We All Know That These Days One Must Be Most Careful What One Says, But Was There Any Need For Him To Apologise?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tory-mp-michael-fallon-says-claims-immigrants-are-swamping-towns-were-a-little-careless-9820768.html

[Zeuhl]

Yes

dimintia

or its three letter abbreviation :-)

[Svejk]

QM, do you just make all this tripe you come out with on the hoof, as it were. Its kind of impressive if a bit worrying.

[Baldric]

Few more for AOG to add to his list, whole towns as well!

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/370013/White-Britons-are-now-a-minority-in-4-towns-and-cities

[Quizmonster]

Svejk, if you look at the last sentence of my response timed at 17.33, you'll see that I asked AOG if he could explain in what way my opinion that "two out of umpteen is statistically insignificant" is wrong. I'd be quite happy for you to provide an answer revealing in what way that claim is "tripe", too. I'm delighted to learn you are impressed but rather distressed to hear you're also worried. Do take care of yourself.

[Quizmonster]

Again with the distractions, Baldric, I see. Your link is all about WHITE Britons. Britain has multitudes of non-white people who are as British as you (presumably) are, many of them from families who have been here for generations. Are you seriously suggesting that they are not British?
In the olden days, I seem to recall an idea of Enoch Powell's involving giving people enough money to go back to where they came from and buy a house. One person such as I've just descrbed was delighted, saying, "I've always wanted a house in Birmingham!"

[Baldric]

From the Link
///THREE major towns and cities have seen their white British population fall to a minority, mirroring that of London. And other population centres are set to follow.///

If the White British population has fallen to a MINORITY, does that not suggest to you that the majority of the population must be Non-White?

[Zeuhl]

/the next time I come across a drunken yob/

presumably dive, you are taking issue with the 'yobbish' behaviour which is anti social and possibly illegal

i'm not sure what 'swampish' behaviour the immigrants are guilty of?

other than being there - and breathing :-)

(P.S. thanks for info last week on diving in Cuba)

[Zeuhl]

/majority of the population must be Non-White/

but not necessarily 'Non British' balders

[Zeuhl]

LOL

Mrs Z doesn't like shopping - so Cuba works either way really!

[Zeuhl]

/"swampish behaviour", whatever that might be.//

well in this context i suppose it's 'being somewhere in too great a number'

though what the individuals involved are supposed to do i'm not sure ... organise a lottery to decide who has to move somewhere else?

Like I said earlier, this country is 'swamped' by old people, but I believe it would be rude to use the term.

[ludwig]

I find all the fuss over that particular phrase a bit silly. I don't think he should have apologised, and by the sounds of it, he didn't anyway.

[VHG]

Well the news (bad news!) is certainly swamped by immigrants.

All on today's BBC news page

Terror offences - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29786550

Terror offences - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29784667

Terror plot - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29788927

Murder (by 15 year old) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-29787919

Arranged murder - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-29784430

Murder - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-29783058

No wonder there is a rise in "far right" groups, as was mentioned on here this morning.

Surely one of the main aims of ANY government is to protect its citizens.

Our governments (labour and tory) of the last 30 years have made this a far more dangerous place to live in by allowing in so many immigrants.

[ichkeria]

Gromit is pretty much spot on: it's the Tories trying to sound like UKIP in a desperate attempt to ward them off at the polls.
And it won't work, while somewhere down the line these words will come back to haunt them.
Fallon's so-called "apology" sounds a bit odd: he's more or less saying he was correct, but used the wrong words. If he thinks he was correct he shouldn't apologise. If he doesn't mean "swamped" then he should either admit he's talking nonsense, or merely say that he should have used the word "inundated" instead :-)

[Quizmonster]

Thanks for your supporting comment timed at 18.21, Zeuhl, about people who may be "non-white but not necessarily non-British." I imagined I'd made that point clear to the person I was replying to in my contribution at 18.07, but obviously I hadn't. Ho-hum!

[youngmafbog]

Here we are again, the liberal left more concerned about the lexicon than the real message.

Get real you lot, the language the man on the street would use is swamped, get used it, they are the majority you in you Islington coffe shops are not.

[Quizmonster]

“Innit?” is a question-word used by masses of British, or more commonly English, people, YMB. As we all know, language is in a constant state of flux, so it may well be that a day will come when it is considered correct and acceptable. However, until that day dawns, I’ll continue to use, “Isn’t it?”
It matters not that thousands of men “in the street” or “on the Clapham omnibus” choose to use the wholly inappropriate word ‘swamping’ when speaking of immigration; their numbers will not convince me that they are right.
Purely as a matter of interest, I have never to my knowledge set foot in Islington and I never drink coffee!

[Dizmo]

Looks like this thread is getting swamped with argumentative replies. It's Swamp Tuesday, didn't you know?

[RandyMarsh]

Half of the worlds wealth is owned by 1% of the population but immigration is the issue that has us frothing daily.