“Britain prides itself on making newcomers feel at home”.
This ludicrous claim was perpetuated by one Merril Stevenson in a special feature in The Economist earlier this year and, rather than merely asking “what planet…?”, we thought it might be more interesting to take an overview of British xenophobia in case we might be missing something here.
It is evident that all non-christian and non-caucasian immigrants to Britain are treated inequitably on an economic basis and, indeed, on any societal measure that one wishes to choose. Even later generations of the initial influx are denied any route to success beyond the specialised class as the upper echelons of society are almost entirely white, anglo-saxon and protestant. Ah, but, I hear you say, aren’t all other countries similarly bigoted when their systems are stripped down to the bare bones? No, and yes… Undoubtedly, all nation states are defensive of their proprietary powers (although Britain has always seemed particularly protectionist) but it is with regard to interpersonal attitude that Britain stands alone with its island mentality. We will return to the area of individual human interactions below but, firstly, it would seem necessary to explore examples in an attempt to find evidence of newcomers being made welcome.
Throughout the last three centuries, the structures of authority, hierarchy and domination in your sceptred isle have required a new underclass that might be exploited even more fully than the native working class in order to enhance corporate profits. From the slave trade to Polish nannies and from the Raj to Gurkha soldiers, Britain has sought out economic and military efficiencies of even greater magnitude than those created through the abuses of, for example, the workers in the Lancashire cotton mills. Some xenophobia occurs in particular windows of imperial opportunity, separate types exist in a continuum of abuse and yet others are cyclical in nature. Respective examples might include the Chinese coolies, Irish, Roma, Muslims or Jews, and the Poles.
After the First World War, Britain needed people as the upper classes had wiped out huge swathes of the working class population in a remarkable example of self-genocide (every single boy in my grandmother’s school class was killed in the “Great” [sic] war, for example). English industry was largely rebuilt by the Irish and the same process was repeated after the Second World War except that, on this occasion, the Caribbean was the source of choice. Greeted by signs on rented dwellings proclaiming “No Irish, No Blacks”, it was evident from day one as to one’s status in one’s new world. In this latter war, it was largely the fighting spirit of Polish flyers (and the Red Army) that tilted the balance in the favour of the Allies and, yet, these incredibly brave men were ostracised once back at the mess bar by the English upper crust. Post-war, the Poles were made unwelcome as they were taking the jobs of “our” miners and “our” doctors. Even today, Polish doctors are ostracised by the golden triangle of elite English medics emanating from Oxbridge and London.
Bringing the xenophobic tale up to date, it is now expected of all immigrant groups that they undertake a test of their Britishness. This is palpably elitist and racist. The autocratic institutions representing big business wish to foster immigration as the bosses are able to employ such individuals at cheaper wages than the local population and, equally important, these newcomers possess virtually no employment rights. This inevitably gives rise to tensions between the immigrants and the disenfranchised English which, apparently, will be entirely solved by questioning the newcomers on the Magna Carta, the Battle of Hastings and how many runs Geoffrey Boycott scored for Yorkshire. Twaddle…
I have lived in Greece for six years. I have been treated with the utmost respect and dignity by the vast majority of the Greeks with whom I have come into contact. And, yet, sixty years ago, Britain and America undertook the White Terror against left wing Greeks that had fought on the same side as the Allies in the Second World War. In support of the extreme right wing Mountain Brigade, the Sacred Band and even the fascist Security Battalions, the US (with the help of their new client regime, Britain) carried out over 3000 executions and over 700,000 civilians were forcibly evacuated from mountain villages and imprisoned in squalid internment camps. The vast majority of these people were from the Zagori mountains on the mainland adjacent to Kerkyra. And yet, I am referred to by people in my village as the “English gentleman” (incidentally, I am neither of these things…) and gifts of farm produce and locally produced wines are repeatedly given to me as gestures of friendship. The English on the island, in general, make no attempt to learn the language or to understand Greek culture and exist in elitist enclaves listening to chamber music and complaining openly about the attitudes of the Corfiots, the Albanians or Roma who, allegedly, blight their existence. Any sign of the imposition of a test for “Greekness”?
There are two prime differences of attitude at play here. One is plain xenophobia based on a fear of any human being that might be considered different in some manner. The second disparity is the more revealing. The Greeks have an understandable right to have a negative view of the UK as, within living memory, the English have exhibited a highly abusive form of duplicity. In comparison, the English abhor newcomers despite the fact that, historically, parallel forms of abuse were perpetrated on the ancestors of these immigrants.
Land of hope and glory, indeed…
In a final Orwellian twist to the rewriting of our history, Britain is, in 2007, celebrating the 200 year anniversary of the ending of slavery with a series of films and televisual feasts proclaiming the greatness of individuals like Wilberforce, Gladstone and Clarkson who, apparently, freed the Black people from their chains of oppression. Conspicuous by their absence are the names of Sam Sharp (who effectively emancipated the Jamaicans) and Toussaint L’Ouverture (whose guerillas defeated the two largest imperialist armies of the day – Britain and France in St Domingue). Even The Economist states “the slave trade would not have collapsed without rebellions by the victims”.
And why, you might ask, has this got anything to do with football? Being based in Caracas for a week, we are frequently assumed to be Americans. Despite the US backed 2003 coup, the Venezuelans are welcoming beyond belief. There is a warmth and social living perspective in every aspect of our interactions.
Compare and contrast…
© Football Is Fixed/Dietrological
