Great piece. I've long been dismayed by the attitude & influence of diaspora politicians in British politics. I wonder whether anyone has the stomach for a comparative analysis of Carswell's, Hannan's, and that New Zealand loony's (his name escapes me) respective journeys into madness via Twitter/X.
thank you so much - and diaspora politicians is a great way of describing them!
It was a shock when I realised how many Brexit backers had diaspora backgrounds similar to mine. The difference being that they never got over coming to the UK and realising that it wasn't the like the England of the Famous Five and Bulldog Drummond books of their childhood.
There's also an odd view of the "ex-pat's" relationship with the world, especially the ex-colonial types who still think the British have a thing or two to teach the hopeless natives.
My Irish mother has great sport in Spain telling English pensioners that they are not "ex-pats", they are economic migrants who haven't integrated.
God so agree. I'm in Scotland, an English social and economic migrant. I often announce myself as such, and it causes my SNP activist associates much amusement. I'd like to think I've integrated!