There are 53 million people crammed into England, a country you can fit into Canada 75 times (with a bit to spare).
At its peak the British Empire influenced 20% of the worlds population and covered almost a quarter of the earths total land area.
How the times have changed.
Today Britain still retains sovereignty over 14 territories outside the British Isles, however it is the population dynamics taking place in this country that are very interesting and causing a stir.
When I was in Boston Lincolnshire in 2008 the locals talked about the flood of Portuguese who had come to this part of the country.
Now in 2012 there still may be Portuguese around but it is the Eastern Europeans who have moved to this farming community in search of better economic fortunes.
The number of “Foreigners” in this part of the country always comes up in conversation.
The local area employs a large number of seasonal workers on surrounding farms to harvest fruit and vegetables. It’s not that the “foreigners” are taking jobs from Britons. They are doing jobs that no-one else seems to want to do.
There is a lot of animosity because it perceived that people who come to England from the European Union get a free ride from the government and even receive preferential treatment. There is also talk about anti-social behaviour and drunkenness of the foreigners – it would appear that the majority of decent hard working people are painted with the same brush.
Its not like crowds of drunken football fans are invading the town.
I even heard a rumour that there was protest march being organized due to the foreign invasion. (Apparently a public meeting held in Boston Lincolnshire in July ended with a vote of 66 to 64 against holding a demonstration.)
As a colonial myself the idea of protesting the influx of new people into ones country smells like the left overs from an Eskimo picnic. It even has overtones of Nazism.
It is my opinion as an outside observer that the peoples anger is misdirected. Instead of generating ill will – this energy may be better channelled towards sending a message to the country’s policy makers in London.
It also would appear that the locals of this part of the British Empire don’t see the irony of reverse colonialism that is taking place.
Subsequent to posting this blog, I was in downtown Boston Lincolnshire on a Saturday evening.
I had the pleasure of getting hit in the head with a can of pop, (full and open). The people who were with me were very quick to accuse “foreigners”. As it turned out it was a group of local English kids acting as ambassadors, giving a warm to their town.
It has been my observation that the vast majority of anti social behaviour is at the hands of its British residents.
I hold no grudge – it is their country and they know not what they do…
Interesting.