Migration waves

From the beginning of the 15th century until the 20th the balance of emigration was markedly outward due to colonial expansions. During the 19th century over 20 million people left Britain for destinations outside Europe, mainly in the Commonwealth and the United States. But since 1930s the balance of migration for Britain was inward. Many emigrants began to return. The dismantling of the Empire has been a gradual process accompanied by the great inflow of people to Britain. Right up until 1962 the citizens of the huge area of the former Empire had the automatic right to live and work in Britain.

Many Irish people came to England in 1845 to escape famine, to find work. Most of the roads, railways and canals built in the 19th century were made by Irish workers. The greatest wave of immigration was in the 1950-60s. Many companies needed people for unskilled or semi-skilled jobs. Britain advertised and many people came from the Caribbean islands, from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Hong Kong. People came here in search of better life, political or religious freedom. British government and people regarded this as a threat to the health of the nation: it increased unemployment, worsened living conditions. It was in these circumstances that the government introduced the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 which gave it power to restrict the number of people from the Commonwealth, especially from the Irish Republic. Another Act was passed in 1968 and still another in 1971. The last has sharply reduced the number of people allowed to stay in Britain.

Before she came to power, Margaret Thatcher promised that a Conservative government would "finally see an end to immigration". During the 1980s her government restricted it further and ended the automatic right of anyone born in Britain to British citizenship. More than 36000 Londoners born in Britain describe themselves as "Black British" instead of "African" or "Afro-Caribbean". The most recent arrivals in Britain have not been from the Commonwealth but from countries with wars or other serious problems.

To regulate the inflow into Britain more strictly the 1971 Act has been amended by subsequent legislation, including the Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004. National of the European Economic Area (EEA) — EU Member States and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — are not subject to substantive immigration control. They may work in the UK without restriction and, provided they are working or able to support themselves financially, have the right to reside in the UK.

The ethnic dimension. Racism

Britain has not solved the problem of a multi-racial society. The number of people asking to settle in Britain is rising. The ethnic minority communities in Britain are about 5,7 % of the total population but are likely to rise to about 7 % in the first decade of the 21st century, because of their higher birth rate. Black immigrants first started coming to Britain in great numbers from 1948 onwards, in response to labour shortages.

The minorities are concentrated in the cities.

The immigrants arriving in waves in the 1950s and after soon discovered that they were the target of discrimination in class and status. Black people have generally had the worst paid jobs, lived in the worst housing and encountered hostility from

white neighbours. The initial view that black immigrants would assimilate into the host community was quickly proved wrong. In the mid-1960s the government introduced the first of three Race Relations Acts in order to eliminate racial discrimination. The 1977 Race Discrimination Act sought to prevent discrimination in employment, housing and other areas, publication of any material likely to stir up racial hatred.

Successive governments have introduced legislation that promises absolute equality for non-white British citizens.

Racial discrimination and poor living conditions have contributed to racial violence, especially in the day-to-day form of relations between young blacks and police, or in the more extreme form of inner-city riots. But the problem is still vital concerning the black and Asian people. The racist parties of the far right, the National Front and the British National Party, have launched vicious slogan: "There ain't any black in the Union Jack", though Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 extended the scope of the 1976 Act, confirming it illegal to discriminate against ethnic groups in employment, housing and education.

The English nation was formed as a result of the amalgamation (смешение) of the native population of the British Isles (BIs) – the Celts – with the invaders (the Germanic tribes, later – Scandinavians, Normans). The language of this nation was formed only in the 14^th century. The use of Celtic languages persisted in Wales, the Highlands of Scotland and in Ireland. Today in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (NI), English is the language predominantly spoken.

In number of population (about 60 mln) GB holds one of the first places among the European countries. The English make up over 4/5 of the total population of the country. They inhabit England proper and many of them live in Scotland, Wales and NI. The population of the Scotsmen, Welshmen and Irishmen is about 15%. This group includes foreigners too. The inhabitants of W., Sc., and NI have preserved their culture, originality and to a certain degree their languages. The country as a whole has a population density of about 240 people to the square km (very big density). The living standard is rather high. The average life span for a man – 72 years, for a woman – 78 years. The increasing number of elderly people (a serious social problem). The number of women exceeds the number of men. The imbalance increases with the age because of the higher mortality of men. Immigrants mostly from Asian countries (form communities, speak their native languages), from European countries. In Britain the percentage of workers and employees is rather great. The percentage is the biggest in professional, financial, scientific services. The most notable trend in the employment pattern during the last years has been the growth of people employed in services. This is a typical feature which is observed in all developed countries. Such developments reflect improved labor efficiency in industry, a change of employment patterns caused by growth of high technology. Hence surplus (избыточный) labor is released and much of it can be directed to services.