For more than a decade, the political and media establishment in Britain has told itself a comforting story.
The shock vote for Brexit, more than a
decade ago, was just the “last gasp” of an older, more conservative
Britain that struggles to accept the modern world.
Yes, some 17 million people might have
voted to leave the European Union and given the establishment a bloody
nose. But this was only a temporary revolt – a brief interruption on
Britain’s inevitable journey towards a far more “liberal” [as in hard or
far left-wing] future.
And in the years since – they continually tell us –
new generations of younger, more diverse and “better educated” British
people have arisen to continue pushing Britain towards this far more
socially “liberal,” cosmopolitan, or “progressive” horizon.
Ever more supportive of immigration. Ever
more supportive of demographic change and rising diversity. Ever more
relaxed about “modern Britain.” And ever more embarrassed about the vote
for Brexit and the desire to “take back control.”
This is the narrative that countless politicians, academics and columnists push.
Alastair Campbell. Rory Stewart. Emily Maitlis. Polly Toynbee. Owen Jones. Former Times
columnist David Aaronovitch. “Liberal” pollster Peter Kellner. Academic
activists like Jon Portes and Rob Ford. They have all made variations
of this argument.
You know the type.
Smug illiberal “progressives” who think the future belongs to them, who preach about the wonders of diversity but refuse to tolerate genuine diversity of thought, who portray anybody who holds a different view as some kind of fascist, and who probably look at a newsletter like ours as representing a fringe minority.
Well, take a look at what is happening now.
A few days ago, a remarkable new study by
the polling company YouGov completely dismantled this argument by
comparing what the British people think today with what they thought at
the time of the Brexit referendum, a decade ago.
And what did they find?
Contrary to all the talk and all the
predictions about the British people embracing things like immigration
and diversity, the pollsters found a very different story and one that
reveals just how badly the establishment continues to misread Britain.
For a start, they found that over the last decade the British people have not become
more supportive of immigration over the last decade. Far from it. They
are just as likely today as they were a decade ago to think immigration
into Britain has been “too high” – a view which, consistently, seven in ten people hold....<<<Read More>>>...