Off Topic Politics Thread

Doesn’t apply to citizens of the ROI, although how that applies to non-Irish people crossing the Irish border isn’t clear. Those 70 million Turkish immigrants we were promised still seem to have a clear run...[/QUOTE]
Well found Chilcs saved me a bit of research. Very pleased for Loady and his well integrated family and their perfect English.

 

What a bunch of prairie hats doing cunning stunts. Spaffer Johnson is behaving like a fat playground bully about to get a good slapping down.

 

Perfect....we get out country back #Blueestofblueink

I bet all those huge corporations looking for a headquarters for their businesses will run to London now, where they can easily employ any one from a pool of 60 million UK citizens or maybe go somewhere on mainland Europe where there are 504 million eager citizens with no red tape.

To quote @Onionman "What a triumph"

 

See Chilcs reply 0.what %? Pleased to hear you're so well integrated, you seem to have missed the bit of compassion to understand other people's situations.

 

Slight misquote: it's "What a ****ing triumph".

Vin

 

Please stop ****ing depressing me. Where has our compassion gone? When did we stop caring about people who slept rough on the streets? Ever since Thatcher, that is when and it well get worse. The me, me, me generation has really ****ed up and they now have the political leaders they deserve. This ****ing load of clowns are going to wreck the economy and further impoverish the poor. I am glad that my life span can only be measured in single figures. Do you have the fight and the spunk to get rid of them or are you so gullible that you believe every lying word that Johnson and his cronies spit out. Tonight I am going to get pissed and **** politics and **** every deferent fool who thinks Eton produces the best leaders. Harold Wilson was he best leader the country has had over the last two centuries and to think his legacy is in the form of that fat blubber Billy Bunter look alike ****ing Johnson. Excuse me while I pour another glass of scotch.

 

I’m surprised no one has mentioned that Iain Duncan Smith wants to raise the retirement age to 75.
That would save a few quid, especially as life expectancy has stalled, especially amongst the poor.

 

You just posted something full of statistics that doesn't engage with my point at all. I regularly meet women, very rarely men, who speak no English. I won't finish that point as my life experience as evidence will get thrown back at me as racism or bigotry.

Have we reached the point now where we can't express some criticism for those who don't integrate as that is somehow racist?

I read the whole article, by the way. It was interesting but it did not alter my view that some people go to live in other countries and seek to establish isolated colonies of home there. I don't believe that is multicultural Britain at all.

Oh and if you object because I said I had some sympathy for the sentiment of someone who is provably a racist, fine. I bet I would hate that guy, too.

 

I honestly think you missed the point. There are those who make no effort to integrate. I don't hate them for it, but can you explain why compassion is in order for people who drive big 4x4s through the streets of Southampton?

 

Sorry, but you have completely misunderstood the point of my post. Why on earth would you think I am accusing you of racism? I looked up the fact checker article in order to see how big a problem non-English speaking actually is nationally. It seems that your experience, while I respect it, is not all that widespread, although clearly it is an issue particularly for older immigrants.

 

I wasn't saying you were saying I was a racist, sorry. I am just aware that voicing the opinion everyone who moves to a new country should try toearn the language can be seen as racist.

I read Jabbo's post first and was already thinking of my perceived lack of compassion.

I totally agree that there is not a huge issue with people not speaking English, BTW. I do, however, see it a lot in my particular sphere of life.

It is more a sympton of some patriarchal subcultures which worry me.

 

Fleets of them? All driven by unintergated immigrants? I've driven a large 4x4 through town as have some of my family. Usually for work. The issue of those that don't or for whatever reason can't integrate is hopefully deminishing. As an expat I've seen plenty of it. The Brits take it to an extreme in some cases.

 

I am sure you have learned some Dutch.

Why does it have to be millions of people for it to be an issue? I probably shouldn't have tacked tacit agreement onto some meme making fun of the stoopid racist. That was an error. But I do think those who make no effort to integrate are getting this modern multicultural society business wrong.

 

No doubt wrong in and some cases comically so. I'm more concerned with the political outcome over the next few weeks. Linguistics can take a back seat.

 

I spent several years in Spain and it is embarrassing just how many make no attempt to learn the language.
Many, with children, would send their kids to school, who then learned Spanish and became their parents’ translators, similar to the example you give. I always felt sorry for the kids. New country, new school, no friends and a language they didn’t understand.
I tried my best to learn the language, and can make myself understood, but I really wasn’t very good at “hearing” the responses, unless they spoke very slowly and clearly, without abbreviations and localisms. I can read and understand Spanish better than when it is spoken.
I currently work with several Polish, some Romanians, Portuguese and so on and their English is very good.
As the old joke goes.
If you speak 3 languages you are trilingual.
If you speak 2 languages you are bilingual.
If you speak 1 language you are English.

 

I am from Fareham but Fareham is a hell of a difficult place integrate into unless you are a chav, hillybilly or in the military. It is a place without a soul.

 

This thing about whether or not someone is racist. If the person who people accuse of being racist, through valid evidence, then insists they are not racist, this carries very little validity in my opinion. It's like if someone is asked how they are doing, and they reply, 'I'm good'. No, you're not. You are well. It's for other people to decide whether you're good.

OK, mixed metaphors, but it's two things I feel are important. One is that there are things the surrounding public will judge you on, not what you are at liberty to declare, and two, that accuracy and understanding are important.

And I freely admit that sometimes I know what I'm saying, but I'm not conveying the message clearly enough for others.

 

The Titchfield side or the Gosport side?

 

Everywhere in the Borough except Titchfield. One Saturday afternoon I was hiking with 2 other Friends around the haven from Hillhead. We arrrived at the Coach & Horses, now an apartment block, at the bottom of the hill and went in to have a beer. A local came up to us, sniffed us out and then happily went away once he realised we were not a threat.

 

Aww. I wouldn't mind coming from Titchfield, and I have a slight preference for areas west of Southampton over places east of the City, so that's exceptional for me. It's an irrational preference to do with being nearer Cornwall.