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The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

Not a problem for residents of millionaires row

I'm sorry, Taz, but what can I do. It's where I've fetched up.

Show empathy for others lacking your privilege ?

If people were more willing to show empathy to others lacking their privilege there would be more political support for refugees.

As there would for working class communities up and down the country.

They might be unhappy but the vast majority still support him.

I saw an interview where a MAGA guy was going to lose his business because of the tariffs and yet he still blamed everyone else but Trump .

It’s an illness an extreme case of sunk cost fallacy .

It's identity politics

If you’ve spent years making support for Trump part of your personal identity, admitting he was wrong isn’t just changing your mind about tariffs. It means admitting that people you’ve dismissed, argued with and voted against might have been right all along.

Most people will absorb a surprising amount of personal pain before they’ll accept that kind of psychological hit. So if the business fails, it becomes Biden’s fault, China’s fault, immigrants’ fault, the media’s fault, the “deep state’s” fault, anyone’s fault except the bloke they built their identity around.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

Not a problem for residents of millionaires row

I'm sorry, Taz, but what can I do. It's where I've fetched up.

Show empathy for others lacking your privilege ?

If people were more willing to show empathy to others lacking their privilege there would be more political support for refugees.

As there would for working class communities up and down the country.

I am massively in favour of supporting working class communities. This is why I opposed Osborne era austerity that hurt these communities disproportionately, and why I have supported policies like the renters rights bill. It's why I oppose politicians who seek to divide the working class on race or seek out scapegoats as a substitute for doing anything useful.
This idea of a hauty left wing elite looking down on the working classes is not just a lazy stereotype, it is in my view an outright lie. Speaking personally, I grew up in the north east of England and Scotland, where my parents like other Labour Party members supported the miners all through the strike. I went to school with working class kids. I've lived on a council estate. I've called out anti working class prejudice over how people talk and the like. It is laughable to me that people like Farage and Tice, ex public school boys who frequent the clubs of Mayfair and take seven figure donations from foreign domiciled billionaires, cast themselves as tribunes for the working class.

.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

Not a problem for residents of millionaires row

I'm sorry, Taz, but what can I do. It's where I've fetched up.

Show empathy for others lacking your privilege ?

After we have showed empathy to this man, who doesn't seem privileged, not that's slightly relevant, there isn't a lot of empathy left for the thugs that did this to him



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cevl9j9y8dmo

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

Not a problem for residents of millionaires row

I'm sorry, Taz, but what can I do. It's where I've fetched up.

Show empathy for others lacking your privilege ?

If people were more willing to show empathy to others lacking their privilege there would be more political support for refugees.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

The view from Goodwin Towers.

"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ

It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”.

It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s not Nigel Farage.
It’s not the ‘far-right’.

It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders.

This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.
6:40 AM · Jun 10, 2026
·
12.1M Views"

https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/2064583575530287577

Who seriously thinks there is a "deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders"?

Anyone on here? Do you @Andy_JS, whom I have always taken to be a serious and considered contributor?

You may think, as I do, that the policy is underfunded and poorly implemented with leaky borders. You may further think the policy is too lax, etc.

But a deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration & open borders? Really?

Well, effectively it is, because that’s what we have. It might be policy to wish it were otherwise, because government can’t think of a nice way of stopping it.
If we were in a tank with water levels rising, and our approach were simply to wish that it were not, I think it would be reasonable to say that there is a deliberate policy of uncontrolled flooding.

The boat crossings arent in any sense mass immigration. They are 35-40k per year, about 0.05% of our population.

The rest of immigration is not uncontrolled.

I think there is a further point here.

The boat crossings reinforce the perception of a lack of control, while historically high levels of legal migration reinforce that perception rather than challenge it.

There is also a scale issue. 40,000 people may be a tiny percentage of a country of nearly 70 million, but people don’t experience immigration at the level of the UK as a whole. They experience it locally.

A few dozen arrivals in a small town, a local hotel being used for accommodation, pressure on GP appointments, school places or housing can be highly visible even when the national numbers look insignificant.

That doesn’t mean every concern is justified, nor that every perceived impact is caused by immigration. But it does help explain why arguments based solely on national percentages often fail to persuade people whose experience is much more immediate and local.

Although if the people voting for right-wing populists were purely those impacted personally by small boat arrivals the polls would be very different. So I do think much of the anger is driven by a false perception (straight out lies as often as not) spread by those populists.

Not a problem for residents of millionaires row

I'm sorry, Taz, but what can I do. It's where I've fetched up.

Show empathy for others lacking your privilege ?

I've just demonstrated some of that by recognising that many Right Populist voters are being conned with lies and misinformation.

Ok I suppose I could go the whole hog and fall for it myself but that's rather an unfair ask.

Farage thinks it's acceptable to whip up fear, hatred and rioting.

Let him think that.

God forbid he ever becomes PM

If he does he will see the greatest Civil disobedience this Country has ever seen.

Tens of millions peaceful protest but protest that will systematically destroy his populist brand of fascism.

Clogging up the arteries of his fascist state by sheer volume. No riots, just mass organised withdrawal of Labour and strangling of his totalitarian bull crap.

"It's bad news, Nigel. The diversity officers have gone out on strike."

Your journey from one of the most astute Brexit related posters to writing absolute rubbish has developed over a decade. It has been a slow burn. SAD.