Britain’s Cameron says if you don’t learn English, you may be deported

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

Britain’s Cameron says if you don’t learn English, you may be deported
By Karla Adam January 18 at 11:14 AM


LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday threatened to deport spouses who don’t learn English as part of a wider government effort to stamp out segregation and tackle radicalization.

Speaking to the BBC, Cameron said that those who speak poor English are “more susceptible to the extremist message.”

Cameron also said the British government would spend £20 million ($28.6 million) on English lessons for women.

While the lessons will be targeted at immigrant woman from “isolated communities,” Cameron highlighted the Muslim community in particular, saying that there were 38,000 Muslim women in the U.K. who don’t speak any English, and 190,000 who spoke poor English.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/18/britains-cameron-says-if-you-dont-learn-english-you-may-be-deported/

[PatSeg]

1. He should run for office

in the U.S. as a republican. He'd fit right in. This is just insane.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

15. Not learning the language keeps the women isolated

It's a form of control.

I don't think anyone should be tested on their command of English, but if English leaders want to make it mandatory for immigrants to take English language classes, I'm all for it. Anything that empowers women is fine by me.

[PatSeg]

23. I agree that learning the language

would empower women, but I don't think threatening deportation is an appropriate solution.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

29. The women this is aimed at

may have husbands who won't allow them to attend the classes.

If it's mandatory, they will have to.

[mwrguy]

2. He singles out Muslims

Not Poles, Spaniards, Chinese...

[7962]

4. Has there been a problem with them not learning English?

And becoming radicalized?
MAtter of fact, I think most schools in those countries teach English as a primary course.
Not learning the language of the country you choose to move to just insures your segregation from the society. And makes it much easier to be influenced by radicals who DO speak your native language. And if you dont wnt to learn the local language, maybe you should think about why you chose to move there?
My grandparents were both straight off the boat. The FIRST thing my mom was taught as a child was to learn English and speak it. It worked out well for them as it would for anyone else 80 yrs later

[LanternWaste]

57. Historically, it takes three generations for an immigrant family to become fully acculturated, only

Historically, it takes three generations for an immigrant family to become fully acculturated, only two generations for the family to learn the new language fluently. I see nothing in the here and now (other than the same tired rationalizations xenophobes have used since the dawn of civilization) which compels us to change the velocity.

[samsinghuk]

62. English is becoming national language

There was a time when people used to give preference to their native tongue but now its all about english. English is taking over national languages in almost all the countries


Sam Singh
Cheap Web Design Company Owner

[iandhr]

18. He would argue

That Poles, Spainiards aren't the ones going off to fight for ISIL

[Odin2005]

25. Or the Welsh and highland Scots, for that matter.

Did he forget that English is not the only language native to the UK?

[mwrguy]

28. Are they not bilingual?

In any case, he did not mention anyone but Muslims.

[LanternWaste]

58. Which seems as myopic as mentioning only Muslims in regards to sexual assault and rape.

"In any case, he did not mention anyone but Muslims..."

Which seems as myopic as mentioning only Muslims in regards to sexual assault and rape.

[MynameisBlarney]

3. Interesting that he goes Full Trump

As his Parliament debates on whether or not to ban Teh Turnip for being a racist piece of shit.

[mac56]

5. They should all learn just enough English

to say, "Fuck you, Cameron."

[KingCharlemagne]

6. If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough

for all of us!

[LittleGirl]

7. Sorry

but if you're in a foreign country and don't make an effort at all to learn the language it's isolating and depressing. There is no way to integrate unless you learn the language. Especially if you've been there for years and years. I have to disagree with the previous posters.

I live in a foreign country and if I could get free lessons, I would have started already. Please try to understand this point. Free is what works. This is a very generous offer by the government.

[7962]

8. +1

[840high]

21. .+{2

[WhoWoodaKnew]

22. Agree

[Art_from_Ark]

37. I live in a foreign country, too

I don't know where you are, but here in Japan some municipalities offer free Japanese lessons to non-Japanese speakers. There are also some Meetup groups that offer free Japanese lessons

[LittleGirl]

42. I'm in

Switzerland and they do not offer "free" anything here. Most expensive country I've ever visited or lived in. ugh.

[Art_from_Ark]

59. Have you tried Meetup?

For example, here's an example of a Meetup language study group in Zurich

http://www.meetup.com/zurichs-language-exchange/

I've had pretty good experiences with Meetup groups here in Japan.

[T_i_B]

39. Agree with that

I suppose that the issue with this is the way it's being spun by the government, which is likely to make it even less attractive to the people they are worried about most.

On a lighter note.....

http://newsthump.com/2016/01/19/new-website-to-help-parents-worried-children-could-join-conservative-future/

Parents worried that their children are becoming radicalised and encouraged join the youth wing of the Conservative Party are to get advice from a new website.

The website is aimed at keeping children safe from ‘the spell of twisted ideologies’.

“Protecting young and impressionable minds from hate preachers or, as they’re otherwise known, ‘Daily Mail Columnists’ sends a clear message to Conservatives: our children are firmly out of your reach,” said a website spokesperson.

[Nihil]

43. Thank you. Most people seem to have missed those points.

> There is no way to integrate unless you learn the language.
> Especially if you've been there for years and years.

> I live in a foreign country and if I could get free lessons, I would have started already.
> Please try to understand this point. Free is what works.
> This is a very generous offer by the government.

Cameron (spit) is actually right on this point: the people *need* to speak
English or they *cannot* integrate and the way to achieve this is to give
them free lessons - a very useful carrot with the backing of the "stick" of
deportation if you don't bother.



And yes, for the pedants, if they have migrated to one of the few places
that *only* speaks Welsh or Gaelic (+ other variants), they can be provided
with the appropriate local language assistance as well!

[Denzil_DC]

45. Cameron cut funding for ESOL courses in 2011

Funding cuts threaten English lessons
Coalition rules on English courses for speakers of other languages will cut eligibility, harming the life chances of poor women and refugees

... new regulations for Esol courses threaten all that. Under the government strategy on skills, the only people eligible for full funding are those on "active benefits" – jobseeker's allowance (JSA) or employment support allowance (ESA). Those on support described as "non-active benefits" such as income support or on low incomes, including spouses, will not be eligible, nor will asylum seekers, migrant workers and refugees. Even where there is other support, individuals must pay at least half the full cost of the course under a system of co-funding to share the costs between government, employers and individuals.

...

Of the 195,000 people on college and community group Esol courses in England, an estimated 100,000 will lose out, initial findings of an Association of Colleges survey suggests. Most are women in domestic isolation, caring for children, or in low-paid jobs and seeking to improve themselves. The government insists that a required impact assessment was completed before the skills strategy was published. But Joy Mercer, director of education at the AoC, doubts this: "If they had done a detailed assessment, these policies would never have got through, given the impact on women."

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/jan/18/esol-courses-funding-cuts


So this "generosity" is just redressing the balance when previous austerity cuts led to widely predicted consequences.

I think it's important to encourage immigrants - especially those from cultures where women can often end up isolated from the mainstream - to learn English to the extent where they can participate and exercise a degree of autonomy. I have a severe problem with threatening deportation if someone fails to meet arbitrary standards for improvement, especially when the system makes contradictory demands on them - having to choose between attending a course and complying with mandatory employment training requirements, when failing to do the latter means they'll lose already scant financial support.

[Lancero]

9. The UK does have valid grounds for this...

Considering that they actually have English as a official language.

[brooklynite]

10. Eligibility Requirements for US Citizenship

Be 18 or older at the time of filing

Be a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization

Have lived within the state, or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, for at least 3 months prior to the date of filing the application

Have continuous residence in the United States as a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application

Be physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application

Reside continuously within the United States from the date of application for naturalization up to the time of naturalization

Be able to read, write, and speak English and have knowledge and an understanding of U.S. history and government (civics).

Be a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during all relevant periods under the law

https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/path-us-citizenship

[LittleGirl]

13. it's 3 yrs

my husband was naturalized in 3 yrs but he spoke English (British) and passed all of the interviewing processes.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

31. marriage to a U.S. citizen shortens the requirement

for naturalization to 3 years. Otherwise, it's 5 years as a permanent resident. I believe it can be as short as 1 year to a spouse of an active service member.

[LittleGirl]

38. thanks

for the clarification. It's been a few years and I've forgotten some of the details.

[Turborama]

11. "The government has said that Muslim women arriving in the UK on spousal visas are the target...

... of the policy."

Source: http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/cameron-cut-funding-for-english-lessons-wants-to-deport-women-who-cant-speak-the-language--ZyYPGvE93l?utm_source=indy&utm_medium=top5&utm_campaign=i100

Yep, he's channeling Trump alright.

[bemildred]

12. David Cameron defends Britain's alliance with Saudi Arabia and rejects accusations it funds Isis

David Cameron has defended Britain’s alliance with Saudi Arabia, including British assistance to the country’s widely-criticised military campaign Yemen.

The Prime Minister said the UK’s alliance with the oil-rich autocracy was important for its security and seemed to reject accusations that funding for Isis came from the Kingdom.

The Saudi Arabian ambassador Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud attacked Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn last month for raising the allegations, describing them as a “distortion”.

But Mr Cameron stood by his ally and defended exports and military advisor support given to the country during its ongoing war.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-cameron-defends-britains-alliance-with-saudi-arabia-and-rejects-accusations-it-funds-isis-a6819106.html

[Jefferson23]

47. lol what a freakin' degenerate and hypocrite..fuck him. n/t

[bemildred]

49. Nothing is too debased for Cameron, yep. nt

[bemildred]

50. Yemen: Britain and Saudi Arabia Shoulder to Shoulder in Atrocity

by Felicity Arbuthnot
UK advisors working actively alongside bomb targeters

In spite of a "Letter before action sent as threat of legal action over arms export licences to Saudi Arabia increases ..." by London law firm Leigh Day, acting on behalf of Campaign Against the Arms Trade: " ... challenging the government's decision to export arms despite increasing evidence that Saudi forces are violating international humanitarian law (IHL) in Yemen ... ", it transpires that UK military advisors are also "working alongside Saudi bomb targeters."

According to the Daily Telegraph: "British military advisers are in control rooms assisting the Saudi-led coalition staging bombing raids across Yemen that have killed thousands of civilians, the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Ministry of Defence have confirmed."

Briefing the Telegraph and other journalists the Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said that the UK and other countries in the control centre: " ... are aware of the target lists."

The "target list" would seem to have included five attacks on schools, disrupting the remaining shreds of normality for 6,500 children. "In some cases the schools were struck more than once, suggesting the strikes were deliberately targeted", states a report by Amnesty International.

http://www.pravdareport.com/world/europe/19-01-2016/133095-britain_saudi_arabia_yemen-0/

[Jefferson23]

52. Absolutely sickening...what a happy new year this looks to be...ugh. n/t

[bemildred]

51. Bombing hospitals and schools cannot become the new normal

Three hospitals and clinics where doctors and nurses working for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) were providing essential medical services to people caught up in the horrendous conflict in Yemen have come under attack in as many months. And this figure does not include attacks on MSF-supported health facilities in other conflict zones.

The bloodiest of these attacks was in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in October. Forty-two people were killed when the US military destroyed MSF’s fully functioning trauma centre. The US version of events was that the attack was a mistake. This was followed by an apology from the commander-in-chief of what is allegedly the most sophisticated military machine on the planet. This leaves us with more questions than answers and, months later, we are still waiting for access to the full details of the US military investigation.

On 10 January in Razeh, northern Yemen, when another hospital came under attack, six people were killed and seven others wounded. It is still not clear who was responsible for this specific attack, but the Saudi-led coalition, supported by the British military, has been bombing hospitals across Yemen for the past 10 months.

On Tuesday, the foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, addressed the House of Commons and claimed that there had been no “deliberate” breaches of international humanitarian law by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. Hammond based this assertion on feedback from British military personnel who are helping Saudi Arabia identify targets in Yemen’s war.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jan/19/yemen-msf-bombing-hospitals-schools-cannot-become-the-new-normal

[Jefferson23]

53. More questions than answers, indeed.

Thank you for the info, always appreciated.

[MisterP]

14. here's an English word for ya: Gradgrind

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Not

[KingCharlemagne]

40. One of Dickens' most memorable characters (from Hard Times) - nt

[ForgoTheConsequence]

16. What about those who choose to speak Welsh?

[TipTok]

20. Baaaaaa

[ForgoTheConsequence]

33. Haha.

[TipTok]

36. All that BBC paid off...

[whatthehey]

46. In which case less than 1/5 of the people in Wales

and a vanishingly small proportion of anyone else would be able to understand them.

Numerically in the UK they'd be far better off sticking with Hindi or Urdu

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. Prepare yourself to see protests from all of the other languages of the British Isles...

(Had to look them up.)

Scots, Irish, Cornish, Galic, Shelta, Angloromani and Manx.

[Kennah]

19. This could lead to the deportation of those who speak 'Murican n/t

[HassleCat]

27. Maybe they should target Americans.

Failing to put the "u" in words such as "colour," Mispronouncing words such as "schedule" and "controversy." Referring to the bonnet of a car as the "hood," and the boot as the "trunk." The list goes on. The sins are endless.

[nolabels]

34. They are 'SINS' too?

[KingCharlemagne]

41. The UK should only use leftenants to do the deportations, though :) - nt

[HassleCat]

54. According to the right tenets, yes. (eom)

[christx30]

56. You can still participate in society

while not putting the u in Colour. You can still go to a restaurant, and the movies. You can still go to a ballot box. Or the Market. Or use the Underground in London.
People that don't know any English at all, and refuse to learn can't do any of these things. If you don't want to participate in British society, you can easily do that from Saudia Arabia or UAE. No reason you have to be in England for that.

[Odin2005]

24. That sound you hear is a bunch of angry Welsh with torches and pitchforks.

[Nihil]

44. Shouldn't that be ...

... a "bnch f ngry Wlsh wth trchs nd ptchfrks"?
(Probably in four part harmony)

[JI7]

26. i can't see a problem with this

[flamingdem]

30. Learn the language and learn the culture

That will force integration for better or worse.

[Denzil_DC]

32. Muslim Women Gagged at PM’s ‘Freedom for Muslim Women’ Speech

Muslim Women Gagged at PM’s ‘Freedom for Muslim Women’ Speech

David Cameron is speaking from a secret venue today announcing more money to boost female migrants’ language skills, in order to help them escape the “control” of men in some communities. So it looks pretty bad that Downing Street aides are preventing the Muslim women there from speaking to journalists. Sky’s Gerard Tubb is at the scene:

"Can we talk to these women?" PM's office: "No, not before the PM arrives" "Afterwards?" "There won't be any time" pic.twitter.com/lZkx3Wlr37

— Gerard Tubb (@TubbSky) January 18, 2016

This is outrageous, we are journalists & we're not here to do your propaganda I'm sorry you're angry I'm not, I'm furious

— Gerard Tubb (@TubbSky) January 18, 2016

What was that about domineering men preventing Muslim women from speaking?

UPDATE: A No. 10 source quickly gets in touch to insist that this was simply “a timetabling issue, simple as that” and that the women were free to speak to journalists afterwards.

Story from the rightwing/libertarian Guido Fawkes blog. Not a site I recommend, and the comments are a breath of hell: http://order-order.com/2016/01/18/muslim-women-gagged-at-pms-freedom-for-muslim-women-speech/

[tclambert]

35. Dayum, I'd be in trouble. I only speak American.

[Jefferson23]

48. The threat of deportation..how Trump of him. n/t

[Matariki]

55. People should learn the language of the place they move to.

His solution is draconian though. It's not uncommon for first generation immigrants to stuggle with the language. That's usually not an issue with their children.

At least they're spending money to provide classes.

[bdwker]

60. So much for multicultureism .

Good luck deporting anyone Dave.

Youre stuck...like Germany.

[kanavsingh]

61. And on the other hand google is making virtual world a reality

On one side these politicians are taking over the real world and on the other Google is taking over the virtual world by getting all the technologies under one hood


Kanav, http://www.logicsofts.co.uk/