The debate as to whether diversity is beneficial or deleterious is one of the more interesting of our time.
On the one hand, we have Harvard political scientist David Putnam's huge 2007 survey pointing out that increasing diversity is strongly correlated with declining trust and civic engagement; plus the ever-growing list of atrocities and minor inconveniences inflicted upon an increasingly aware public; plus the ONS data about the negative economic effects of non-EEA immigrants; plus the data from European countries showing rates of criminality among immigrants which are way above the norm.
On the other hand, there are all the assertions from wealthy bien-pensant liberals about how enriched we are. These are often backed up by media focus upon individual immigrants doing useful and nice things.
The debate as to whether diversity is beneficial or deleterious is one of the more interesting of our time.
On the one hand, we have Harvard political scientist David Putnam's huge 2007 survey pointing out that increasing diversity is strongly correlated with declining trust and civic engagement; plus the ever-growing list of atrocities and minor inconveniences inflicted upon an increasingly aware public; plus the ONS data about the negative economic effects of non-EEA immigrants; plus the data from European countries showing rates of criminality among immigrants which are way above the norm.
On the other hand, there are all the assertions from wealthy bien-pensant liberals about how enriched we are. These are often backed up by media focus upon individual immigrants doing useful and nice things.
So it's difficult to know, isn't it!
Diversity isn’t always a good thing - ask the rat what he thinks about sharing his space with snakes!