The Diversity Illusion by Ed West
Front cover of The Diversity Illusion
The Diversity Illusion, by Ed West, takes a long, hard look at the modern-day mantra of Diversity - something we are supposed to love “as the panacea to the problems connected with mass immigration.” In this thought-provoking book, Ed West investigates the heretical view that diversity is actually the scourge of our time rather than its saviour.
Book review by Robert J Davies
SEVERAL years before Douglas Murray published his book The Strange Death of Europe, Ed West was one of the lone voices - at least among moderate, intelligent people - willing to take a potshot at one of the Left’s particularly plump sacred cows: Diversity.
It’s as relevant now, in the early 2020s, as it was a few years back although arguably the problems it delves into deepen with every passing year. I bought the earlier version of this work but I note now on Amazon there is a second edition for sale in both e-book and paperback. Despite the efforts of some left-wing critics to undermine The Diversity Illusion by posting one-star reviews, its reception has been overwhelmingly positive with more than 90% of reviewers awarding four or more usually five, stars.
By any standards, it is a powerful, well-written book on subjects which are difficult to address without being metaphorically tarred and feathered by the Left’s rent-a-mob brigade. What I particularly liked was Ed West’s moderate, polite tone and intelligent restraint. The BBC’s reductive approach to this subject (when they even allow it to be aired) is that you either love uncontrolled immigration and the opportunistic ideology of diversity which sprung from it, or you’re vile, knuckle-dragging, brainless, unskilled, Brexit-voting thug. But frustratingly perhaps, Ed West, a thoughtful journalist and historian, can’t be so easily dismissed.
It would be good if all those who still cling to the view that mass immigration has been a blessing for Britain could read this well-researched, gently humorous, malice-free analysis and ask themselves whether they hadn't made a terrible error of judgement. And it might make them pause for thought before trotting out their favourite tropes that Britain is multicultural because ’twas ever thus and, of course, that the National Health Service would collapse without all its hard-working, dedicated ethnic employees. The fact that the NHS might also collapse if it were suddenly to lose all its hard-working, dedicated vegetarian employees overnight; or every diligent doctor or nurse born under a full moon or in a month with an R in it etc, never occurs to them. (Hey, the NHS might even collapse if it were suddenly to lose all its hard-working, dedicated white employees!)
Arguably, the weakness in Ed West’s book is his effort in conclusion to provide solutions to the intractable problems we now face as a result of large-scale immigration. One is tempted to say that the best possible solution would be to turn the clock back to 1950 and begin the entire post-war period again. Perhaps that thought occurred to Mr West too, but obviously that isn’t possible and we must make the best of where we are. His remedies will not cure a very sick patient, I fear, but that’s hardly his fault. Certainly, eloquent and intelligent books like this will help us face up to reality rather than ducking it and that, at least, is a start.
The Diversity Illusion: What We Got Wrong About Immigration And How To Set It Right by Ed West is published by Gibson Square Books at £8.25 in paperback and £5.69 as a Kindle e-book. (Prices correct as of December 10th, 2020, subject to change.)
