A dismissive take on immigration
Book review: Strange Death of EuropeA relentlessly negative look at the danger posed to Europe by immigration.
Published by Bloomsbury, £18.99
There are two books lurking between the covers of this one, says Clive Davis in The Times. The first is a cogent and persuasive summary of how, over three decades or more, elites across western Europe turned a blind eye to the failures of integration and the rise of Islamism.
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Sadly, the second is a diatribe about mass immigration and our continent's alleged death wish "which is so lurid it reads like a Breitbart editorial". Murray's framing of post-war immigration is "relentlessly negative", linking migrants to "criminality and social tensions". Overall, "there is a lofty, dismissive tone to his view of ethnic minorities that evokes a Peterhouse don sweeping aside the great unwashedwhile sipping a good port".
If Europe is in mortal danger, Murray has few concrete suggestions for what to do about it, says Gaby Hinsliff in The Guardian. He proposes "tougher curbs on immigration and suggests refugees should be given only temporary refuge and be sent home when it's safe" although, to his credit, he agrees that Europe is "probably doing the only thing that a civilised people can do in rescuing such people, welcoming them and trying to give them safety".
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Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.
He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.
Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.
As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri
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