Dag 22 – Det här upprör mig (this upsets me)

This.

I know I've ranted about this before. But I just don't know whether to laugh or cry sometimes.

When 59% of Brits think there are too many immigrants in this country I get worried. When a quarter of people don't think that even legal immigrants should have access to the NHS and state schools I despair. And when 23% think that immigration is the biggest problem in this country I lose all faith.

And I bet this doesn't include immigrants from EU countries, right? I won't be included in this - I'm not 'an immigrant'.

I bloody well am, and if people have a problem with individuals coming here from countries where they're persecuted because of their religion, sexual orientation or political views, from countries where there's was, where they're so poor they can barely survive - if they have a problem with immigrants from these countries then I just cannot understand why they wouldn't have a problem with me. I have no reason to be here other than I felt like moving to a different country. I didn't have to come here and steal jobs, use NHS resources - I just chose to, for my own pleasure. Surely that makes me more worthy of hate, of being disliked or being 'sent back where I came from'?

But you've got to find something positive to hold on to, to not let stuff like this eat you up. So the positive I've taken away from this research is this:

"But the survey also shows that the more one is exposed to immigrants, the more one feels positively toward them." (GMF president Craig Kennedy)

It reminds me of the Facebook campaign, befriend a Sverigedemokrat - where people of foreign descent were adding members of the Swedish equivalent of the BNP to their Facebook friends list to try to promote tolerance and, well, love.

Cos that's what it's all about. Or, what it should be all about. In my book, anyway.