Are Our Schools Being Swamped By Immigrants?

[Gladys]

It would seem, according to Mr Malarkey my MHK, that parents are trying to move their children out of some schools, worried that immigrants who cannot speak English may be adversely affecting their childrens' education.

 

Where is the evidence of this as the Dept of Education has rebutted it quite squarely, and I cannot imagine that this is a real problem? (The lad has not, so far, come home with a sprinkling of Gujarat.)

 

Strikes me as a bit of sensationalism grabbed by Mr M, rather than something founded in fact, in an attempt to gain some air time. I just find it disappointing that my MHK (not my choice, but still my constituent MHK) decides to ride this particular bandwagon rather than look at more thornier issues such as housing, the outward creep of Douglas and provision of a good quality park area in South Douglas.

[John Wright]

The start of the end for Libvans?

 

They don't speak with one voice and certainly not a liberal voice on this issue.

 

The liberal voice would welcome the diversity and exposure to a different culture.

 

Perhaps he means too many youngsters studying Manx!

[Declan]

I can't see PK putting up with any of that malarkey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(bud-dum tish)

[Gladys]

Yes, I agree John. I have said before, I welcome anyone to the Island as long as they treat it with love and respect, and most incomers do love the place. I was a little disconcerted by this bandwagon approach to something that, to the best of my knowledge, is not a problem here, and the quite unliberal attitude displayed.

 

Mind you, I have quietly rebuffed the previous attempts to have me sign a petition against the development of some swamp land behind Scoill Valajeelt (Sp?), reminding the lady that the houses we occupy were built less than 20 years' ago. That little area of land is now littered with empty Bacardi Breezer bottles and other youth-deposited detritus, which is surely a hazard to any wildlife, not to mention humans, that may inhabit this place of environmental importance! I did ask a question about the development to the west of Vicarage Road and never received a reply. Methinks NIMBY which is not a good card on which to be elected.

[Tugger]

I refused to sign that anti-swamp development petition as well (but I've moved now). It seems to me that we need more housing.

 

I also struggle to believe that any school on the IOM is being swamped with non-English speakers

[Pragmatopian]

Here's a thought for new MHKs: why not spend your time thoroughly researching and debating substantial issues in a serious way? I object to paying taxes to support a muppet spouting ill-informed drivel.

[Chinahand]

I also struggle to believe that any school on the IOM is being swamped with non-English speakers

 

I wonder what the ratio of non-English speakers to natives is at King Billy's. I'd guess its higher than any other school on the Island. They've had a very diverse group since they started courting the Hong Kong Chinese and I believe there is also a European contingent nowadays too.

 

Methinks this little spat is at most an argument about providing adequate facilities and tuition to allow these children to integrate and contribute to the school. Not surprisingly King Billy's has the resources to do this (though not to paint the swimming pool).

 

There are costs to immigration as well as benefits: the benefits are long term and outweigh the costs, which are immediate and high profile.

 

It is highly shortsighted of our politicians to use this to yet again raise fears about incomers - the vast majority of whom are English.

 

We will massively damage this Island's future prospects if we introduce knee jerk measures that restrict people coming here.

 

Mr Malarkey is doing the Island a dis-service. He should be downplaying the problem while raisinig the fact we do need to provide additional resources to help children improve their english skills. Quite definitely he should not be supporting parents who are wanting to move schools due to too many non English speakers. This claim is dubious at best, racist at worst, and in the muddled middle overcome by improving our educational services to non english speakers. Kids learn a new language incredibly fast. This is a temporary issue and once adequate extra language tuition is set up accross the Island the 20 or so children on the entire Island involved can be helped along with any new arrivals who will join as their more experienced classmates no longer need extra support.

 

If this problem exists it is easily manageable, no need for headlines and fuss, unless you have alterior motives. Methinks polititians are too easily seeing votes in bashing incomers. This will hurt the Island.

[Albert Tatlock]

There are costs to immigration as well as benefits: the benefits are long term and outweigh the costs, which are immediate and high profile.

I think it is far more complicated than that...plus it also depends on what you mean by 'benefits'. For example, the destruction of island culture, for me, would not be worth my becoming a multi-millionaire.

 

We need to learn that controlled immigration should be the target, and learn that open door policies, such as those effectively in operation in the UK, don't work and are deeply damaging. We need to take one step at a time, and also realise that the education, adjustment and the acceptance by society (including some MHKs it would seem) are key to any immigration policy. This is a small island where such changes become very noticeable very quickly, and without a debate and a well thought-out clear policy (Tynwald Act), we are likely to end up in the same mess as the UK.

[The Bastard]

You obviously don't have kids in school in Douglas. The local school here is taking on extra staff to deal with non-English-speaking children - the Xmas panto this year featured "traders" from Poland, the Philiipines, Holland, Sri Lanka and China so that the new immigrants could take part.

 

Mass immigration is happenng on the IOM , as it is elsewhere. I don't have a problem with it as long as they leave me alone.

[Lonan3]

I regularly meet young people whose ability to speak English is extremely limited. I suspect that there are a considerable number of them and, after engaging them in conversation, I doubt that many are able to either read or write English to an acceptable standard.

For the most part, however, they are not from overseas!

[BigDave]

To be honest I think I prefer the barely comprehensible pidgin English from immigrants to the plastic Scouse and plastic Manc spoken widely over here.

[The Old Git]

to the plastic Scouse and plastic Manc spoken widely over here.

 

But what exactly is "plastic Scouse"?

 

As a Manx person sometimes when traveling I've been mistaken for a Scouser, and an American once said to me "Gee, it's just like talking to one of the Beatles"

 

I can't see it myself, but others obviously do.

[Chinahand]

I've always descibed the Manx accent to outsiders as a cross between Welsh and Irish with a big dose of Liverpuddlian. Its the rising intonation.

 

I can easily imagine someone with a Manx accent getting confused for a scouser by someone whose only exposure to a Brit accent is Hollywood or John Lennon! Hollywood only seems to show us speaking as Lords, Shakespeare, Eastenders, Wurzle Gumages, or Hugh Grant! Surely there's more to Britain than that.

 

Edited: forgot Braveheart - oach eiy

[BigDave]

Plasic scouse is simply a fake scouse accent and dialect being spoken by someone trying to look hard. Usually such people are from a white middle class background but like to pretend they are working class and streetwise.

 

It's similar to the occurence in the UK of speaking like a "gangsta" from "da hood" - again spoken mainly by those of white middle class background. Something I like to call the Ali-G effect.

[Cret]

Plastic scouse is truly an horrific affliction.

 

I recall with sadness when I was at school and friends who had previously had perfectly normal accents developed almost overnight a plastic scouse accent, thereby making themselves sound 'cool', and probably to a lot of people sound as if they'd done as much substance abuse as Ozzy.

 

Terrible.

Nothing wrong with genuine accents, but half assed wannabe pretend ones that eventually stick sound awful.