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'splendidly researched and subtle history' OBSERVER 'a topical, formidable and engaging book which will have - and deserves to have - many readers...a breath of fresh air' SUNDAY TIMES 'Robert Winder's totally absorbing and revelatory book could not be more timely (and) indispensable' DAILY MAIL

Observer
'Splendidly researched and subtle history.' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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The very first immigrant to arrive in the British Isles, some 25,000 years ago, would have been hard put to say exactly where he was, and not only because he could barely speak. Read the first page

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3.8 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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49 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Erudite yet readable, 29 Jun 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Bloody Foreigners (Hardcover)

The issue of immigration tends to polarise opinion and in this well written and superbly researched book, Robert Winder makes us fundamentally question why we regard immigration as an 'issue' in the first place. Largely eschewing the well rehearsed moral arguments that are usually made, Winder focuses on the socio-economic impact of migration into Britain, from the end of the Ice Age to the present day. Throughout the book, Winder combines historical narrative with some well placed anecdotes to develop his thesis that immigration is, and has always been, a force for good. His arguments are generally well balanced, recognising that host countries face some legitimate concerns, and making the point on several occassions that despite some lamentable lapses, Britain has a generally honourable tradition in its dealing with migrants over the centuries - at least in comparative terms. As someone who was not born in the UK but has made it my home, I found the material both refreshing and interesting. Not enough comment, in my view, is made in the popular media of the economic benefits from immigration. Perhaps Robert Winder's book should be 'docu-dramatised' for TV: it may help advance the mainstream debate in the way Simon Schama has reinvigorated popular interest in British history.

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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative, 11 Aug 2005

By A Customer

I picked up this book after being intrigued by the title and to try and get some more knowledge about a subject which is high on the news/political agenda recently. The books gives a broad history of immigration from pre-history to the present day and underlines the extent to which Britain has always been subject to immigration. Each chapter focuses on the extent to which successive groups of immigrants have arrived, settled and integrated into society and the extent to which society has been changed by immigrants themselves. As well as giving a highly readable account of the broad picture of immigration, the stories of individual immigrants gives an insite into their experiences. Although the book is over 500 pages it's well written enough to seem considerably shorter. To sum up a welcome source to people who want to delve behind the tabloid headlines.

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44 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant history of immigration into Britain, 21 Aug 2005

By	Ralph Blumenau (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

A most impressive book, and beautifully written. Winder traces the story of immigrants into Britain - he deals mainly with England - from pre-Celtic times to the present. As the sources become more plentiful, so the book gathers momentum, and by the time he reaches the time of the Huguenot immigrants in the 17th century, it really begins to sparkle. As he moves from one wave of immigrants to the next, the story - until very recent times - is always the same: initially there is some popular resentment, but, often sooner rather than later, they have been accepted, do well and contribute enormously to the economy and quality of life in these islands. Many people will be aware of the variety of immigrants who have come to these shores; but this is a thorough and systematic account, based on a formidable amount of reading. It could have been a dry catalogue, but the story is captivatingly told: each time Winder explains the circumstances which caused a particular group to arrive, and innumerable stories of individuals are given with great verve and vividness: Huguenots from France; Dutchmen who came with William III; Germans who came with the Hanoverians and who continued to come in the 19th century; black people who originally came as servants and slaves; Italians who left a repressive and over-populated homeland; Irishmen who escaped the famine to work in the factories and on the canals and railways during the Industrial Revolution; Jews who fled from anti-Semitism in Russia and Germany; the Lascars from Asia who manned so many British ships; Greek and Turkish Cypriots who came in large numbers from their war-torn island; men from all over the Empire who had fought for Britain in the First World War; Poles during the Second World War; the Chinese from Hong Kong before the gates were shut to them by the Act of 1997 just before the territory was given up to China; Kenya and Uganda Asians whom Kenyatta and Idi Amin were throwing out. And there were of course the West Indians who came in large numbers during the time when all imperial subjects were given the right of free entry into Britain by the 1948 Nationality Act. That is where the trouble started: the numbers were now such that governments became alarmed, and much of the last third of the book catalogues the desperate but unavailing attempts of governments to stem the flow: from the Commonwealth Immigration Act of 1962 through to the chicaneries, incompetence and bureaucratic insensitivities of what Winder calls "the Asylum madness" from 1996 onwards. Winder leaves it an open question whether the government led or followed public opinion, though he leaves no doubt about the way a hostile public opinion was fanned by the press. It is in any case a disgraceful story, mitigated only by the fact that it was occasionally restrained by impulses of decency, which were also to be found in sections of public opinion. The huge increase in the number of people wanting to come to Britain undoubtedly created genuine problems, but, to give just a few of many examples, few people were aware that the immigrant population was contributing more in tax than it was receiving in benefit; that certain groups like the Indians were producing in proportion more professionals and successful businessmen than did the white population; and that a largely young group of immigrants for whose education Britain had not had to pay would contribute towards supporting the increasing number of pensioners. Winder's indignation about the sour attitudes towards the immigrants - not to mention the many race riots and racially motivated murders - is in no doubt; but he recognizes countervailing sentiments both inside and outside government. The fact remains that Britain remained a magnet for immigration even though the migrants knew what difficulties they would have to face. There are great many shrewd psychological and sociological comments throughout the book, and it ends with a superb and thoughtful chapter of reflections on what a multi-ethnic Britain could and should be like and what indeed in many ways is taking shape already: a Britain in which the question of "ethnic identity" dissolves and the people of Britain can "cohere around a lucid set of individual rights, so that the group to which any man, woman or child belongs is incidental rather than decisive."

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Lies, Damned Lies, and Liberal Arguments for Immigration
Presenting the immigration argument as a purely economic issue neatly sidesteps the overwhelming concern of those opposed to mass immigration, i.e. Read more

Published 5 days ago by Kevin Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced, fair and with no little flair
This is a very topical book - in the light of recent immigration into England. Robert Winder confronts the barbed issue of immigration and shows us the pitfalls and benefits of... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Bobby Smith

3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, but .....
Robert Winder's book is a fine attempt to deal with a very complex and potentially troublesome subject. Read more

Published 12 months ago by R. M. Doney

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring
A bit boring i gave up halfway through! Some of the references seem inaccurate also! Tries to put axcross the view that Britain was as diverse as it is now! Read more

Published 21 months ago by I. Arnold

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant - A MUST BUY!!!
This is a fascinating book mapping the story of immigration for the English people. It is informative, well written, balanced and stimulating. Read more

Published on 2 Jul 2007 by Mr. A. T. Phillips

2.0 out of 5 stars More informed than the papers... but just as biased
This is a wide-ranging and generally well researched book which makes occasional attempts to be balanced however there are a number of factual inaccuracies which multiply as the... Read more

Published on 12 Jun 2007 by An interested citizen

5.0 out of 5 stars Warts and all
Little has changed over hundreds of years - wouldn't you think that British politicians would have learned from our history? Read more

Published on 5 Jun 2007 by Mrs. RM KLEPPMANN

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	86% buy the item featured on this page: Bloody Foreigners 3.8 out of 5 stars (10) �7.69
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