The English language features highly in the interestingly named Commission on Integration and Cohesion’s interim report out today. In the debate about immigration and multiculturalism, words have taken a battering. We are told that ‘multiculturalism has failed’, but not what multiculturalism is. Multicultural Britain isn’t a policy, it’s a fact. And now, apparently translating material into different languages, the purpose of which was to help people take part (integrate!) in society (attend evening classes for example or seek refuge from domestic violence) has suddently become a barrier to ‘integration’. The problem is that immigrants just don’t speak English well enough we are told. The fact that the NHS has been kept running by people who don’t speak English very well, for cost reasons, will be conveniently ignored. Britain is in danger of presenting itself as a two-faced mean spirited place. It’s okay for middle-class Britons who settle or holiday abroad to speak a mere handful of words of the host nation, but its not okay for people who settle here. Yes of course we should give immigrants as much opportunity to learn English as possible. The idea they need to face benefit cuts and be deprived of access to their first language to do that is vicious nonsense. The problem is we have yet more establishment messages towing this insiduous line that the blame (the blame for what exactly is not clear but blame none the less) lies with the poorest, least educated, lowest paid, worst-housed people in the country. Continually inventing problems and then attacking the people at the bottom of the rung for those problems is the recipe for racism. It must be the fault of the immigrants — influential commissioners and media commentators say so — so others can too — and for some that means with fists and bricks. It’s the people in senior establishment positions of responsibility that need to take more care of their language.


© Harrison Aziz 2007

21 February 2007