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Today, with worms left over from the weekend beginning to turn mushy, I was fishing Whitby West pier. Conditions all wrong, day time, westerly wind. As usual, in the Xmas week, lots of tourists walking the pier asking the usual questions. One group of tourists included 5 Chinese students studying for post-graduate degrees at the University of Bradford and taking the opportunity of the Xmas break to tour all the UK. I asked had they received any grants, etc. No was the reply. Their parents had saved to pay for the fees and living expenses. I asked if their parents were rich. No was the reply, all the parents were factory workers. Their parents had saved to allow them the opportunity to make choices in later life. I asked if they had encountered any racism whilst in the UK. They were too embarrassed to give me a straight reply. I tried a different tack. I asked how they found the English. Again, they were too embarrassed to give me a straight reply. Eventually, with much prodding, they replied that they couldn’t understand how the English had such little pride in themselves, in appearance, dress and drunkenness. At the weekends, with mass drunkenness, racial taunts were prevalent. They wanted to know when the UK had changed. It was very different from their images reflected in the books about the UK they had read. I had no answer.
Reflecting upon 20 years spent working in Singapore I can vouch how hard parents work and save to give their children the best opportunities in life. It is hard for the parents. There is no welfare system in Singapore. You pay for health, schooling, retirement, everything! Also, in spite of Britain being the ex-colonial power and treating the locals like dirt, I had experienced absolutely no racialism. This was also true in visiting neighbouring countries; I was always treated with respect and kindness.
The few asylum seekers I’ve met all demonstrated the desire to do the best for their children, often taking jobs way below their qualifications and experience, and always exhibiting a stoic tolerance to the crescendo of racialism and abuse.
I was recently asked how I felt upon returning to the UK in 2003. Watch “Little Britain” I replied. For the Forum correspondents I propose a test for UK citizenship:
A spelling test
Reflecting upon 20 years spent working in Singapore I can vouch how hard parents work and save to give their children the best opportunities in life. It is hard for the parents. There is no welfare system in Singapore. You pay for health, schooling, retirement, everything! Also, in spite of Britain being the ex-colonial power and treating the locals like dirt, I had experienced absolutely no racialism. This was also true in visiting neighbouring countries; I was always treated with respect and kindness.
The few asylum seekers I’ve met all demonstrated the desire to do the best for their children, often taking jobs way below their qualifications and experience, and always exhibiting a stoic tolerance to the crescendo of racialism and abuse.
I was recently asked how I felt upon returning to the UK in 2003. Watch “Little Britain” I replied. For the Forum correspondents I propose a test for UK citizenship:
A spelling test