Latest news with #AsianBritish
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Almost HALF of Britons sometimes feel like they're living in Keir Starmer's 'island of strangers' – with home working and ‘failures in integration' to blame
Almost half of Britons sometimes feel like a stranger in their own country – with home working and 'failures in integration' to blame. A shock report has revealed plummeting social cohesion across the country, with half of those questioned saying they felt disconnected from society. The survey of more than 13,000 adults was carried out just before Sir Keir Starmer provoked controversy by warning that without strict rules on migration 'we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'. The research by pollsters More in Common, as part of a major project called This Place Matters, also found that the sense of isolation was not simply because of the UK's changing population. Asian British people were more likely to feel like strangers in their own country (47 per cent) than white Britons (44 per cent). And focus groups found that technology was often linked to the decline of social life. A support worker called Ruqayyah told researchers: 'I think after the pandemic there's more of a "work from home" kind of nature which has developed, which has actually destroyed our young generation.' A teacher called Frances said: 'In terms of communities, it's very, very easy to do everything on your phone. 'And it's very, very easy to then sit in your house and just send a text rather than make a phone call to somebody. 'So that sense of community that I actually remember when I was a kid, it is going.' And a bank worker called Linzi told how working from home for three years 'really affected me', adding: 'Because you're stuck in the house and not seeing people.' Others said they would 'just text' their friends rather than going for a coffee with them, and that since Covid they no longer socialised in pubs. The research also found that younger Britons were less trustful of other people. Most of those questioned believed that a person can be British regardless of their ethnic background. But the majority (73 per cent) also said more needed to be done to encourage integration between people of different backgrounds. The PM was forced to stand by his 'island of strangers' remark after he was accused of using language similar to Enoch Powell's notorious 1968 'Rivers of Blood' speech. Mr Powell had said the native British population had 'found themselves made strangers in their own country' because of mass immigration. Downing Street said there was no comparison between the phrases. A separate poll by YouGov found 53 per cent of people agreed with the PM's sentiment and half thought his language was 'acceptable'. The survey also found there was little confidence that the Government will reduce immigration levels. Some 41 per cent said Labour policies would make 'no difference', while just one in five believe it will cut them. More in Common director Luke Tryl said: 'Above all else, this research shows an urgent need to think again about how we rebuild a united and cohesive society. 'The polling puts into sharp relief something that will come as no surprise to many Britons – a growing sense that we've turned inward, away from each other, becoming more distant and less connected. 'The Prime Minister's warning that we risk becoming an "island of strangers" resonates with millions who say they feel disconnected from those around them. 'But it would be a mistake to say that immigration and lack of integration are the sole causes of our fragmenting social fabric. The public point to a range of forces driving us apart: some cite the retreat from workplaces to screens; others talk about the loss of shared spaces and rituals that once brought us together.'
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New exhibition to celebrate South Asian communities
A new exhibition celebrating the heritage of South Asian communities in Coventry is to open later this year after receiving funding. Stories That Made Us: Roots, Resilience, Representation, will open at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum on 14 November. Culture Coventry Trust announced on Wednesday it had received a £131,350 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the project. Marguerite Nugent, the trust's cultural director, said they could bring stories from the city's South Asian communities to life in a way that acknowledged the "deep cultural impact" they had made. "It's about building bridges between communities and we hope this will lead to a deeper understanding of our shared history," Ms Nugent added. According to the 2021 census, about 18.5% of Coventry's population identified as Asian or Asian British, but Herbert said they were "often underrepresented" in public collections or exhibitions. The exhibition will portray the lived experiences of a South Asian family in the city from 1968 to 2010, drawing on Coventry Archives' Virk Collection and Hardish Virk's Stories That Made Us Collection. It will include photographs, books, magazines, vinyl records and other memorabilia. Hardish Virk, exhibition co-curator, said it aimed to tell stories of both migrant and British South Asian communities, through the lived experience of one family. "This exhibition doesn't claim to tell every story, instead it will tackle themes of migration, activism and identity which will resonate with both South Asian communities as well as wider society," Mr Virk added. "Part of the legacy is to celebrate and document the positive contribution South Asian communities have and continue to make to every aspect of British society." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Museum axes free entry to tackle rising costs Museum's walls become artworks in new installation Working class portrayed in photography exhibition Dippy the dinosaur takes up three-year residency Herbert Art Gallery & Museum Culture Coventry Trust
