paranoidandroid

Plenty at home would do the same at Dover if they had ther way.
It's not just here that people get anxious about illegal immigration.

exvj

I mean literally they would shoot them in the US. If they were allowed to, then they would.

There are only a tiny number of right wing Brits - look at the BNP Parliamentary representation - none. The tiny right wing in the UK is marginalised and can't get a toehold in British politics

The British Conservative party is a mile to the left of the US Democrats. They even say that free universal health care via the NHS is at the core of their values !

There is nothing in the UK to compare to the right wing in the US. In my parent's generation there were many millions of KKK all over the US and they burned whole towns of non- white people even up here in Washington State. It was actually respectable to be in the Ku Klux Klan - a bit like the Masons..

there truly is no comparison to extreme right wing politics in the US which is popular and often holds government, and the handful of failing BNP candidates in the UK

Mummy in the foothills

Yeah but compare the number of people in UK to US. It's be like asking how many people in Rode Island are against immigration and asking the same question in UK. The numbers would probably be pretty close.

exvj

I am not talking about anti-immigration. I wasn't too chuffed when 150,000 Pakistanis moved to within 6 miles of my house near Bradford. Culturally swamped I was. What I am saying is that the views in the US are FAR more extreme than the UK and it's not just immigration. They even shot someone by State Firing Squad a few weeks ago and that doesn't happen in Tunbridge Wells. >>

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/us/19death.html


There is genuine hatred here in the US and a history of violence in general and lynching and town burning. I only carry one gun so I am classed as a liberal.

paranoidandroid

I don't necessarily agree with some of what you're suggesting, but I'm not saying you're outright wrong either.
In my own opinion I' think its hard to judge how many people are against illegal immigrants (or even legal ones) at home because I'm not there now. I do know that I heard enough negative comments about the subject in the South East when I lived there, so don't even get me started on that. I'll give you an example -
I heard a few people suggest that it would be a good idea to put a machine gun tower at the end of the channel tunnel and sell tickets for half hourly slots to shoot the illegals coming out of it off the train.. is that extreme enough for you? That was in Kent and not too far from Tunbridge Wells, ok?

Come on, how many people have actually shot anyone coming over the US border? It's all talk.
As far as having the death penalty and state executions, well you knew that was an option before you moved over here didn't you, or did you think the same rules applied here as they do at home? Doesn't make it any more real to the person getting executed whether they have an electric chair, a lethal injection, or the firing squad.. the end result is the same, and it's legal.

History is history exvj, you were the one a few messages ago that said "I guess we are a little off track comparing histories. What really matters is the here and now." So let's stick with that hmm? Town burnings and lynchings don't happen now, and this isn't the wild west.

Oh and if you're really anti gun culture america, then maybe you should consider doing what a lot of other people do... don't carry one at all?

You can't have it all ways. Some things it's ok to moan about, but whining about other things that are a part of life just sounds... ridiculous honestly.

I look at it like this, I can't change whats going on around me. I can't change the people or the attitudes, so I live my own life in the best way I can to make ME happy. Really it's all about accepting where you live and trying to make the best of it, not staying in a place and continually hating it.
Ok so nobody really likes the redneck attitudes, but we tolerate them in (and sometimes get a laugh out of them) the same way as people at home tolerate "chav culture". It's here to stay, so get over it, I'm sure that there are plenty of people at home that would swap your life for their innercity life in Peckham or Hackney, or for that matter, Bradford or Leeds too. (No disrespect intended to anyone from those areas).

paranoidandroid

You said it.. "In my parent's generation: not now.

Quite honestly, I don't see a comparison between the BNP and anything much, apart from maybe the Nazi party in the 1930's and 40's, or the neo nazi extremists that seem to be popular with a small minority of people over in certain parts of Europe today. As far as I know there aren't any extreme right local governments around me that adopt a "hang em high" attitude, but maybe there are in your area, or certain parts of the US.
I dislike the right wing attitudes that some of the fundamentalist christians seem to have (and a lot of the old people too,)just as much as you do, but it is what it is and I ignore it. I'm not silly or naieve enough to believe that everyone thinks the same as they do, that would be like calling every English football fan a hooligan just because they go to a game every week.

exvj

I don't belong to the camp that says if you move to another country then you should accept it how it is. I think many countries have advanced under the influence of incomers.... eg Australia, NZ, Iraq (naughty). The Americans except the Indians are incomers so I am sure they would claim they changed the place for the better.

I think the tide is turning against executions in the US and certainly the EU countries will not extradite anyone to the US because of this so the pressure is on.

Hanging, and jailing people for homosexuality was the law in England when I was a kid - so accepting something because it is current law is not the way to progress.

Your point is that I should accept red neck culture, executions etc and how it all is, but I am looking forward to things improving. It's the complainers who got the NHS for the UK, not the ones who said nothing and not the ones who ignored society and lived for 'me'.

Hey I will have a vote by early November - then I will be entitled to want changes..

paranoidandroid

Actually it seems like you missed my point despite what I said, but that's fine too.
Hey, if you think you can improve things then go right ahead, everyone here would be grateful for that.