There is a comparison of the recent surveys on attitudes to burqas and veils here:

http://libertyphile2.blogspot.com/2010/01/banning-burkha-and-face-veil-in-uk_02.html

White Anglo-Saxon Protestant cultures derived from England have a sound tradition of pragmatism, with the bark being worse than the bite.

Of course, much of the basis for racist supremacist colonial ideas & practice were created by Britons, but the worst excesses were carried on by others e.g. Concentration Camps for Boers in South Africa & fascist ideology based upon Social Darwinism.

The British had an Empire with centuries of experience. In comparison, the relative young Americans are childish & naive blunderers. The histrionics of the vulgar mob were kept in check by a comprehension of the difference between savage & civil behaviour.

Unfortunately, Globalisation - read Americanisation, has led to the export of a so-called anti-PC campaign, which in reality is just a euphemism for puerile uncivil tantrums of the spoilt brats.

The culture of hedonistic narcissism with a lack of respect for the feelings of others has led to a license for gratuitious display of Tourettes-like boorish decandence, worthy of Rome's decline. Such great ideas as the "Freedom of Expression" (ironically derived from Muslim universities in Spain) etc have been abused by facile opportunists.

The reality is that the fascist fringe minority is a nasty vocal minority supported by the disaffected e.g. Moseleyites, & now the BNP/EDL.

Luckily, most Brits are not the same as continentals, such as Chetnik Serbs of the uncertain Milosevic era, & they have more spine than to succumb to the sorry state of majoritarian victim-complex.