Now that the UK has left the EU, racists and xenophobes there feel encouraged to be more open about their hostile feelings towards immigrant communities and people of color and speakers of other languages, assuming that they do not belong there, similar to Donald Trump supporters here.
A poster telling residents of a block of flats “we do not tolerate” people speaking languages other than English in the building has been reported to police.
The typewritten poster, bearing the title “Happy Brexit Day”, was reportedly found stuck to fire doors in Winchester Tower in Norwich on Friday morning. The discovery came hours before the UK officially left the European Union at 11pm later that day.
A photo of the poster shared in news reports and on social media revealed that it declared: “We finally have our great country back.”
As is usually the case, the people who are such fans of the ‘Queen’s English’ made errors in writing their screed. They also do not realize that their dream of making the UK white again is simply not going to become reality.
And their lives will get oh-so-much-better in 3…2…1…. Wait…nothing happened!
My initial thought on this yesterday was that was a hoax, but closer reading indicates it is from the usual ignorant racist xenophobe.
First, there is the assumption that the author is spokesorc for all the English speaking residents, denying individual agency.
Second, there is the instruction to speak only English, followed by “If you do not want to speak whatever is the mother tongue of the country you came from then we suggest you return to that place”. Looks like proofreading was missed.
Third, there is confusion between what it means to be English and British. Yes, the English are also British, but they are not the sum of all British. And British people speak many indigenous languages, including Gaelic, Scotts Gaelic, Scotts, Welsh, Cornish, and some I may have forgotten to include.
Brexit was always a racist project, driven by fear and hate.
One has to wonder how long since the staff at the Grauniad has seen an actual typewritten page.
No one needs wonder how long since they’ve seen sloppy copy-editing.
@2 Roj Blake
I do not thik that there are any native speakers of Cornish left.
I remember reading about a man on a bus in Wales ranting at two women in hijabs who were chatting away in some non-English language that they should be speaking English. Others on the bus pointed out that they were speaking the national language, Welsh.
It’s always been so profoundly ironic when English people rant on about “go back to where you came from” and “we only speak English here.” Maybe next time stop being so colonizing, England?
Check the “writer'” DNA. Ship him back to Germany, France or Norway if he’s more than 20% any of them.
I think we need to institute a round-the-clock foreign language vigil at this location, making sure not another moment goes by that the clear, proud tones of some non-English language cannot be heard in its halls.
This should, hopefully, bring the racists out into the open. At which point they can be arrested. Or, failing that, pelted with tinned pineapple chunks.
“the the Queen’s English”.
Not every Leave voter was a fucking moron.
Every fucking moron was a Leave voter.
Discuss.
Aside: the Facebook group for my village had a post Friday night about 23:05,worrying about the sound of explosives. Several people chimed in to agree they’d heard it. Then someone twigged it was fireworks -- celebratory fireworks, from the next village along. Its not a coincidence that when someone here gets burgled, it’s usually by someone from there.
OK, waited a bit, so as not to derail.
Re the post title, I note that there are plenty of English non-whites who speak English.
To elaborate:
The featured item directly supports (3), indirectly supports (1), and does not support (2).
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BTW, a mildly interesting urban fantasy series where this sorta features: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_London_(novel)
@4:
In fact, Wikipedia has an article on who was the last native speaker of Cornish.
I always threaten when I rule the world I’ll exile the English only people to Glasgow.
I appreciate that this loudmouth, while hectoring people about their use of english (or lack of), wounded his own position with numerous errors.
“The Queen’s English was good enough for Jesus Christ and it’s good enough for me.”
Over here (NZ) the racist filth have slithered out of the woodwork in the wake of hysteria over the beerflu. Please let your kids stay at home as you Asian are virus spreaders! Our Kiwi kids don’t want to be in the same class as your disgusting virus spreaders.
I am furious right now.
@ 14 file thirteen
I’m sorry but the English of King James Bible is the language in which the Holy Bible was originally written therefore correctly it is the “King’s English”. Besides we do not want to encourage those godless feminists
I, finally, broke down today and bought a rice cooker--wish me luck.
The girl behind the counter actually was wearing a face mask. I suggested with all these masks around it was a good tiwe to take up bank robbery. She did not seem too impressed.
We have a few masks every winter as we have a number of Chinese students at the university.
@8 sonofrojblake
Plagarism! JS Mills shall be notified.
@jrkrideau #16
Don’t you try to make me feel like a fool! I know what I stand for!