Every three years I travel to Europe and to England - one of my kids married an Englishman, who is 'wedded' to the suburb of his birth (the opposite of what we talk about here), so no chance of reverse migration. Most of my personal travelling in those different cities is done on public transport because I like to observe the locals close-up; and it is fascinating.
I, too, have had negative experiences in London and other places with obviously foreign bus conductors etc. not knowing or understanding a question, but also have had absolutely positive experiences. People do not re-tell a positive experience, but focus on the negative, especially if affronted by a dark face where they expect a lighter colour. Lighter-coloured people have better jobs - as simple as that. At least that woman worked for a living and maybe she should be reported to a supervisor and not complained about to one's relatives.
I have also had a most fascinating experience in a 'Turkish Bath' in London where I had gone with my daughter. I finished up having a really wonderful and healthy half day, with the highlight of being given a brown sugar rub by a tall woman from the Sudan, hair done up in little braids sticking out all over her head; she rented that space, made and sold her own cosmetic products and brought up her two daughters all by herself (ex-husband Muslim and useless - her words)- and she had serious expansion plans for her products (internet sales etc.) - I was most impressed. I also found the young generation of black, or rather light chocolate-brown, girls from the Bahamas and Jamaica really charming, helpful, pretty and 'very English' when I encountered them, mostly in sales positions. There was also the distinctly arrogant 'beautiful' black salesman in an expensive shoe shop in Bath, who ignored me, because I was interested in a 'sale' item, but the same could have occurred with a white person in this type of shop.
A multicultural society is as normal as breathing in and out to the young Brits, it's the older ones who have a problem - and that is true of Europe as well; always with a bit of a proviso regarding the perceived parasitic and demanding nature of certain immigrants. The most painfully moaning group of Brits are older migrants in Australia, some of whom are my friends - I just listen and smile and think: your use-by-date (and mine!) will solve the problem!
The over usage of the welfare system can be curbed by legislation; unhappy or troublesome migrants can be repatriated. But what politician would advocate, for example, restricting child endowment payments to a maximum of two children, or similar?
