History began in 1997

According to Henry Porter,

"Too often we forget that we have built a successful and good-natured society
over the last 10 years at the same time as absorbing a million or more people
from scores of countries around the world."

What arrant nonsense. Before the advent of new labour, all was dark, nobody laughed. Balls, Britain was famed as a liberal tolerant society, he may have heard that we have been quite well known for our sense of humour for quite a while, see last post.
I happen to agree with much else that he says, but that particular claim is absurd.