I'm going to say something here not everyone will agree with, and that's this.....none of this was a issue before we had mass EU immigration.
Race relations steadily improved through the 80s and 90s. Only nasty fringe parties like NF and BNP talked about deportation. Up to the mid 00s most people were sympathetic to asylum seekers.
Then too many purely economic migrants were allowed to come from Eastern European countries..... That is what caused this 'hostile environment', the government couldn't control EU migration so they started casting around for someone else to blame, trying to reduce non EU immigration to virtually zero, going to any lengths trying to root out illegal immigrants and never mind how many legal ones got caught up in the process.
I firmly believe if we'd controlled EU migration better we wouldn't be in this mess. But we can't turn the clock back and we certainly shouldn't blame the EU migrants.
As you and I know we have been discussing this issue of Windrush immigration status on Brixton forum before this thread started. Understandably as Brixton is home to Windrush generation.
I noticed this thread and had a look.
Back on Brixton forum when I brought up parallels between the way recent East Europeans and Wiindrush generation have been treated you came back saying that "we" are talking just about Windrush.
So what happened? You didn't think I would look at this thread?
As I posted up on Brixton a while back a Afro Carribbean friend of mine in Brixton ( whose father was Windrush) said to me the way people are going on about East Europeans is the same way that people used to go about his Father's generation who came here after WW2.
There are parallels between the Windrush generation and East Europeans who came here.
After WW2 Commonwealth citizens had free movement. Due to racist/ anti immigrant backlash in 1971 this was curtailed. Existing Windrush being given leave to remain. Which is inferior to what they had before.
The same could happen to existing EU citizens here.
UKIP, as my Brixton Afro Carribbean friend said are racist, pushed the immigration issue to promote Brexit.
I notice you aren't putting up post like this on Brixton forum.
May "hostile environment" wasn't forced on Tories.
This issue came up at work today. The people I work with aren't heavy politicos. They like me in London work with "immigrants" and have partners ( including me) from EU and beyond.
What you are saying is bollox.