| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Major things we get wrong. | |
| Posted by: | Claire Moran | |
| Date/Time: | 10/07/13 13:47:00 |
| Most people don't have the luxury of time to dig behind a story. And people tend to read the newspaper that reflects their own views to some extent, and of course newspaper proprietors know it and feed it. But that still doesn't make people stupid, they just don't have the time - and also we don't have the same culture of intellectual debate as they do for example in France (not that it seems to have done them much good judging by the issues they currently seem to have). I think people question stories if their own experience puts them at odds with it, but if for example they can't get a doctor's appointment and when they do they are kept waiting for two hours in the waiting room and most of the other people waiting are not native English speakers, and the same when it comes to getting their children into local schools, they may feel that the newspapers are right. I don't actually believe that most people in this country are either stupid or prejudiced - whether in London or not. Time and time again it is said (albeit in a newspaper so therefore perhaps I should not believe it?) that we are one of the most tolerant and accommodating countries in the world. But if people feel that their quality of life is being eroded because of issues such as immigration, then it is not surprising that they object. Most people would welcome immigrants as long as the services - access to doctors, hospitals including A&E, schools, basics such as utilities to cater for the increased population etc etc are there in sufficient quantity and quality to cater for them. It seems in many cases they are not and that is what makes people think the more right-wing papers and governments have a point when they flag up these issues. |