WTF is happening in the UK?

[Pontius Navigator]

TGG, and I always try and think of the Englishman abroad.

[TheGreenGoblin]

TGG, and I always try and think of the Englishman abroad.

One should PN but also think of the rights of other people as well, even if they are "mere" foreigners.

I worked back in SA on contract in 2011 at an overwhelmingly Afrikaans speaking company that ruled that if there was one English speaker in a meeting then that meeting should be conducted in English as a courtesy. I was introduced as coming from England, and everybody was polite and courteous, and attempted to speak English to me until I explained that I was totally "tweetalig" i.e. bilingual and that they should please feel free to speak in their mother tongue. They were delighted and amazed that an Englishman could speak such good Afrikaans and I was amused to explain to them that I was a South African "soutpiel" living in England and that my father (RIP) had been Afrikaans.

Listen, I fully agree, that if you live in Rome, you should learn to speak Latin (or Roman) but the situation, noted above, was a case of social interaction between people speaking their own language. Only a bigot would assume that that was unreasonable and I concur with the judge, that that company was way out of line on this one.

[om15]

In 2015, the fruit and nut snack supplier introduced a language policy demanding that English was to be spoken in the work place and that the native language of workers must only be spoken during rest and lunch breaks.

From a management and health and safety point of view this is eminently reasonable. It seems odd that someone who doesn't want to speak English should choose to live in Hull.
On further reading it appears that there were disciplinary meetings over absenteeism that the Latvian lady attended without an interpreter because the Company refused to allow one in the meeting, this was why the judge awarded the large sum of money.
Perhaps the lady might use the money to purchase a course of linguaphone in English, with extra modules in Yorkshire dialect.

[1DC]

The lady had worked at the company for more than ten years so one would think that she had time to learn English..

[TheGreenGoblin]

In 2015, the fruit and nut snack supplier introduced a language policy demanding that English was to be spoken in the work place and that the native language of workers must only be spoken during rest and lunch breaks.

From a management and health and safety point of view this is eminently reasonable. It seems odd that someone who doesn't want to speak English should choose to live in Hull.
On further reading it appears that there were disciplinary meetings over absenteeism that the Latvian lady attended without an interpreter because the Company refused to allow one in the meeting, this was why the judge awarded the large sum of money.
Perhaps the lady might use the money to purchase a course of linguaphone in English, with extra modules in Yorkshire dialect.

Who says she didn't "want" to speak English? The company refusing to facilitate an interpreter (as you note correctly) during the disciplinary hearing is part of the basis for the legal decision, yet one must assume that the company knew that she spoke a foreign language, and that her English might have been limited, when they hired her.

Whatever the case, these points don't alter the fact that totally proscribing the use of one's native language for large parts of the working day is discriminatory and was really used as a questionable means to end for this shoddy outfit.

As for the linguaphone, there is no technology yet made on earth that can decipher some of those Yorkshire dialects!

[Pontius Navigator]

On a trip to Egypt we shared a car with an Egyptian driver and I believe a Saudi in the front. The Saudi told the driver, who was our guide, to talk ony in English

[OFSO]

HMRC - this year as last year, my annual IT was declared on paper, sent by registered mail, my personal tax page says message received, then nothing. I heard privately that over 90% of staff are working from home. Presumably there's a huge pile of mail, nobody to deal with it.

[TheGreenGoblin]

HMRC - this year as last year, my annual IT was declared on paper, sent by registered mail, my personal tax page says message received, then nothing. I heard privately that over 90% of staff are working from home. Presumably there's a huge pile of mail, nobody to deal with it.

I could go on more about the lunacy at HMRC at the moment but your post sums up the situation well.

[om15]

I have just read the following

In response to reports of the rescue mission being launched, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Refugee and Migrant Rights Director at Amnesty International UK, said:

“This news is deeply distressing but tragically comes as no surprise.

"We can only hope this person does pull through. It’s only a matter of time before once again someone loses their life trying to reach safety in the UK because of the woeful lack of safe means to do so".

He reiterated the need for change going forward so that there are no further casualties, stating:

"The Home Office must take this as an urgent wake-up call.

“Priti Patel needs to fundamentally change Government policy and ensure that this does not happen again".

I wonder exactly what Priti Patel is supposed to do, we welcome illegal immigrants with open arms, 4 star hotels, pocket money and a battalion of free lawyers at their disposal, and then get blamed because they have decided to risk their lives getting here.

It might help if we had a Tory Prime Minister, he is watching this lot wade ashore with his arms folded, watching statues being torn down without a murmur, presiding over a BBC that has the most communist/woke agenda in the world and using his energies to build a bastard railway line that nobody wants.

I do wish Mrs Thatcher was still here.

[Boac]

Why did you vote him in, then?

[TheGreenGoblin]

Shooting in Keyham near Portsmouth. Multiple casualties reported!

[Undried Plum]

I wonder exactly what Priti Patel is supposed to do, we welcome illegal immigrants with open arms, 4 star hotels, pocket money and a battalion of free lawyers at their disposal, and then get blamed because they have decided to risk their lives getting here.

I, for one, 'suppose' that the Home Secretary would do her **** job and and eject the criminal immigrants and so deport them.

[FD2]

I hope the mass shooting fashion doesn't spread across the Atlantic, though some instances have occurred in the past like the Hungerford lunatic who murdered 16.

DM reports 5 dead including a child (plus the nutter) - looks like a domestic dispute.

BTW Keyham is the area next to the Devonport Naval Base - terraced housing for Dockyard workers in the past but more 'up market' these days as there aren't many working in the naval base any more.

[Boac]

The shadow of the Chump reaches Keyham. Supposedly the shooter, Jake Davison, was a 'follower' of the Chump. Reportedly he use a semi-automatic rifle. How does one get one of those?

[TheGreenGoblin]

The shadow of the Chump reaches Keyham. Supposedly the shooter, Jake Davison, was a 'follower' of the Chump. Reportedly he use a semi-automatic rifle. How does one get one of those?

Quelle surprise, another raving, violent, loony supports Trump.

[Pontius Navigator]

Keyham is only a mile from the RM barracks and closer to the dockyard.

[FD2]

Sadly no longer Devonport 'Dockyard' (Guz) - https://citywire.co.uk/funds-insider/ne ... on/a282902

Babcock to buy Devonport dockyard for £350 million
By Helen Burggraf 10 May, 2007

Babcock International Group, a UK defence and engineering services provider, said it has agreed to buy the Devonport dockyard in Plymouth for £350 million to expand its business servicing Royal Navy ships and submarines.

The acquisition will make Babcock (BAB) Britain’s sole supplier of refit and maintenance services to the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet. Devonport is the only UK facility licensed by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to do major refits, refuel and decommission nuclear submarines.

It's now called HM Naval Base Devonport.

What is it about young people (increasingly both sexes) that they seem to harbour such furious anger - not just pissed up fights? 'Jake' may well have been a nut job and unable to control his temper - was it being brought up on violent PC games or the rubbish that's most of the output from Netflix etc? Maybe it's the press exaggerating as usual but let's hope fellow nutters don't start copycat killing sprees.

[OFSO]

He used a shotgun and held a licence for it. (BBC).

[tango15]

Some on social media claiming that he is originally from the US...

[Pontius Navigator]

FD2, it looks more like a submarine graveyard. On Google there are 11 alongside in various states of dereliction. One has no bow.

I don't think we have figured out what to do with the old ones yet.