I do agree that if you work with the public, after a reasonable amount of time, it’s only considerate and logical to learn basic phrases in the local language. However, give people a break. English is a very difficult language to learn. (Note the large amount of native speakers who still use bad spelling, grammar, etc.)

And your sense of history is skewed. As a student of American history, I know that many immigrants from the last 200 years held onto their languages and were slow (by your standards), even reluctant, to learn English. They all wanted to assimilate? Then where did we get all the Little Italys, Chinatowns, etc.? All the ethnic church congregations? Two-language American cities (such as my hometown, Indianapolis, which had a sizeable German-speaking population in the middle of the 19th century)? It’s common to idealize the immigrants of the past and demonize those of the present, but resist the urge.

If you have a better historical example of very large scale scapegoating of an entire group of people based on ethnicity/religion/colour as a direct cause for unemployment of the “native”/”superior” population for purely populist reasons by a government, go ahead and tell me, I’ll be sure to use it instead in the future. Obviously, the analogy was also to link to the recent attempt to do so in France, given Mr. Le Pen’s well known political positions.

Stating “Godwin’s Law – you lose” without even attempting to address my points or why the analogy is flawed is not a very convincing argument for either me or anyone reading your comment in the context of a reply to mine. Funny “law” that godwin’s law, had to go look it up. I suppose it is quite relevant when people use bad “nazi” analogies for shock value. But I fail to see why this particular analogy is inappropriate. The attitude, reason and method of use, as well as the positive impact it has on how a certain section of the population views the government, would seem to make it a very good analogy to me.
The quote is inexact by the way, in case you want to be picky it was some other number of millions lower than six. For some reason I remembered six.

If you have actual arguments to show how any of what I am saying is false or unfounded, I’ll try to answer. For now I have to go work, at a job I certainly did not “steal” from any native.

Godwin’s law – you lose.

I also notice that the author of this blog deleted by earlier post. Censorship is wonderful, isn’t it?

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The current HSMP point system has pretty high requirements already. The requirements include age (more points for being younger), education level (extra points for PhD/MBA), english level, extra points for degrees from a UK university, current salary, etc…
An unskilled or uneducated person who speaks poor english would need to have an astronomical salary to get enough points. Yet they just made this current change which is counter productive because the salary requirement means a young person won’t make it, so they’ll be eligible when they are older and bring their family with them. To counter the stupidity of that decison instead of losing valuable educated labour and integrated immigrants who have spent 3-4 years+ in a UK university the government recently introduced the ability for international graduates to stay in the UK and work for a year, after which they can get onto another treadmill to keep them inside (this was copied on the Scottish system, I believe which grants two years after graduation). The US for example does not go in circles trying to hide the facts from a racist population and give the appearance of being “hard” on immigration: 50% of all overseas graduates from US universities remain and work after their degree. The result is that the US has the advantage of research and development despite thet fact that 20% of US born adults think the sun revolves around the earth and only 33% know that DNA has anything remotely to do with genetic inheritance.

It’s the hypocrisy and ridiculous red-tape of the UK that is infuriating. The government knows full well that there is a shortage of one million skilled workers here right now and a lot more for very low paid manual work that employers cannot fill because there are very few local candidates for such work. Yet to placate the racist, xenophobic Sun-readers about immigrants “comin’ ‘ere an takin’ our jobs”, there is all this circus.

If the problem is working class immigrants keeping minimum wage low (a laughable claim: recent reports on the subject in Wales have shown this idea to be unfounded), then why is the high profile public law change aimed at highly skilled immigrants from countries where white people aren’t the majority? What is true on the other hand is that benefit system is often counter productive because of its inherent bad design. Even the bbc news website recently had a story of a british woman on benefits who found out she would take LESS money home each month if she started working. Why work then? And to those who would reply that the benefits are too high, no they are not. The salary discrepancies are enrmous in this country. This woman should still get benefits and help from money taxed from the richer while starting work and help her stand on her own two feet. There are famillies in this country in poor estates where no one has worked for 2-3 generations. That is just plain wrong, instead of blaming the situation on immigrants, maybe the educational system here and the way it excludes and rejects the working class should be addressed. Maybe the “lads” culture of drinking should be looked at. Maybe instead of turning young people with a future into chavs standing in herds outside McDonalds, they should be given a chance. But it is too easy to blame it all on the different ones, the brown ones, the “others”.

Personally it doesn’t affect me, after being for 4 years on a student visa, two years on a working holidaymaker visa, I am currently on a five year Work Permit for a job on the “skill shortage” list. After that I’ll be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain. After 4 years of that I could take a British passport (which would make it easier for me to avoid racist administration systems while travelling). Why such a ridiculous process to make it look like they are “cracking” down on the dirty immigrants, while in fact the UK is in desperate need of skilled workers? I work in the Square Mile and believe me there is nowhere near enough British graduates to fill the roles, the overseas graduates getting very highly paid jobs here don’t “take” anyone’s job: most firms would rather not fill a position than fill it with someone unsuitable for the role.

In addition there is often an outcry over immigrants getting benefits. This only applies to a very tiny proportion of immigrants. Most of us have “No recourse to public funds” stamped on our visas. Yes we get NHS access, because like everyone else who works, we pay National Insurance. In fact statistics show that NI and tax contributions from immigrants in the UK in 2007 covered all public expenses for immigrants , so the point is moot.

One guy had a great slogan based on the same idea, he had great political success with the masses with it and they cracked down pretty hard on immigrants, inferior races and other undesirables”: “six million jews, six million german unemployed” said the posters. And a few years ago when the french embarassed themselves by having Monsieur Le Pen in the final round of the presidential election campaigning on a similar “x Arabs, x unemployed” slogan, the British were laughing. Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror?

PS We’ve still got loads of space