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SE London
I was in a former labour voting area of be England that was prob 99% white that subsequently voted strongly for Brexit (Copeland, Cumbria).
I'd guess se London was always much more diverse and as a result less racist than the country as a whole.
dst2-
I'd guess se London was always much more diverse and as a result less racist than the country as a whole.
The reason the NF marched through New Cross in the 70s was because there was a local NF councillor elected and they wanted to inflame local tension.
There’s much less of a binary now - when I was a kid it was still mostly white English/West Indian. The white working class have mostly gone, which has eased tensions tbh. Rich white gentrifiers and a wide range of immigrant groups make it feel polarised on class rather than ethnic lines.
absurdbird
I’m not sure I agree.
Living in SE London over much of that time it definitely felt like things were improving- hip hop and rave seemed to have a positive effect on my generation, yet the casual misogyny and inherent racism of ‘lad culture’ was there at the same time.
Racism never went away, just moved out of London -and other cities where there was white (working class) flight.
There aren’t NF pubs in Lewisham (I know someone who lost an eye sticking up for his Indian mate) - but there are plenty like that in Rochester or wherever.
Gauging the prevalence and degree of racism depends on what metric you’re using. Public expression of racist views has been mostly shut down, yet they thrive in the anonymity of the Internet.
Systemic, institutional racism is being addressed - in some quarters more than others, but this hasn’t changed the private opinions of many in this country. In fact working class white men now identify as a victim group.
Tidying up the surface doesn’t get to what lies beneath- and often seems to make that worse.
Which is kind of my point about pitchforks for some twatty teenage tweets - when there are serious things that need addressing.