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The Diversity Illusion: What We Got Wrong About Immigration & How to Set It Right Paperback – 1 Apr 2013

4.5 out of 5 stars 89 customer reviews

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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Gibson Square Books Ltd (1 April 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1908096055
  • ISBN-13: 978-1908096050
  • Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 2.5 x 22.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 521,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

Review

'A powerful new book.' --Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday

'West s lively prose will add fuel to your fire.' --Management Today

'A brilliant dissection of the dominant cultural heresy of our times.' --Kevin Meyers, Sunday Times

About the Author

Ed West is a features writer for the Daily Telegraph and is the features editor of The Catholic Herald. He lives in North London.


Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

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This is one of those books that probably most needs to be read by the sort of people least likely to touch it.

However even for those already sceptical about the virtues of multiculturalism, diversity and mass immigration there is plenty in here to think about. Ed West examines the dogmas and platitudes associated with diversity and repeatedly finds that the virtues are often merely assumed rather than tested. The costs of immigration have generally been ignored or attributed to the bigotry of those who bear them.

The author is adept at drawing on different areas of research from social psychology to economics to support the claims he makes. A reader wouldn't have to agree with everything he says to become better informed about the issue.

One of the most illuminating chapters was about the rise in authoritarianism that has accompanied multiculturalism- we have for example effectively reintroduced blasphemy law by the back door in order to maintain the harmony between different religious groups. This should not have surprised anyone who is familiar with how ethnic tensions are kept under wraps in India, Singapore or any other ethnically divided country but none of the advocates of mass immigration seem to have seen it coming.

The tone of the book is important too, immigration sceptics are frequently characterised as ignorant and angry racists who dislike people who are different to them. The calm yet good humoured writing along with the solid grounding in facts makes it difficult to portray the Diversity Illusion in this way.
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This is a complete dismantling of the insane policy of uncontrolled mass immigration. This should be essential reading for anyone interested in the future of this country and the way we want to leave it for our children and grandchildren.
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The Diversity Illusion covers the topic of mass immigration into Great Britain from every possible angle. It is very well researched and the tone of the book is calm and logical, never hysterical or alarmist for the sake of it. The author explains why the indigenous population will be in the minority in the later half of this century and how and why we have come to this situation. There are many facts and figures in this book which will surprise the reader. Most importantly, Ed West debunks the myth that immigration is good for the economy, and that in fact, it does not make a jot of difference. Immigration damages the working poor and has enabled the government to sidestep the issues of welfare dependency and low pay. It has also made Britain more segregated and divided.

If you are interested in this issue - read this book. It is a real eye-opener and will leave the reader well informed on this very important topic.
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They say we read to know we're not alone, and West's book certainly proves that. This is the book I've been writing in my head for the last 15 years, but haven't got round to penning due to being too angry, too lazy and not talented enough.

In clear and readable fashion, West articulates how diversity has virtually NOTHING going for it, and virtually EVERYTHING against it - common sense, logic and human nature all point in opposite directions. So why are we in the situation we are in? West explains the reasons, from the Holocaust to the violence in 1950s Notting Hill to the growth of state-sponsored multiculturalism - and it's enough to make you weep.

He brilliantly explodes every pro-diversity myth you've ever heard (and schoolchildren are now being taught as fact). His wide-ranging knowledge of history, psychology, religion and science is continually brought to the fore, and he writes with wit and knowingness.

Virtually every page has a few excellent points about how mass immigration and diversity has been a bad thing. Curiously, this is both refreshing and depressing, but at least it gives the willing reader sound arguments (if only we were brave enough to make them!).

West exposes the disastrous policies of Labour governments - Conservative governments aren't blame-free, but it's largely Labour administrations' fault, particularly the 1945-51 and 1997-2010 ones, that Britain has been poisoned - and you wonder how anyone could possibly ever vote Labour again after reading this book.
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This book will upset those who champion immigration as 'a good thing' by definition and refuse to accept any other viewpopint. It looks at the history of immigration into the UK and explodes a few politically convenient myths along the way. It asks some serious questions about the real reasons why there was a dramatic increase (by historical standards) after 2000 and whether or not sufficient thought was given to the social and cultural implications for the country, for the indigenous population and for the immigrants themselves.
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It's as if someone read my mind and wrote a book. I am happy with controlled immigration and I am married to a new immigrant from another culture. With controlled immigration England could gain so much but with uncontrolled immigration England is losing everything. Many people these days speak of culture but it seems they only value it if it is non-white etc. As a visitor to England I can say that English traditional culture is as beautiful and special as any. Any who are ashamed of their Englishness, history and traditions don't deserve to live there (native or new immigrant!).
One memory in England of this was there was a garbage man who was told to stop wearing a St George bandana because it was a divisive symbol. Absolutely appalling and would never happen in in another country that you can't wear your own country's symbol. The man was a West-Indian by the way.
This ridiculous way of thinking isn't just in England though. Some years ago a colleague of mine said he visited my home town. He despised it because it was "too white". I thought to myself would he dare say something similar if he went to Africa? As in England where I live the biggest supporters of diversity tend to live in the trendy, least diverse suburbs.
As this book states there can be no open discussion on any topic like this, our world has gone mad and I can't see it changing.
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