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Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Opinion: We've been silenced on mass migration in Britain
I have lived long enough, in Eastern Europe before the fall of the Iron Curtain as well as in the West, to recognise the signs. Serious social unrest is in the air. And you don't have to take my word for it. Even Deputy PM Angela Rayner, a staunch socialist, warned this week that ministers at last need to acknowledge the public's 'real concerns' about mass migration, while Downing Street officials fear the nation is 'fraying at the edges'. At the opposite end of the political spectrum, Reform's Nigel Farage captures the public mood when he warns that Britain is close to 'civil disobedience on a vast scale'. The atmosphere of discontent seems palpable. Last week's demonstrations in Epping, east London , ignited by reports that a boat migrant sexually harassed a girl in the street, have provoked other protests, at Diss in Norfolk and at a luxury hotel requisitioned for asylum seekers amid the glittering skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, east London. Alarmingly for the authorities, groups of protesters appear to be gathering outside migrant hotels around the country every day. Yesterday, it emerged that Essex Police had actually escorted Left-wing, pro-migrant counter-protesters to Epping's Bell Hotel, now given over to illegal arrivals. The force has suggested this was to 'facilitate free assembly'. Last year, of course, a wave of riots was set off by the appalling knife attack in Southport, in which three small girls were killed and seven other people – five of them children – were seriously injured by a malevolent teenage psychopath. Now there are concerns such violence could break out again, fuelled by mounting public rage at the seemingly endless tide of young men arriving illegally on small boats. Keir Starmer has spoken about his wish to see our 'social fabric' repaired, but the Prime Minister and his Cabinet simply don't understand that this mounting crisis has been directly caused by their and their predecessors' unwillingness to grasp the concerns of ordinary people. The traditional values that bind a nation and give it stability – patriotism and loyalty to the whole country instead of splintered communities – have long been deliberately undermined by our political leaders and the State itself. Gus O'Donnell, the most senior civil servant in the country under three Prime Ministers between 2005 and 2011, captured this when he boasted: 'At the Treasury I argued for the most open door possible to immigration... I think it's my job to maximise global welfare, not national welfare.' Again and again, the public have expressed their opposition to such attitudes at the ballot box. Again and again, the politicians have ignored them. One man I spoke to recently, an ex-serviceman named John, told me: 'I'm fed up with feeling like an alien in my own community.' The Labour Party used to represent people like John. No longer. The Blairite project of 'multiculturalism' has visibly failed. Of course there are exceptions, and of course many migrants make a wonderful contribution to our country. But no one can deny that our society is more fragmented than it was a couple of generations ago. Starmer himself, before he feebly backtracked on his own phrasing, understood this when he referred to our 'island of strangers'. But he was right. Large parts of Britain, from Tower Hamlets in east London to districts of Bradford in West Yorkshire, have become ethnic enclaves. Assimilation or integration of the second, third or even fourth-generation migrants living there is increasingly unrealistic. The political establishment refuses to admit these profound problems, because to do so would be to accept the failure of their world view, maintained despite its obvious flaws for 30 years or longer. Why else would Labour ministers be so eager to fight the battles of the past – from reversing Margaret Thatcher's union laws to threatening to prosecute soldiers who served in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and now investigating police actions during the miners' strike more than four decades ago? As this long, hot summer roils on, I fear that events may force our leaders to confront these mounting tensions in our society – whether they like it or not. All it might take is one spark. An online rumour, a viral video clip, perhaps a single inflammatory post on social media – and Tinderbox Britain will go up in flames. Yes, some far-Right thugs have been present at recent anti-migrant protests. But it is completely dishonest of Labour to pretend that these scenes are purely the work of racist agitators. A report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services into last August's riots in Southport concluded that most people who took part in them lived locally. They were whipped up not by criminal factions or extremists, but by disaffected individuals and online influencers. Ideology and political views played little part. The riots were a spasm of protest from a people who felt that no one was listening to them. Millions more who took no part in the disturbances still shared some of those concerns. They are ordinary men and women – largely apolitical. They would indignantly reject any suggestion of bigotry, and they are emphatically not racist. And yet they cannot maintain the silence, foisted on them by successive governments, any longer. As prime minister more than 20 years ago, Tony Blair schemed to make mass immigration an acceptable policy, with a 'marketing strategy' to sell multiculturalism to the country. This was despite a report, commissioned by the Home Office, that warned: 'People feel they do not have permission to freely express their fears.' Even then, in faraway 2004, many Britons believed our borders were 'open and overrun'. Labour's response was to downplay these fears, so that immigration stories were 'no longer automatic front-page tabloid material every time'. That cynical technique has become embedded in Labour's DNA. Starmer cannot imagine doing things any differently. But year after year of enforced silence has not dissipated the nation's fears – or its anger. It has achieved the opposite, by containing them under pressure. Now that pressure is building, and though I hope to God I'm wrong, the ominous sense that something terrible is about to flare up is becoming inescapable. Professor Frank Furedi is the director of the think-tank MCC Brussels.
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
We've been silenced on mass migration and the nation's furious. All it will take is one spark and tinderbox Britain will go up in flames: FRANK FUREDI
I have lived long enough, in Eastern Europe before the fall of the Iron Curtain as well as in the West, to recognise the signs. Serious social unrest is in the air. And you don't have to take my word for it. Even Deputy PM Angela Rayner, a staunch socialist, warned this week that ministers at last need to acknowledge the public's 'real concerns' about mass migration, while Downing Street officials fear the nation is 'fraying at the edges'.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Immigration and deprivation reasons UK public losing faith in politicians, says Rayner
Immigration and deprivation are the key factors causing public disenchantment with politicians and the government that has led to social unrest and rioting, Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has warned. According to an official summary of Tuesday's meeting of the cabinet, Rayner, who is leading a wider government project on improving social cohesion, also highlighted the increasing amount of people spending time alone and online as a driver of disturbances. Asked if Rayner specifically saw increased migration as a particular reason for both the riots which took place across England last summer and recent disturbances at hotels which house asylum seekers, Downing Street said it was among 'concerns that people have about whether government is acting on their behalf and acting in their interests'. Ministers are concerned about a potential renewed wave of migration and race-based disturbances, as the anniversary approaches of the murder of three children at a dance class in Southport that led to riots last summer, with many encouraged by false far-right claims about the attack. Rayner told ministerial colleagues that 'economic insecurity, the rapid pace of de-industrialisation, immigration and the impacts on local communities and public services, technological change and the amount of time people were spending alone online, and declining trust in institutions was having a profound impact on society', according to a No 10 readout of the cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. Emphasising the role of deprivation and poverty, Rayner said 17 of the 18 places around England which had the worst trouble last summer were among the country's most-deprived areas. 'While Britain was a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country, the government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish,' Rayner added. Asked about the role of immigration, Keir Starmer's official spokesperson said 'high levels of immigration over the last 10 years, including illegal immigration' was among a series of factors, including the cost of living and the pace of technological change that 'have had an impact on our social fabric and social cohesion'. Questioned about Rayner's comments on people spending more time online and alone, the spokesperson said adults now averaged four hours of online time a day, 'and that has changed the way in which people interact with other people'. While Rayner's project on social cohesion is aimed at the longer term, with no date set as to when it will present any conclusions, ministers are very mindful of the more immediate worry of a repeat of last summer's disorder, after which there were more than 1,800 arrests and nearly 1,100 charges, with hundreds of people jailed. One potential flashpoint could be an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex, which has been the target for a series of protests in recent days, and where police were attacked. The far-right agitator Tommy Robinson has promised on social media to bring 'thousands' of people to join a mass protest at the hotel on Sunday. Similar demonstrations have also taken place at a hotel in Diss, Norfolk. There is an additional political impetus for ministers to take seriously the possibility of wider disorder given the likelihood it would be exploited by Nigel Farage, who used a speech about crime on Monday to say much of the UK was experiencing 'nothing short of societal collapse'. He told an event: 'I don't think anybody in London can understand just how close we are to civil disobedience on a vast scale in this country.'
Telegraph
28-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
How banana worker strikes over pensions triggered a state of emergency in Panama
Workers have plunged Panama into crisis after the government announced plans to phase out a popular retirement scheme. The Latin American country has declared a state of emergency in the north western Bocas del Toro province after controversial pension reforms sparked widespread protests. The government temporarily suspended constitutional rights and imposed internet blackouts following more than a month of strikes and road blocks which led to clashes with police. Local reports suggest at least one person has died, more than 300 have been arrested and dozens injured. The protesters warn they face poverty in retirement because of a new pension law signed in March. Strikes began in April, initially led by banana workers. Bananas are one of Panama's main exports along with shrimps and copper ore. The crisis escalated earlier this month after banana giant, Chiquita, laid off all of its 6,500 workers in the country. Chiquita has said the protests cost the firm at least $75m (£55m), with almost one million boxes of bananas lost, causing 'irreversible damage'. The deep social unrest exposes the perils of reforming a generous pension system in a country with limited trust in the government. For years, Panama has tried and failed to overhaul its defined benefit scheme in order to tackle a deficit now worth over $650m. As far back as 2006, the International Monetary Fund warned the scheme was facing crisis due to an ageing population and the level of benefits which it described as 'among the highest in Latin America' – and generous even by European standards. Under the scheme, the pension contributions of the working population fund the benefits of current retirees, rather than their own future pensions. Both private and public sector employees are covered by the system. Those who have made 20 years of contributions are eligible for 60pc of their average monthly earnings in retirement based on their highest paid 10 years. But this system has become unsustainable due to an ageing population. The number of over 65s in Panama has tripled in the last three decades from just over 100,000 at the end of the 20th century to more than 400,000 today. This means a growing number of retirees are dependent on the pension contributions of a shrinking pool of workers. To stop the scheme from sinking further into the red, Panama created a new mixed pension system in 2008. But without further reform, the deficit was still predicted to reach almost 4pc of GDP by 2045. In March, President Jose Raul Mulino signed into law reforms merging the two systems into a state-managed defined contribution scheme. Under the reforms, employee contributions will remain unchanged at 9.75pc of wages, employer contributions will rise gradually from 12.25pc to 15.25pc by 2029 and the government will pay almost $1bn a year to address any shortfalls. In addition, workers are promised a minimum pension of about $145 dollars a month. The government has claimed this is generous compared to the universal basic pensions available in other countries in Latin America. But workers have said the pension reforms will leave them in poverty in retirement. This is because their income will depend on investment performance as well as their own contributions. Mariano Thompson, a Latin America pensions expert, of insurance company WTW, said: 'An individual account system requires consistent contributions and reduced volatility in both national and global financial markets to ensure a decent return, as the benefit depends on the funds accumulated by retirement.' Many Panamanian workers are employed in the informal sector for at least a portion of their working career, potentially limiting the number of contributions they can make, and therefore, the size of their pension pot. Low trust in the government is another reason why the reform has triggered social unrest. Mr Thompson said: 'While the government justifies the reforms due to the growing deficit of the system, union protests are driven by a lack of trust in the government's ability to fulfil its promised contributions and minimum benefits.' He continued: 'These groups do not trust individual account schemes and would prefer a defined benefit model, which they regard as a solidarity-based system.' Workers are also suspicious about future retirement age increases, he added. The reform maintained the retirement age at 62 for men and 57 for women – but scheduled a review in six years' time. Pension reform is not the only thing motivating the protests. President Mulino has become increasingly unpopular for signing a Memorandum of Understanding, which gives US military vessels free passage and allows US soldiers to train on Panamanian soil. The government has insisted this does not impact Panama's sovereignty or the neutrality deal. But it has provoked outrage from Panamanians who accuse the president of cosying up to President Donald Trump, who has previously threatened to seize back control of the Panama Canal.
Bloomberg
13-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Hong Kong Group Tracking China Labor Unrest Abruptly Shuts Down
China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based group that advocates for workers and tracks social unrest across the country, abruptly announced its dissolution, citing financial reasons. The group has withdrawn from social media platforms and will stop updating its website, according to an archived version of its now-defunct homepage viewed by Bloomberg News. Its Facebook and Instagram accounts were unavailable as of Friday afternoon.
