Not too long ago the British government stopped offering English lessons to immigrants saying that to offer the lessons to every immigrant was unsustainable.
They’ve caved in to pressure and are now offering them to immigrants English lessons but only if they are poor or socially excluded.
Ok, how about this. Make them learn English before they are allowed to come and live here. That way we don’t have to spend our taxes on teaching immigrants the language of our country before they are able to get a job and/or integrate with society.
And why are we letting people move to this country that are “poor and socially excluded”? If they’re poor they will be reliant on the welfare state – what possible use is cheap foreign labour if the taxpayer has to pay them to live here? Talk about false economy.
I’ve said this before and I stand by my comments – if you don’t speak English, don’t have any money, don’t have a job or you don’t have somewhere to live then you shouldn’t be allowed to migrate to this country.
Technorati Tags: Immigration
Hear here. I don’t want my taxes to be spent on educating immigrants when they could be better put to use re-training people who are already here. The whole architecture of immigration and foreign support in Britain is ridiculous. There are undoubtedly jobs which need to be filled, but the immigrants don’t spread out to do so; they stay in the same areas, filling up schools, hospitals, and draining the same handful of local authorities of their finances and other resources. Utterly ridiculous. Close the doors, the sooner the better.
I agree. If you don’t have a working knowledge of the language (surely the most basic cultural link possible with a foreign country)then you cannot expect to reside there.
As for paying foreigners to sit on their backsides; this is unsustainable madness.
I agree but I think the main culprit is our own addiction to the welfare state and all it provides.
We would not be over run with immigrants, shoveling our shit for us, if our own would do it.
WE live in a culture where the successful succeed but unfortuneately the weaker of us are now provided for, this encourages welfare dependency as a cultural choice and option.
I’m not sure how to fix it but we are a nation in decline
Agreed. I’m hearing about/know of a lot of people on benefits, not working etc who are perfectly capable of at least as much as I am. They’re perfectly normal behind closed doors, yet outside or anywhere they might be seen it’s “walking aids out, limp pathetically”. I’ve even had offers to forge my paperwork so I can get more benefits, as “it’s not right, you getting so little. You could get a motability car, more money, blue badge..etc etc”
I work because I want to work. Do I feel a mug for it sometimes? yes. I paid for my car, I pay for everything on it. I pay my rent/rates. No subsidies. It’s hardly cheap, but at least I feel I can sit there and say “I earned what I own”. However, I’ve heard so many people (shan’t say who) when asked why someones on benefits say “Oh, they’d have to take home about £400 a week to support their lifestyle…so they don’t bother – whats the point, eh? No need for it”.
Makes my piss boil, to be totally honest. Able, but lazy. And then they have the cheek to complain about the state of the country…I’ve had a few stand up shouting matches there along the lines of “WTF would YOU know about it, you scummy little dole-dosser?”..
The entire system is LONG overdue for a total overhaul and a far tighter regime, with far better screening and checking over time. Covert checking would be good…VERY good..
“If you don’t have a working knowledge of the language (surely the most basic cultural link possible with a foreign country)then you cannot expect to reside there”.
Would you say the same to people from the UK who emigrate to, say, Spain or Bulgaria?
“Would you say the same to people from the UK who emigrate to, say, Spain or Bulgaria?”
Nope, but the Spanish or Bulgarian authorities might. The French already do – you must be fluent in French to avoid violating health & safety law in quite a lot of places, and it only makes sense to take that attitude. Not only is a lack of understanding around the language a cultural barrier, it can also be a huge risk.
“We live in a culture where the successful succeed but unfortuneately the weaker of us are now provided for” (and not all of us can spell, either).
Why is it unfortunate that the weaker of us are provided for? What would you have happen to them?
“Would you say the same to people from the UK who emigrate to, say, Spain or Bulgaria?”
Yes I would. Surely expats in such countries must know some basic language of their host country. Also do many UK expats go to Spain & throw themselves at the local welfare system? I doubt it somehow. I also happen to believe that the tired old stereotype of the UK expat refusing to converse in any language other than English is exactly that: a tired old stereotype.
\’Why is it unfortunate that the weaker of us are provided for? What would you have happen to them?\’
The problem is thus, the \’weaker\’ are catered for and rightly too but nowadays more and more of us are being shoveled into the \’weaker\’ category and becoming a welfare case is now a career option not a safety net.
I think somehow it is a self perpetuating thing, as we become weaker, we need more support, so more support is provided and as more support is provided, it needs more people to support so it marginalises more people, so on and so forth.
[I also happen to believe that the tired old stereotype of the UK expat refusing to converse in any language other than English is exactly that: a tired old stereotype.]
Hagar: think again.
See http://www.newstatesman.com/200801030017
Mrs Sane and I seriously considered moving abroad a few years ago but decided against it, at least for now. We did say that we would only go to an English-speaking country or we would all learn the language before we went if it wasn’t an English-speaking country. I’m not the stereotypical Englishman – I can speak a bit of French and German and I have learnt a bit of Dutch. I can also sign. I think the trend was starting to reverse until the British government, in their infinite wisdom, decided to make learning a second language in English schools voluntary. This shouldn’t just be reversed, though, children should be made to learn latin and ant least one other European language.
In fact, I think I’ll post something seperate about this because it’s a big subject and it’d be wasted as a comment.
i think that the problem is there are too many people on the dole who are actually looking for work… for many years even (not including myself but others i know of) they are instantly refused because of either not enough qualifications or too old or too young or they smoke or not enough work expeirience. When they eventually manage to get a (basic) job they are usually only put on that job as a “temp” then usually the immagrants who come over to work get a job instantly(with training included) and a 3 bedroomed house and mobility car all thrown in why dont the government work with and help the people (homeless,jobless etc) who are all ready here before they think of letting others in and eventually they will have this country branded as a “free for all”… sorry but it just makes my blood boil i am in no way racist prejudist or anything like that i jus think we as 1st class british legal citizens should get priority to help our country run better and to help our unity grow stronger not weaker