No British - No Women

[MrSpoc]

I have just come across this article:

www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Huntingdon-St-Ives-St-Neots/Playgroup...

am i being unreasonable to be disgusted at how this can be legal.

scurry....fuck off. I don't have an issue with immigrants but think this country has handled the integration and social cohesion very poorly. Honestly how is the country going to be grown up and realistic about the problem of immigration when everytime anyone has a view that isn't relinquish our boarders is accused of being BNP.

You have no idea about me, at all.

"Sorry that was what I was trying to say, these playgroups have a common theme that is a bit of a prerequisite...but not exclusive, but they don't say don't come if you're not blah blah, but they do say a club for FRench Speakers!"

I think you're missing the point - although it is not written down in any sort of "rules" I WOULD say, with regard to the club I help to run, "don't come if you're not part of a Francophone family". We have (politely) turned people away in the past who have turned up in the mistaken belief that we teach French to non-natives. So it IS exclusive and it is something we are fairly strict about (I say fairly because, perhpas like the woman of foreign ethnicity but British birth in the original example, there is a certain amount of grey in what constitutes a French-speaking household. But it's still got black and white on either side of it.)

Iloveit -it is not always overt - would you accept that your child, on starting a new school having just moved away from a very strong friendship group and family, may be a bit apprehensive about marching straight into the most-popular-queen -bee group on day one and stating her intentions to join the group?

The thing that really let this group down was that they discriminated according to skin colour. Not even nationality (which would've been bad enough). The girl who invited the two white girls along map actually British. But she was allowed because of her skin colour. Sorry, but that's pure racism.

"This is secular, thank God , Britain."

If Britain is secular then I'm Terry Waite.

was actually British

posie, I only base my opinions about you because of the words you post.

Perhaps I live in a friendlier city then? I know the Farsi group has white British mothers that take their children, with Iranian fathers, and are well supported.

of course they would be apprehensive but surely if they start a group for newbies (talking in the school context now)and two established kids came to play it would make the newbies feel more able to mix with the others? if they tell the two establised kids to go away, do they really expect to be welcomed by the rest of the school when they feel ready? are they not just resigning themselves to being segregated for their whole tiem there?

scurry, I suggest you learn to have a little more thought then. Or can you point me to the BNP element of my post.

It's very insulting and wrong.

So why can't the two established kids have the same interests, language and be more like your child to give her that confidence? It is the same thing - more like gentle introduction to help with the bigger aim of being integrated.

Britain is secular.

"so what if someone opened a group like this and everyone was welcome except latvians?(not picking on latvian people, just that it is a nationality that isn't british)"

I could see no problem with it, once again if it's a private group and not a commercial entity then they can set their own criteria for membership

Every group has limited resources, it makes sense to exclude those with other means of support in order to reach those that the group was designed for.

It's nothing to do with friendliness or, indeed, race (I am British myself.)

It's about a group that has a stated aim - to create a Francophone environment for Francophone toddlers to play together for 90 minutes a week - and doesn't want non-Francophone parents bringing non-Francophone toddlers and frustrating that stated aim.

The same as I guess many bridge clubs up and down the country don't take kindly to non-bridge players turning up and sitting down at the table. It's not a personal attack and it's not bridgist. It's just about a small group of people setting a group up for their own ends and then trying to keep that group delivering.

Like I said MIF it's a prerequisite and common goal. I did understand. This is not the case with the playgroup, they just enforce the rule NO British.

i am a bit confused scurry. when i said established kids i meant ones that were already at the school, whereas my kid had started a group with other newbies from other schools with no common ground except that they were all new. surely telling the established kids to go away is leaving the newbies with only their own small group to associate with and as none of them know the ways of the school they aren't really benefitting from the exclusion are they?

posie,

the "problem of immigration ".

"the trouble many immigrants have is that they don't fit it"

and while we are on the subject of objectionable views

"Fuck the certain groups of women who are uncomfortable around men at toddler groups...."

I have no problem with this in theory.

But in this particular case, the group which said it was "no british" allowed a british person to stay, as she wasn't white

That's just illogical and stupid.

The sure start centre near me used to do a 'dads and toddlers' group. It was set up because it was felt many men felt uncomfortable and a bit excluded at the normal groups predominantly attended by woman and so tended not to use them. Well they didn't attend the dads only one either so it is no longer, but I guess it might be the same concept in play here?

Ilove..I think I got confused then too. Having newbies associate with similar people is ok to start with (which is what I think the aim of the group is). Once that confidence is gained everyone will be in a better position to integrate, iyswim.

You know you're right scurry there is not problem with immigration at all, fuck knows why all the politicians put it so high on their agenda...they should have just given you a call. There's no BNP support because everyone loves the hundreds and thousands of immigrants that have joined our fair Isle.

I don't have an issue with immigration, at all, I'm pro immigration...however there are huge pockets of our nation that hate immigrants and this is mainly due to forced segregation of communities..

Nicely avoided your other comments posie. Come off it, be honest, you are a xenophobe.

I am a foreinger.

I have learned the language, mixed with locals, worked with them, befriended a few, married one and spend the vast majority of my time with them. I am pretty well intergrated.

However, as soon as I see a group aimed toward people who speak my language or who share similar experiences with me of being a foreigner, it sparks my interest and I check it out.

Being a member of such a group is not the same as being unwilling to intergrate. It gets people out, meeting like-minded individuals and gives them a little taste of normality before they go back to their day to day lives.

I have no problem with them excluding Brits, although they ought to have made their club rules clear from the start.

i do see that point scurry, i just cant see what harm having a few of the already established kids tehre aswell would do. speaking personally, i know i would be welcoming someone who could keep me right on cultural differences, where to go for advice, job centre etc. but that is just me personally.