Working -class people are the ones who, by and large, tend to have to compete with immigrants for jobs/ resources and housing while the middle- classes avail of the resulting depression in labour costs (particularly for domestic servants). It's not surprising that some people feeling their ability to survive in already tough situations being put under further pressure react against the perceived cause; what is surprising is that, by and large, at least in Britain, and, touch wood, so far in ireland - where mass immigration is a very recent phenomenon - is that working class culture is generally able to adapt quite quickly - unlike the middle class intelligentia who agonise about those nasty prole racists while ensuring that they themselves live far away from any potential culture clash.
..... and Paul; how many working class people do you know? if, as i suspect the answer is none, or few, then surely you stand convicted of the ignorance you accuse them of....