Chief Executive Ged Grebby said: 'I don't have a problem with displaying the cross of St George because this is a symbol we have managed to reclaim from the far right...'
That's not quite true, Mike. You are required to prove you can speak English if you want to work for the National Health Service, but only if you come from Australia, New Zealand, Canada or South Africa.
If you come from Bulgaria, Poland, or anywhere else, it is illegal to require you to speak English.
Surprising that banks etc. advertising 'UK Call Centres' haven't been similarly condemned. We know the subtext. Horrid little racists.
A desire for effective communication with a service provider is a totally unreasonable request in a world that has more than one language. The only solution is to devote our entire energy to learning them all.
It's discriminatory (with disgustingly strong nationalistic overtones) to afford English special status in Britain.
When I last visited my daugher in the UK, I got into a cab with a Pakistani cab driver.
He couldn't understand me, he couldn't find the street I needed on his satnav or A - Z of Milton Keynes. We drove up and down and round and round for 3/4 of an hour by which time it was getting late and dark. I had been travelling since 5am that morning and I was beginning to lose my temper.
In the end, he had to stop at a grocery shop to find out where the street was. It should have taken 15mins and took over an hour. I was livid and refused to pay him.
It's the Union flag (jack) that is the symbol of the BNP and other similar racist groups. As far as I'm aware the Cross of St George is not a racist symbol, save in the eyes of idiots who see racism everywhere.
I heard on a news report that 'non English speaking' taxi drivers has been a problem for a couple of years. This latest move seems to have been caused by desperation rather than racism...
oh ffs - I recently spent a year working in Reading, and being a lazy bastard, and particularly when it was raining, I'd often get a black cab from the station to the offices.
fairly central, on the edge of the main town center, and a very big name and one of the big name employers in the town.
the amount of black cab drivers who a. knew where it was and b. could speak english well enough to take directions were very definitely in the minority, till it got to the point where I'd deliberately wait for a cab with a caucasian driver, as at least then I'd have a fighting chance of getting to work with mimimum aggravation.
I would have welcomed such a move by the taxi drivers there tbh.
"this is a symbol we have managed to reclaim from the far right"
ReplyDeleteSo a council official WOULD have problems with it if it happened to be a symbol of some political opinion he disapproved of.
i wondered when you were going to jump on this Julia.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that speaking in English is not a requirement for living here and advertising that you do speak English is a crime
That's not quite true, Mike. You are required to prove you can speak English if you want to work for the National Health Service, but only if you come from Australia, New Zealand, Canada or South Africa.
ReplyDeleteIf you come from Bulgaria, Poland, or anywhere else, it is illegal to require you to speak English.
Surprising that banks etc. advertising 'UK Call Centres' haven't been similarly condemned. We know the subtext. Horrid little racists.
ReplyDeleteA desire for effective communication with a service provider is a totally unreasonable request in a world that has more than one language. The only solution is to devote our entire energy to learning them all.
It's discriminatory (with disgustingly strong nationalistic overtones) to afford English special status in Britain.
101110101011111000101010011010101010101010101110001010
ReplyDeleteWhen I last visited my daugher in the UK, I got into a cab with a Pakistani cab driver.
ReplyDeleteHe couldn't understand me, he couldn't find the street I needed on his satnav or A - Z of Milton Keynes. We drove up and down and round and round for 3/4 of an hour by which time it was getting late and dark. I had been travelling since 5am that morning and I was beginning to lose my temper.
In the end, he had to stop at a grocery shop to find out where the street was. It should have taken 15mins and took over an hour. I was livid and refused to pay him.
They need to speak English!!!!!
It's the Union flag (jack) that is the symbol of the BNP and other similar racist groups. As far as I'm aware the Cross of St George is not a racist symbol, save in the eyes of idiots who see racism everywhere.
ReplyDeletewhen the tide turns, the winds blow and mother nature take her revenge we will all say the same thing,
ReplyDeleteaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarg, splosh, taxi
for those of us who need a translation for my last comment,
ReplyDeleteug ug, u not like me, i explode me and u, that better, yes?
I heard on a news report that 'non English speaking' taxi drivers has been a problem for a couple of years. This latest move seems to have been caused by desperation rather than racism...
ReplyDeleteHaving reclaimed it from The Far Right, I think we ought to take it back from Georgia as well. And from those charlatans The Red Cross.
ReplyDelete"It seems that speaking in English is not a requirement for living here and advertising that you do speak English is a crime..."
ReplyDeleteAh, unless you are a doctor. Then it's apparently essential, as Brian points out...
"Surprising that banks etc. advertising 'UK Call Centres' haven't been similarly condemned."
Give it time...
"It should have taken 15mins and took over an hour."
Oh, good grief!
"It's the Union flag (jack) that is the symbol of the BNP and other similar racist groups."
That's what I thought when I saw this. Never seen the CoSG referred to as such before, anywhere...
oh ffs - I recently spent a year working in Reading, and being a lazy bastard, and particularly when it was raining, I'd often get a black cab from the station to the offices.
ReplyDeletefairly central, on the edge of the main town center, and a very big name and one of the big name employers in the town.
the amount of black cab drivers who a. knew where it was and b. could speak english well enough to take directions were very definitely in the minority, till it got to the point where I'd deliberately wait for a cab with a caucasian driver, as at least then I'd have a fighting chance of getting to work with mimimum aggravation.
I would have welcomed such a move by the taxi drivers there tbh.