Posts Tagged: UK politics

What do we mean by ‘integration’?

What do we mean by ‘integration’?

We often talk about the need for migrants to ‘integrate’ into British society — but is this is a positive ideal, or coded language for racism and xenophobia? As Brexit, debates over British immigration policy, and a number of global refugee crises have swept public discussion over the last decade or so, the term ‘integration’ …

George Floyd, a year on: has any progress been made?

George Floyd, a year on: has any progress been made?

Whilst the British public wake up to the realities of racism, the government are reluctant to pursue real change. Over a year has passed since George Floyd was murdered by a police officer on the 25th of May 2020, sparking a summer of protests and a global conversation about anti-Black racism. Floyd’s death became a …

Narratives blaming minorities for spreading Covid-19 are not new — instead, they reflect a wider pattern of scapegoating

Narratives blaming minorities for spreading Covid-19 are not new — instead, they reflect a wider pattern of scapegoating

Blaming marginalised communities for society’s problems deflects attention away from where it is needed. The Covid-19 pandemic has birthed a dangerous cocktail of anxiety, conspiracy theories, and racism. The UK witnessed a sharp rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the pandemic’s initial stages, in direct response to narratives describing Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus”. Fake …

Why pitting BAME communities against the ‘white working class’ misses the point about inequality

Why pitting BAME communities against the ‘white working class’ misses the point about inequality

The UK government’s rejection of anti-racism in favour of tackling socioeconomic equality presents a false choice that ignores intersectional struggles. “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives” – Audre Lorde In December 2020, Liz Truss, the Minister for Women and Equalities, delivered a speech outlining a …

The UK is experiencing a pandemic – so why does the government continue to prioritise immigration?

The UK is experiencing a pandemic – so why does the government continue to prioritise immigration?

The effects of immigration policy on NHS patients and staff demonstrate how the government is focusing on restrictions to immigration over public health. The issue of immigration has been at the forefront of political discussions for a number of years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has done little to slow this process down. Instead, the government’s …