[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Crawford

That's not a particularly low ratio, though. If 40% of London is English, or even British, that's pretty typical for global cities in Northern Europe. Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, Amsterdam, Brussels would have similar or lower ratios. I believe less than 20% of students in Frankfurt and Stuttgart schools have a German background.

And that would be quite high for North American standards. How many major U.S. or Canadian metros are 40% from a single national background?

Also, the top immigrant groups to London are mostly from neighboring countries or former Crown holdings. Ireland, Poland, Germany, Australia, India. An Irish immigrant to London doesn't contribute to cultural and linguistic diversity to the same level as, say, Persians or Sri Lankans in Toronto.

I don't think the previously referenced "loss of character" is directly tied to immigration. I think it's more globalization, and the UK's status as the European beachhead for U.S. cultural imperialism. A London high street has basically the exact same stores as in NYC and LA, and the cultural touchstones have nearly merged. It's kinda like Anglo Canada. I remember the singer Morrissey, when asked why he moved to LA when he was so pro-British, said something like "the U.S. consolidated UK culture so what does it matter". Places like Stuttgart and Brussels, while very multicultural (and quite boring, in contrast to London) don't feel remotely American, though.

I did not say that 40% was low or high. I agree that it is fairly common in big cities of the western world.

Good or bad? Not sure. But one thing is clear is that it is reality.