BRITAIN’S OPEN FOR BUSINESS, THEBIGWORD ALWAYS WAS!
The focus of the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget this week was that Britain needs to be open for business.
Well I agree, but if we’re not open for business, what have we been doing all these years?
Every country, every company, every individual needs to be prepared to do business if we’re to trade our way back to prosperity. We also need to be open to new ideas and cultures and learning how we can engage every member of the community.
It’s this latter point that frustrates me most. Hardly a week goes by when the newspapers don’t report some story that basically says ‘the British taxpayer is paying for interpreters to help foreigners claim welfare’, or something along those lines.
Whether or not a country allows immigration is its Government’s decision but once people enter the country then what’s vital is to help them gain access to work and accommodation. The vast majority of immigrants leave their country of birth and their friends and family to find a better life, not to end up on welfare. It’s paying them a huge disservice to suggest otherwise.
A representative from the Taxpayers’ Alliance was recently quoted as saying “Anyone who has chosen to live in Britain should be making an effort to learn to speak English.” That’s true but most people stepping off the boat, train or plane in any country are unlikely to be fluent speakers. Most immigrants into the UK do become fluent very quickly unlike – it has to be said – many English people abroad who still resort to ‘bar Spanish’ or simply shouting louder.
Similarly, there was a wave of media indignation recently because hospitals’ spending on interpreters had increased. Once again, the poor old ‘foreigner’ was blamed, this time unfairly. The extra spend was due to new disability laws that said a deaf person could not be compelled to write down their symptoms, but was entitled to a British Sign Language interpreter. Whatever your political affiliations, it’s difficult to disagree with that.
At thebigword, we’re proud to be able to provide interpreters when and where they’re needed. At the UK’s borders when people are entering the country; in hospitals when mums giving birth desperately need instructions in their own language; in the police and justice system where inaccurate interpreting can wrongly remove someone’s liberty.
These needs don’t happen nine-to-five, they happen around the clock and that’s why thebigword is always open for business and always has been.
Well I agree, but if we’re not open for business, what have we been doing all these years?
Every country, every company, every individual needs to be prepared to do business if we’re to trade our way back to prosperity. We also need to be open to new ideas and cultures and learning how we can engage every member of the community.
It’s this latter point that frustrates me most. Hardly a week goes by when the newspapers don’t report some story that basically says ‘the British taxpayer is paying for interpreters to help foreigners claim welfare’, or something along those lines.
Whether or not a country allows immigration is its Government’s decision but once people enter the country then what’s vital is to help them gain access to work and accommodation. The vast majority of immigrants leave their country of birth and their friends and family to find a better life, not to end up on welfare. It’s paying them a huge disservice to suggest otherwise.
A representative from the Taxpayers’ Alliance was recently quoted as saying “Anyone who has chosen to live in Britain should be making an effort to learn to speak English.” That’s true but most people stepping off the boat, train or plane in any country are unlikely to be fluent speakers. Most immigrants into the UK do become fluent very quickly unlike – it has to be said – many English people abroad who still resort to ‘bar Spanish’ or simply shouting louder.
Similarly, there was a wave of media indignation recently because hospitals’ spending on interpreters had increased. Once again, the poor old ‘foreigner’ was blamed, this time unfairly. The extra spend was due to new disability laws that said a deaf person could not be compelled to write down their symptoms, but was entitled to a British Sign Language interpreter. Whatever your political affiliations, it’s difficult to disagree with that.
At thebigword, we’re proud to be able to provide interpreters when and where they’re needed. At the UK’s borders when people are entering the country; in hospitals when mums giving birth desperately need instructions in their own language; in the police and justice system where inaccurate interpreting can wrongly remove someone’s liberty.
These needs don’t happen nine-to-five, they happen around the clock and that’s why thebigword is always open for business and always has been.
