Flintoff's bizzare anti immigration rant

[GIMH]

what evidence do you have for that? It must be flintoff's long history of racist outbursts? If you ring a hotel in England then yes, of course you expect them to speak English. If I rang one in France, I'd expect them to speak French, if I rang one in Pakistan I'd expect them to speak Urdu. But of course, going and playing for a sports team is the same as being a hotel receptionist

Not at all like you Sanz, making something out of nothing

 

[Uppercut]

Nothing remotely wrong with what he said there. The incomprehensible foreign call-centre employee is a pet hate of everyone in the UK. Bit of bull**** regarding rap music, but it's pretty normal for a father of three to be thinking like that.

It's anything but an anti-immigration outburst.

 

[GIMH]

take your rational thoughts elsewhere Uppercut - today's it's hotel receptionists, tomorrow he's wearing his KKK outfit for the Ashes team photo

 

[Sanz]

Freddie has said absolutely nothing wrong. The fact that this is even in the paper is a joke, don't expect **** like this in the Telegraph either.

Ofcourse It is the fault of the Newspaper for reporting it, Freddie can do no wrong for you.

Thoughts of Lord Freddie - Sport - theage.com.au

"When you go to somewhere like India you realise we're not in that bad a shape. We have a tendency in Britain to talk ourselves down. I wouldn't want to be American, but you have to admire the way they talk themselves up as a people, athletes and as a country. Our glass is always half empty."

 

[GIMH]

Haha, and what more have you proved there? That article is even worse, I am sure Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara are just FURIOUS with his comments. And so he thinks Britain is in better shape than India? Look, I've never been to India, so I wouldn't know, but is he not entitled to such an opinion?

Honestly Sanz, the whole "Freddie can do no wrong" thing won't work either. When he ****ed up in the WC I called him on it. There were good posters like pasag defending him, and I was slamming him. I'd defend Ricky Ponting or Graeme Smith if they were slammed for these comments as well.

Hey ho, whatever. I could keep arguing with you, but the rest of the forum are gonna wonder why I am replying to myself seems as they all have you on ignore...can't imagine why

 

[Sanz]

what evidence do you have for that? It must be flintoff's long history of racist outbursts? If you ring a hotel in England then yes, of course you expect them to speak English. If I rang one in France, I'd expect them to speak French, if I rang one in Pakistan I'd expect them to speak Urdu. But of course, going and playing for a sports team is the same as being a hotel receptionist

I agree with this and flintoff would have been perfect if he had stopped right there (i.e. expressing his annoyance over Receptionist in a Hotel in England not speaking English is a fair point), but when he took it beyond that and started talking about 'multicultural level' is where he got it wrong.

And If he is so annoyed by people in his country not learning English, he should make sure he speaks Tamil before he jumps on the Superkings plane next year.

Not at all like you Sanz, making something out of nothing

I did not dig this story up, It was reported by English Media.

 

[Athlai]

Sanz you got it backwards, when he was talking about Englands multicultural-ness maybe going too far THEN he told the story about the receptionist. That was the peak of his endeavours, not the other way around.

 

[zaremba]

The cricinfo report has a bit more detail.

"Sport plays such an important role. It tackles everything from child obesity to drug abuse and binge drinking."

 

[GIMH]

I agree with this and flintoff would have been perfect if he had stopped right there (i.e. expressing his annoyance over Receptionist in a Hotel in England not speaking English is a fair point), but when he took it beyond that and started talking about 'multicultural level' is where he got it wrong.

And If he is so annoyed by people in his country not learning English, he should make sure he speaks Tamil before he jumps on the Superkings plane next year.



I did not dig this story up, It was reported by English Media.

That's missing the point, though. He didn't say "if you want to come in this country, learn the ****ing language" and he didn't say "British jobs for British workers." He basically said that if your job is to serve the British public then an expected criteria for getting that job should be to speak the language. He didn't go beyond that!

 

[Sanz]

Haha, and what more have you proved there? That article is even worse, I am sure Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara are just FURIOUS with his comments. And so he thinks Britain is in better shape than India? Look, I've never been to India, so I wouldn't know, but is he not entitled to such an opinion?

Of Course he is entitled his opinion at the same time I am entitled to mine about him If I hear a trend of stupidity. As for Britain being in better shape than India/America, well that is a subjective assessment, he is entitled to his opinion. IMO there is no right or wrong answer.

I am not sure why Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara come into this picture, I am assuming it is because of their Indian origin. Infact it brings me to another annoying point which is : People always talk about how Immigrants don't mingle into the main stream of their country, at the same time they themselves are not willing to rise above their prejudices. The Boparas and Shas will always be associated with India and whatever Indian people do.

Hey ho, whatever. I could keep arguing with you, but the rest of the forum are gonna wonder why I am replying to myself seems as they all have you on ignore...can't imagine why

Another pointless remark, sign of not having much else to say hence start attacking. I am not forcing you to debate. You are free to follow the rest of the forum and put me on Ignore. I will still say what I want to.

 

[GIMH]

I brought Bopara and Shah up because they were mentioned in the article you linked me to, I thought that was tenuous and stupid as well, so it seems we agree on that. Shah was born in Karachi though, not India

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think the timing of the publication of the comments is extremely unfortunate, coming as it has just before the Euro Parliament elections, where the BNP & UKIP stand to make serious gains.

&, given the source, it was probably entirely deliberate.

I think anyone who spends any time in our capital knows that London's service industry runs on immigrant labour; they gamely perform all the hard, dirty, menial jobs the natives won't touch.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

The incomprehensible foreign call-centre employee is a pet hate of everyone in the UK.

True, but I do believe that the Scots have lived there for as long as anyone.

 

[Jamee999]

If all of the forum had you on ignore, you'd just be talking to yourself

 

[GIMH]

I think the timing of the publication of the comments is extremely unfortunate, coming as it has just before the Euro Parliament elections, where the BNP & UKIP stand to make serious gains.

&, given the source, it was probably entirely deliberate.

I think anyone who spends any time in our capital knows that London's service industry runs on immigrant labour; they gamely perform all the hard, dirty, menial jobs the natives won't touch.

He isn't saying immigrants shouldn't work, though! He's saying that people in service jobs should be able to speak English - I mean, if I personally ran a hotel or a bar or whatever, I couldn't give a **** what a person I employed to serve customers looked like or where they were from, but they sure as hell need to be able to communicate with them. It's common sense.

I will say though, that I live in an area that probably has a higher white British % than most parts of the country - which jobs are these you're talking about, out of interest? You're obviously in the know for this sort of thing, given your line of work (when you're not pulling a sickie, obv)

 

[Jamee999]

If all of the forum had you on ignore, you'd just be talking to yourself

I know, how embarrassing would that be?

 

[four_or_six]

He isn't saying immigrants shouldn't work, though! He's saying that people in service jobs should be able to speak English - I mean, if I personally ran a hotel or a bar or whatever, I couldn't give a **** what a person I employed to serve customers looked like or where they were from, but they sure as hell need to be able to communicate with them. It's common sense.

I will say though, that I live in an area that probably has a higher white British % than most parts of the country - which jobs are these you're talking about, out of interest? You're obviously in the know for this sort of thing, given your line of work (when you're not pulling a sickie, obv)

Is he seriously saying that hotels are employing receptionists that can't speak English though? In the kind of hotels he stays in? I'd be surprised. It can be a bit frustrating sometimes when someone has a thick accent or doesn't quite get what you say. But I've not come across many of these issues that he describes with someone in a job like a hotel receptionist.

 

[Sanz]

That's missing the point, though. He didn't say "if you want to come in this country, learn the ****ing language" and he didn't say "British jobs for British workers." He basically said that if your job is to serve the British public then an expected criteria for getting that job should be to speak the language. He didn't go beyond that!

That is sugar coating (infact misquoting) what he said. IMO what he said worse is than saying ""British jobs for British workers.", I have no problem with that, every country in the world has the right to serve its own citizens first only then they can look to serve/help others. While it may be protectionism, IMO It is the right thing. In a multicultural society, Language is the almost always the first level of acceptance. If you can not even accept that then what kind of multicultural level are we talking about here ?

 

[four_or_six]

That is sugar coating (infact misquoting) what he said. IMO what he said worse is than saying ""British jobs for British workers.", I have no problem with that, every country in the world has the right to serve its own citizens first only then they can look to serve/help others.

I so dwta.

 

[Sanz]

Shah was born in Karachi though, not India

My apologies. For some reason I thought his parents were from India.