Immigration Debate Sees Ideological Shifts Among UK Elites

A recent social media post by Adam Wren, a national political correspondent for POLITICO, has ignited discussion around the evolving perspectives on immigration among the UK's political and media establishment. Wren's tweet critically examines the historical adherence to the "blank slate myth" in post-World War II societal discourse and suggests a significant shift towards more restrictionist immigration policies, even among those previously holding opposing views.

"After WW2 discussions of differences between people was ‘the path to nazism’ so instead we were fed the blank slate myth and any pushback or dissent from this position at all was ‘dangerous’," Wren stated in his tweet, referencing the philosophical concept that individuals are born without innate mental content, shaped entirely by experience. This "blank slate" ideology, or tabula rasa, gained prominence in social sciences, suggesting that human nature is infinitely malleable, leading to policies focused on environmental conditioning rather than inherent traits.

Wren further posited that many elites, whom he described as "soft, posh nepobabies with little innate personal ability," genuinely believed they could integrate "culturally hostile rural tribesmen into freemarket liberals." This approach, he argued, ignored the real-world impact on ordinary citizens. The "blank slate" theory, while historically embraced for its egalitarian implications and as a counter to discriminatory ideologies, has faced increasing challenges from fields like genetics and neuroscience, which highlight the role of evolved psychological traits and biological predispositions in human behavior.

The tweet highlights a perceived turning point: "This position is no longer tenable, and the only people still defending it are semi-outsiders like Fraser Nelson that think they can secure a place at the high table without realising they’re playing musical chairs and the music has stopped." Fraser Nelson, a prominent British political commentator and editor of The Spectator, has historically been associated with conservative thought and has engaged in the broader discourse on immigration, often advocating for controlled borders while emphasizing economic and social integration. His position is now framed by Wren as an outlier in a rapidly changing landscape.

Wren concluded by observing a defection among core establishment figures towards an "immigration restrictionist position," citing the Financial Times' treatment of "reform" as evidence. This suggests a notable shift in mainstream financial and political media, traditionally seen as more aligned with open market and globalist perspectives, potentially reflecting a broader societal re-evaluation of immigration's economic and social impacts within the UK. The implication is that what was once a fringe view is gaining mainstream acceptance, prompting a re-alignment of political narratives.