Tuesday
27Feb2007
Brown: Immigrants who want citizenship should help the community
Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 12:59PM
We woke up to another headline grabbing oration from the Chancellor this morning.
Immigrants who are “seeking citizenship,†Gordon Brown argues, should, “undertake some community work in our communities - introducing them to a wider range of institutions and people in our country prior to enjoying the benefits of citizenship."
Quite a good idea Gordon, but seriously, how do you expect to monitor and finance such a programme if the public and voluntary sectors are not on board? I know supposedly Brown has countless initiatives he plans to rollout once he gets the Number Ten gig, but this is just pillow talk to a potential electorate. I guess we should assess whether it’s a good idea, but I can’t see it ever materialising – it would be much better if, as Ming Campbell suggests, we concentrate on teaching English.
Hat-tip: TrafficOne
Immigrants who are “seeking citizenship,†Gordon Brown argues, should, “undertake some community work in our communities - introducing them to a wider range of institutions and people in our country prior to enjoying the benefits of citizenship."
Quite a good idea Gordon, but seriously, how do you expect to monitor and finance such a programme if the public and voluntary sectors are not on board? I know supposedly Brown has countless initiatives he plans to rollout once he gets the Number Ten gig, but this is just pillow talk to a potential electorate. I guess we should assess whether it’s a good idea, but I can’t see it ever materialising – it would be much better if, as Ming Campbell suggests, we concentrate on teaching English.
Hat-tip: TrafficOne
Reader Comments (1)
I think the idea is bonkers. If it worked, then new citizens would probably have a better grasp of Britain than most of its current inhabitants.
Start with community service for Melanie Phillips - get her painting the walls of a mosque in Burnley.