Off Topic The Politics Thread

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Should the UK remain a part of the EU or leave?

  • Stay in

    Votes: 56 47.9%
  • Get out

    Votes: 61 52.1%

  • Total voters
    117
  • Poll closed .
Is their an official list of what people may or may not talk about ?......asking for a friend

My point being, is that if you are singling out people of certain demographics, for certain questions in the workplace, you wouldn’t ask others you’re gonna be on a sticky wicket.
 
Would that be asked of other colleagues? If the answers no, then it’s not appropriate in the work place, it’s not necessarily racist but can be, so inappropriate. If the person wishes to discuss where their ancestors they may do so but otherwise it’s not really anyone else’s business.

No one is saying the person of ethnicity is obliged to answer! But is the question racist? I've asked collegues with a North American accent where they come from, not quite knowing whether it's US or Canada. In fact, Americans love to talk about their ancestry, often European.

So does it make a difference if the person asked is a person of ethnicity? I don't know.

One of my elderly mother's carers was black, and I asked her what her accent was. She told me Zimbabwean. I didn't get the impression that she particularly wanted to discuss it however.
 
No one is saying the person of ethnicity is obliged to answer! But is the question racist? I've asked collegues with a North American accent where they come from, not quite knowing whether it's US or Canada. In fact, Americans love to talk about their ancestry, often European.

So does it make a difference if the person asked is a person of ethnicity? I don't know.

One of my elderly mother's carers was black, and I asked her what her accent was. She told me Zimbabwean. I didn't get the impression that she particularly wanted to discuss it however.

I'd suppose ir's more to do with the way the question is phrased, and what tone is used. I get asked all the time as a west London accent with a bit of jockenese thrown in tends to confuse some people - it's never bothered me
 
No one is saying the person of ethnicity is obliged to answer! But is the question racist? I've asked collegues with a North American accent where they come from, not quite knowing whether it's US or Canada. In fact, Americans love to talk about their ancestry, often European.

So does it make a difference if the person asked is a person of ethnicity? I don't know.

One of my elderly mother's carers was black, and I asked her what her accent was. She told me Zimbabwean. I didn't get the impression that she particularly wanted to discuss it however.

The question in itself isn’t racist but motivations can be, the person being asked won’t know for sure what the motivations are. Also like in your example the person seemed have been made to feel uncomfortable by the question.

My responses are pretty much from a HR handbook, being that if you are singling out an individual or a demographic for questions you wouldn’t ask others you really shouldn’t ask them in a professional environment. It is deemed that if an individual wishes to discuss these things it’s up to them to bring them up otherwise it’s not considered any of your business.
 
The question in itself isn’t racist but motivations can be, the person being asked won’t know for sure what the motivations are. Also like in your example the person seemed have been made to feel uncomfortable by the question.

My responses are pretty much from a HR handbook, being that if you are singling out an individual or a demographic for questions you wouldn’t ask others you really shouldn’t ask them in a professional environment. It is deemed that if an individual wishes to discuss these things it’s up to them to bring them up otherwise it’s not considered any of your business.

What does the HR handbook say if you're interviewing someone for a job? Say, if you can't tell whether an accent is Russian or Ukranian?
 
What does the HR handbook say if you're interviewing someone for a job? Say, if you can't tell whether an accent is Russian or Ukranian?

Why is it relevant to a job interview if they are Russian or Ukrainian? Surely you’re trying to establish their suitability to the job?
 
It's all to do with charitable status, and it's been that way through Tory and Labour governments. Indeed, Labour politicians like Diane Abbott benefit, because they send their children to private schools.

Should it continue? I don't know. That's a huge debate and I'd like to hear it before deciding. There is a very large element of foreign schoolchildren in UK private schools now. I guess if VAT was charged, at least we could rake that in.

I guess if there’s anyway for the rich to pay less tax and avoid paying tax, they will surely find it at the expense of the needy.
 
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Why is it relevant to a job interview if they are Russian or Ukrainian? Surely you’re trying to establish their suitability to the job?


I think you can ask the nationality of someone you interview. But I agree, here we're talking heritage, so they are British with unknown heritage. Yes, I suppose you can argue that as an employer, you should just wait unless and until they volunteer it.
 
I think you can ask the nationality of someone you interview. But I agree, here we're talking heritage, so they are British with unknown heritage. Yes, I suppose you can argue that as an employer, you should just wait unless and until they volunteer it.

I’d think nationality would be covered in the application process anyway in respect of checking if the person is able to work in the U.K.
 
I guess if there’s anyway for the rich to pay less tax and avoid paying tax, they will surely find it at the expense of the needy.

It's not always the rich that use private schools. Some parents scrimp and save to send their kid to one. Then there are scholarships and burseries for poor children to go. Private schools also bring in a great deal of money to the UK from foreign parents. And of course, they take pressure off schooling in the UK public sector. So it's not cut and dried.
 
What if you ask anyone the same question as a part of having a friendly conversation ? Is that allowed ?

Goldie was asking about a work environment, with a little bit of experience I have I was offering up what the stance is legally to the best of my knowledge… you’re now trying to imply I consider I dictate what can and can’t be said in general, which I’ve not suggested in the slightest, don’t be a dick.
 
It's not always the rich that use private schools. Some parents scrimp and save to send their kid to one. Then there are scholarships and burseries for poor children to go. Private schools also bring in a great deal of money to the UK from foreign parents. And of course, they take pressure off schooling in the UK public sector. So it's not cut and dried.

Don't know many working class parents who can scrimp and save £45k a year to send their kid to private school…I must be mixing with the wrong kind I guess
 
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Goldie was asking about a work environment, with a little bit of experience I have I was offering up what the stance is legally to the best of my knowledge… you’re now trying to imply I consider I dictate what can and can’t be said in general, which I’ve not suggested in the slightest, don’t be a dick.

What the **** are you on about Wills ?
You’d take offence at anything these days…..chill out mate
 
Don't know many working class parents who can scrimp and save £45k a year to send their kid to private school…I must be mixing with the wrong kind I guess

£45k a year is for Winchester College, one of the most exclusive schools in the country and certainly the most academic.

The average for private school fees is £15k a year, which can be achieved by parents, perhaps with contributions from both sets of grandparents.
 
£45k a year is for Winchester College, one of the most exclusive schools in the country and certainly the most academic.

The average for private school fees is £15k a year, which can be achieved by parents, perhaps with contributions from both sets of grandparents.

That would be based on a one child family…
 
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£45k a year is for Winchester College, one of the most exclusive schools in the country and certainly the most academic.

The average for private school fees is £15k a year, which can be achieved by parents, perhaps with contributions from both sets of grandparents.

Im definitely mixing with the wrong kind of people then. Most of the parents I know can hardly afford to heat their houses let alone send the kids to private school.
 
Im definitely mixing with the wrong kind of people then. Most of the parents I know can hardly afford to heat their houses let alone send the kids to private school.

Yes, for the Just About Managings, private school would be out of reach unless a scholarship or bursary was available. You might well argue that this alone was reason enough to abolish their charitable status. As I say, I don't have a definitive position and would like to hear all the arguments.

All I would say is that I've been cynical about Labour's all inclusive education policies since their proposed solution to kids that were causing havoc in the classroom and clearly needed individual attention to sort out underlying problems, was to keep them in classes even if it disrupted the education of the rest of the class. That was madness.
 
To be honest myself and mrs hoops have discussed private education for the youngest who starts secondary next year.

The local option is a very snobbish all boys school of which mrs hoops gets a lot of referrals from, mrs hoops is a clinical psychologist….
 
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