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Cameron - friend of Muslim women?

(409 Posts)
JessM Mon 18-Jan-16 18:30:57

In his latest foray the PM has announced that he's putting up some more cash for Muslim women to learn English. So far so good. But on the other hand threatening to deport them if they don't get their act together. And implying that non-English speaking mothers are something to do with terrorism.
Baroness Warsi has called this announcement : lazy and misguided.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35345903

This is not the first time ESOL training has come up since the 2010 election.

blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-osbornes-english-lessons-are-no-threat/13776
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13412811

Jalima Mon 25-Jan-16 23:26:24

Well, her parents should be doing that, shouldn't they?
Especially as her her mother has an English degree and they sound like an educated family
confused

WilmaKnickersfit Tue 26-Jan-16 00:09:31

There's no way an 8 year old child wrote that letter on her own. The language is not that of an 8 year old. I think she's been used by someone else to make a point. I have no doubt she agrees with what she's written, but the words are not her own and she was probably prompted about what she should say. Someone should be ashamed.

thatbags Tue 26-Jan-16 07:45:03

Cameron wasn't talking about the kind of Muslim woman that child's mother is, as anyone who has actually taken the trouble to look at his proposal will know, whether they like the proposal or not.

This notion ⏫ is not difficult to comprehend so I fond it quite astonishing that so many people persist in not comprehending it. I'm beginning to think that the wrong interpretations are just pure obstinacy. You don't have to like David Cameron or his tint of politics to understand what he said and what the proposal is for.

Jane10 Tue 26-Jan-16 08:13:32

Hear hear Thatbags!

JessM Tue 26-Jan-16 08:50:38

Just as some of us find it hard thatbags to comprehend why you don't acknowledge the political nuances here. Reducing it to a simple question of ESOL classes = good/bad is missing the point.

Anya Tue 26-Jan-16 09:32:58

Reducing it to 'Cameron = bad' is ok though wink

Jalima Tue 26-Jan-16 10:22:36

We should be proud of an English education system that has enabled an 8 year old to produce a letter like that all by herself.
She is on the path to becoming a Professor of English - or at the very least, give her a few years, and she can be put in charge of DC's proposed scheme and be the link between those Muslim women who do not speak English and larger society.

thatbags Tue 26-Jan-16 10:31:02

Ah, I see, disliking deliberate misunderstandings is not acknowledging the political nuances. Nothing to do with it not being a simple issue then an finding it irritating when people try to reduce it to that? Hey ho.

JessM Tue 26-Jan-16 10:31:11

Agreed Jamila.

I did actually agree with DC (or actually the chancellor) the other day about inflicting a bit more tax on buy to let landlords.
I don't think he's necessarily "bad", just an abysmally awful PM who has completely changed his tune since he first got elected. It could be that he is not "bad" but that he allows others to dictate what he says and does.

thatbags Tue 26-Jan-16 10:34:48

I've always thought that understanding a complex problem to be complex was part of understanding, and acknowledging, political nuances.

I think perhaps you are talking about political point scoring, or political identifying, or some such other tosh that I have not taken part in and always try not to take part in because I don't think it's helpful.

thatbags Tue 26-Jan-16 10:39:17

Don't all PMs have to adapt to others once they are elected because the job turns out to be much more complicated than they had realised? As an example to illustrate that, apparently the new "green" PM of Canada has recently criticised DiCaprio's "inflammatory rhetoric" about the Canadian oil industry.

thatbags Tue 26-Jan-16 10:56:19

The point being that, however much Trudeau may want to reduce or shut down the Canadian oil industry, he can't without wrecking Canada's economy, and as PM he can't do that.

Cameron's intention to run the greenest government ever will have come up against similar blockages to his ideals. OK, Cameron might have been lying (acknowledgement of political 'nuance') but I don't think he was. I think his intentions were okay, and I think they were with this teaching English thing too. It is people who don't see that who, I feel, are not acknowledging the complicatedness of real life.

durhamjen Tue 26-Jan-16 11:11:02

It does not matter if Cameron is talking about that child's mother or not. It's the child's perception that matters.
My two grandchildren whose mother is Danish are worried that Cameron will send her back to Denmark if she loses her job here. It does not matter how many times you reassure them. Their dad does not earn the £35,000 deemed necessary to bring up a family with a foreign mother, so actually, we do not know what would happen in the law of unintended consequences.

durhamjen Tue 26-Jan-16 11:14:23

Wilma, my eight year old granddaughter could write a letter like that.

JessM Thu 28-Jan-16 09:00:57

Cameron's phrase "a bunch of migrants" used in PMQs yesterday revealed his true attitudes? (note he did not use term "asylum seekers").
Instead of taking an anti UKIP stance on migrants he has consistently played the anti-migrant card, thus doing his bit to encourage racism and anti-EU feeling. There is a positive story to tell on the contribution that immigrants have made to this country. Many people who are making a successful contribution to his own world of politics are the children of migrants, including Michael Howard whose parents were Romanian Jews.

durhamjen Fri 29-Jan-16 09:32:55

Unfortunately, I think I agree with those on Question Time last night who said that immigration will be the biggest decider of the referendum.
If so, and Cameron really wants to stay in, he will have to start saying nicer things about asylum seekers.

JessM Fri 29-Jan-16 09:35:04

Or at least nicer things about all the hard working tax paying immigrants who enable the UK (and particularly the SE) to keep on working.

Anya Fri 29-Jan-16 14:57:34

How about a sort of swap? These hard working migrants welcomed and we rid ourselves of some of our home-grown scroungers grin

Sounds good to me

beats a hasty retreat to leave for school run

durhamjen Fri 29-Jan-16 21:40:34

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-35440687

Scroungers like the people who run this home for asylum seekers, you mean?
It just happens to be the wristband one.
I love the Home Office washing its hands of the problem.

JessM Sat 30-Jan-16 12:21:59

What about all the Brits that are living in the sun and using the local services in Spain etc. Do they count Anya grin

rosesarered Sat 30-Jan-16 15:11:08

Cameron was not talking about asylum seekers ( a bunch) but economic migrants at Calais who don't think France is a good enough country for them.

Jane10 Sat 30-Jan-16 15:16:30

JessM I suspect that the British expats pay their own way.

thatbags Sat 30-Jan-16 15:23:55

I read the link you posted, dj. I fail to see how what the article says makes you interpret what is said as the Home Office "washing its hands of the problem". You have heard of due process, I presume?

I note that there is nothing in the article suggesting the complaining MP has been to have a look for herself to ascertain whether what she's heard is correct. She only mentions thing being 'reported' to her. She has every right to complain, of course, but I think she should check for herself before complaining publicly.

No, I am not defending the company that owns Lynx House. They may well be in the wrong, in which case due process of checks will find out and take appropriate action, as the article says.

There is no washing of hands suggested in that link.

JessM Sat 30-Jan-16 15:40:05

Expats paying own way? What if pensions or other income taxed in UK? There maybe e.g. some Spanish property taxes (like council tax) and VAT, but that's not going to pay their way if they need lots of healthcare is it? Or cover lots of other public services they benefit from. Or am I missing something?

Anya Sat 30-Jan-16 16:03:32

Jess . Do you know that Brits in eg Spain, or France or Germany don't pay their way? Do they claim assistance from those governments? What reciprocal arrangements do these countries have with the UK re health care? Do they contribute to the local economy in any way?

I'd be happy if you could answer these questions, so I can clarify the points raised.

Re your link DJ what on earth have those landlords who run illegal HMO got to do with 'home grown scroungers' ? hmm A tad entrepreneurial (in a bad way) I suppose the link is with those who are milking the system??