To not want to be the minority where I live?

[Charlottehines]

It really saddens me that in parks and soft plays with my children, that I am in the minority and my children can't play with other children there as they all play together and obviously can't speak English.
I'm in no way racist, my husband is of mixed origin but I do find it incredibly sad that my children are growing up the minority especially when these other groups make no effort to integrate with other mums or the children.
Am I completely unreasonable to feel sad about this?

PhoebeNPenny but those policies wont be attractive to the middle classes so they are therefore racist.

So they say.

PhoebeNPenny but those policies wont be attractive to the middle classes so they are therefore racist.

Eh?

leftwing I suspect you need to read the whole paper rather than select excerpts.

Adoptedmama - "dancingnancy I don't equate with being British as being 'white'. I class anyone as British as someone who was born here and identifies as being British.

dancingnancy Of course you don't have to be born in Britain to be British.

so which is it?"

Again, why are you trying to trip me up or it seems interrogate me? Someone made a comment asking if I only consider British to be 'white' or such. I replied as above. I don't get frothy or have a strict criteria or what 'British' is or who qualifies. I really don't care. If someone sees themselves as being British or identifies as being British, I guess that's that. The obvious ones are those born here, have British parents etc. I really don't think I have been precious about the term British (I think I was only replying to someone else who brought it up).

I've read on here and other places that some people had bad experiences being a minority so I chose not to make my child one when there were many other options."

ah but what you wrote earlier was If I have a choice of schools in my area, yes I would prefer to send my children to one that didn't have 90% plus kids from an Asian background, many recent immigrants.

you then went on to say you didn't want to send your child to a school where he would be a racial minority.

I have asked you why you think going to a school where my perfectly normal, nice, friendly HUMAN BROWN SKINNED CHILDREN might be a majority would be so socially or educationally awful for you DC.

Because you assume my children, me, children of the same colour or their parents would be socially excluding or racist?

Ironic.

So again Phoebe. What is their Policy on Education?...

UKIP Education Policy: To bring Britain’s education up to international standards.

UKIP will:
Let the people elect county education boards to make our schools better.
Scrap useless paperwork and trust teachers to do their jobs.
Build more Grammar Schools.
Insist that schools teach the 3 Rs.
Close colleges using bogus courses as a back door into Britain for foreign students.
Reinstate the student grant and educational maintenance allowance.
Encourage vocational apprenticeships.
Give parents the right to choose where their children go to school.
Protect rural schools.
Offer better support for home schooling.
To pay for these commitments
UKIP will:
Let head teachers sack bad teachers.
Reduce Local Education Authority bureaucracy.

Also sounds good IMO.

Can you show us any of the perceived racist policies Phoebe?

Depends on what you consider racist?

Adoptmama, I didnt report any of his conclusions, so how can I have misrepresented them? I reporting his findings, ie. what the empirical evidence actually shows. As for what his conclusions based on these findings are, his political dispositions are very different to mine, so its no great surprise that I dont agree with him. But that has nothing to do with the empirical data.

I'm not trying to trip you up. I am asking you to clarify your contradictory statements as to who you think qualifies as 'British'.

In your first statement you say that people who are not born in Britain - people like me - cannot be British. You then back tracked on this when your statement was challenged - which is a good thing in that it shows you were willing to think about it.

Hundreds of British children are born outside of Britain every year. Some have single nationality, some dual. They are no less British than you and your children because they are born elsewhere. Their British identify isn't a matter of 'self-identification' but a matter of legal fact.

The trouble with trying to throw around blanket generalisations about what is or isn't British, or who is or isn't British, is that generalisations generally do not stand up to much scrutiny but do show an inability to engage in deep thought on the part of the thrower.

I don't think there are any racist policies Phoebe.

To pay for these commitments we will:- Let Head Teachers sack Bad Teachers. Yep they are going to save an absolute bundle there! Bad Teachers can already be sacked by the way.

Neither do I Caruthers.

Robert Putnam: "As I made clear in my article “E Pluribus Unum:
Diversity and Community in the Twenty-First Century,” immigration brings a host of benefits to the United States, far beyond introducing cultural and gustatory diversity."

which was the findings of his research - nothing to do with his politics. data led conclusions

www.ncl.org/publications/ncr/98-1/Putnam.pdf

Yes but it will eliminate the hoops HTs have to jump through to get rid of crap teachers. (loads of teachers are shite so I do think it would save some money to be able to sack them)

"Reducing LEA bureaucracy" while simultaneously introducing new county boards for oversight of local schools seems deeply confused.

They don't have to jump through hoops. They simply have to follow the correct legal procedure to avoid an accusation of unfair dismissal. Just like your Employer would if they tried to get rid of you. Our School has just had a major reshuffle after a particular shit teacher was sacked. The local secondary was also overhauled and many shit teachers got the boot there too. All possible without being made to do any hoop jumping.

It's strange - I exclusively talk to my children in German - I will translate for non German speakers, but if I address the kids it's German. If the kids address me in English, I will still respond in German, and I actively encourage them to speak German with the (few) German children they know. I think it's important that they learn their mother's mother tongue and culture.

I've never had a single negative comment about that, much the opposite (unless comments are only made behind my back, but I doubt it). It seems almost as if different languages are perceived differently. So why is it ok when I do it, but bad when native speakers of other languages do it, and for the same reason?

Oh and you're also going to have to replace those teachers with non shite ones so not quite sure where they will be money saved. The new ones will still need paying.

Adoptedmama - "Because you assume my children, me, children of the same colour or their parents would be socially excluding or racist?"

Yes, there probably was some of that in it. We had just moved to England and wanted to maximise our chances of being able to hopefully integrate and as strangers be able to make new friends for the children and for myself. I did worry that a school that stands out from the others where it seems the parents are choosing for some reason a majority Asian school and where the children mostly live in a majority Asian neighbourhood - it might be harder to integrate and be accepted. However, I don't base my friendships on race or nationality and have many Asian friends - I take people as I find them generally.

Close colleges using bogus courses as a back door into Britain for foreign students.

So how are they going to do this exactly, and how does their strategy differ from current policy?

caruthers your post "There is only one side of the argument throwing names around like they are going out of fashion."
You're right there. There is only one side of the discussion that is being open and honest and not hiding behind insinuation. I know some people find my views challenging but I am courageous enough and honest enough to name them and speak plainly. I often wonder why racists don't just come out and be open and say what they really want to say. I'd respect s

Adoptedmama - "In your first statement you say that people who are not born in Britain - people like me - cannot be British"

I didn't say that at all - but twist my comments. Have not said that people who are not born in Britain cannot be British - I actually haven't said anyone "cannot be British". You are deliberately trying to trip me up on this - I really don't know why.