spears!"

:D

"I bet if you asked a similar nationalist question in any other country the responses would be in the 90%+ range. "

Especially in the Eastern European countries!

"b) People learn from experience. "

Indeed!

"I really don't give a shit if that makes me racist."

Given how the meaning of the word has been stretched beyond recognition, neither do I any more!

JuliaM said...

"A gang of London youths murdered a black man purely because of the colour of his skin - they were white. "

If you're referring to the Lawrence killing, I've got my doubts that was all it was...

"The coming mantra being road-tested by local pols.."

That one's been tested pretty well already!

Noggin the Nog said...

Pense,

Some would say Beharry received his award precisely BECAUSE he was not white.

As I said earlier, this was not my starting point. I have, through painful experience, learnt that the races are most definitely not the same, and some are, generally speaking, far worse than others.

It is no surprise that there are white criminals in white countries.

What is surprising, if your theory about racial equality ( a self righteous one to boot), is the massive over representation of non whites in UK prisons. Either they are victims of white oppression, or blacks and pakis have more criminal tendencies than whites. Usually violent one.

If you want a story of racial killing, google Kris Donald. But you won't have heard of him because the media likes to hush this stuff up.

Compare and contrast with Lawrence.

Woman on a Raft said...

What is surprising, if your theory about racial equality

Nah, what is surprising is to tell a joke where the punchline relies on the inference that the population is overwhelmingly tribesmen, and then come over all Guardianista when somebody else also says "I don't like tribesmen, they have threatened me with spears".

That's the point about playing the PC card; it limits not just what you think other people should be allowed to say but what you yourself can say. 'It's a joke' is irrelevant for PC purposes and does not provide a defence within that framework.

The second formulation is easier to take issue with yet the first is considerably more racist because it trades on and reinforces a negative stereotype of Beharry whilst sniping from behind the protection of the special cultural status of a quip.

For the record, neither comment bothers me and it wouldn't matter if they did. I'm just showing how they cash out.

Anonymous said...

XX Anonymous said...

Noggy,
In a previous blog I mentioned that you (sometimes) talked sense. To a certain extent, you are doing so in this one, though your seemingly increasinged bias towards coloured people does your views no good. Earlier today, a man shot two female Police officers - he was white. Fred West and his wife tortured, raped and murdered a number of women - they were white.....etc
18 September 2012 21:27
XX

Two rights do not make it right.

The numbers of immigrants commiting crimes FAR outweighs their numbers as a percent of th general population.

Berlin, for example, has a street crime rate of 80% comitted by "incomers".

How do we know this?

From a report from out "Home office minister" (Innenministerium, here), AND the local muslims dropping a right bollock, by reporting a year or two back, that "due to the fact the muslim prisoner population is at around 80% of the total inmates, we need more "chaplains".

Furor Teutonicus at work.

Anonymous said...

The point I was trying to make - badly as it appears - is that any argument should consist of reason or logic rather than insults, whether racial or religious. I have my own views of racial intolerance, having witnessed my wife and children abused by so called racially superiors because they happen to have been born in a different country or have parents of different racial characteristics. No doubt if any of these aryan supermen attend the local A&E in great pain they will stand by their racial ethics by refusing treatment by a 'slant-eyed whore' doctor? There are arguments for and against unrestricted immigration and, again, I have my own views on them - not that far from Noggy's - but my views are based on what I know. I can't comment on what is happening in Berlin, but Germany has a long history of Gastarbeiters and, from a friend who was living in Berlin for several years after the Wall was demolished, the crime rate increased there, only the main offenders were 'Ossies' and not Turks, Armenians or Pakistanis. Every so often, it seems, one particular race appears to take precedence in the crime figures. In UK today, the Romanians are getting the blame, several years ago it was the afro-Carribeans, before that it was the Italians or the Jews. There is a huge Chinese crime problem in Spain, especially the Costa Blanca, but these may well be overtaken by the North Africans, who knows?
The earlier joke is what you want to make of it - I was actually told it by a Pakistani I was working with at the NoP - perhaps it was not appropriate and inconsistent with my later comments and, for this, I apologise.
Penseivat

Noggin the Nog said...

Pense,

For goodnes sake, don't apologise.

Three things'; I have not made offensive comments, I do not believe I am an Aryan superman and the Jews are members of a religion and not a race.

With regard to the hospital thing, I would much prefer to be treated by a doctor who can understand English and is properly qualified than some affirmitive action drongo who cannot string a sentence together and whose diploma came out of a Christmas cracker, if Christmas is not banned in his homeland.

Anonymous said...

Noggy,
Not suggesting you made offensive remarks or are a superman - though I would suggest there are those who believe you are. I too, would like to be teated by a doctor with good linguistic skills. How about an A&E specialist who learned her skills in the USA, speaks with a California accent, is a gifted public speaker, a member of MENSA (though she often claims she had an off day when she married me!) and who loves this country, its history and, despite what we have been discussing, its general acceptance of those newcomers wishing to work to make it even better.
I will accept the 'deliberate error' regarding the Jews - see, you're using logic and reason - good lad!
Penseivat

Noggin the Nog said...

Pense,

No problem being treated by the person you describe.

So long as she is not muslim.