The new multicultural Hastings

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Richard
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The new multicultural Hastings

Postby Richard » Fri May 24, 2019 8:20 pm

I was quite surprised to see two Muslim men wearing full-length, one-piece clothing, commonly called 'Abaya' at the lower end of Queens Road today.
They were going about their business peacefully enough, without a care in the world but looked strangely out of place somehow.
Nothing particularly wrong in my opinion and whether everyone agrees that it is good or bad to see Hastings suddenly turning into a multi-cultural town, there has been a real step-change in the last ten years, where we have witnessed a noticeable influx of many Indian, Black African, Chinese and Kurdish immigrants, to name but a few!
Nigel Farage appealed to the fears of the locals on the basis of unchecked immigration, supposedly entering from the EU, however it is too late in the day to make any difference now, wherever they are coming from.
'Little Britain' mentality has to and will change, regardless of public opinion being captured by crafty politicians.

Ed209
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Re: The new multicultural Hastings

Postby Ed209 » Sat May 25, 2019 8:40 am

It's not a problem where people come from, it's how people integrate.
Some communities have integrated better into wider society more than others.
Hastings appears to have very little problems between different faiths and nationalities and long may that continue.
I work all over the England and compared to other parts of the country where their are unbelievable views / open hostility that would make Alf Garnett blush we are lucky.
It's mainly the fault of local and central government not calling out groups who want to inflict their own views on others whilst screaming from the rooftops racism or discrimination when challenged.
Trans gender women swimming in the women's pool being the latest example.
Giving people their own space and respect should be a given.
It can't see how it's right to force your views on others though.

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Hairygit
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Re: The new multicultural Hastings

Postby Hairygit » Sat May 25, 2019 2:27 pm

I don't generally have a problem with such things, but a few things do grind on me. A few weeks back two Bangladeshi men were in court in Exeter for fraud and theft. Having lived here since being granted asylum in the mid 1970's, the judge expressed anger and utter disbelief at the defending counsel using an expensive interpreter because allegedly, neither could speak or understand English! How can you live in a country for over 40 years and not have even a basic grasp of the language? How has this ben allowed to happen? It doesn't help that benefits claim forms are available in any language you care to name, but REALLY? There is also a doctor's surgery in Sidmouth that is a district nurse short, because costs for interpreters for non English speaking patients come out of the practice funding.
Also, local authority housing is in very short supply, but somehow they managed to find homes for more than 30 Syrian refugees late last year, and that does not seem right when some locally born families are still living in B&B and other temporary housing

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Richard
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Re: The new multicultural Hastings

Postby Richard » Sat May 25, 2019 7:04 pm

I agree, I think most of us don't have any problem generally and regardless of colour/race etcetera.
What irks people is when they don't integrate, remain wrapped up in their own language and parade around in clothing that covers both body and face.
France and Turkey have probably even banned certain items of adornment.
Plus the fact that some seem to take and take and give nothing back.
If we give 100 steps to helping them and they don't give one step towards recognising our cultural norms and values then resentment arises.
Oddly enough it is the 'foreign' immigrants that have been here for many years and had children who voice the most concerns over what they see as peasant immigrants, of their own kind, seeking refuge here, with no intention of integrating.

There must be a sub-culture who have no intention of holding British Passports because citizenship procedures require understanding of our culture and language in order to attain one.
Many seem to be able to manage happily without gaining citizenship, a basic understanding of the English language or employment, outside their own communities.
As far as I understand it a foreign national without a British Passport cannot be employed full-time in a company and has to undertake contract work only...

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ColinL
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Re: The new multicultural Hastings

Postby ColinL » Sun May 26, 2019 10:18 am

Hairygit. It is very easy to slip inadvertently into expressing an opinion based upon some press reports, that I assume is where the story of the Bangladeshi men may have come from.

Our very own soon to be gone Prime Minister jumped on the bandwagon whilst Home Secretary and thought she would have a pop at the Human Rights Act, the judiciary, and unchecked immigration all in one. The Mail published a story complaining from the roof tops that an overstayed Caribbean or Latin American who had committed an offence had been saved because 'he had a cat' , and his rights would be breached due to the HRA. Mrs May took it up and spoke about it to a conference of police or judges. She had a pop at judges for being too lenient and being too cowed by Europe and vowed to abolish the HRA and replace it with good old 'British values' rights (The 'British' HRA, luckily died away)

Of course the story was complete bunkum. Whilst the judge had mentioned in passing the presence of the cat, it wasn't the basis of the judgment. May eventually apologised to various bodies, and it was with some glee I seem to remember, her retraction reported in the Law Society Gazette. I doubt that the DM did the same but by then the damage to the legal system and public perception had been done. Much the same with many reports involving race based matters.

Whilst it is common in some communities for women to remain in the home and not learn English, it is not usually the case for men to fail to learn. A question would pop up in my mind is how would these men commit the fraud if they were unable to understand sufficient amount of the language.

One of the first black people in Hastings that I remember from my childhood was at Elphinstone School, whose name was I remember Lester Pearson, (same name as the Canadian PM). I lost touch. I hope he did well. I now live in a mixed cultural area in the NE of Orthodox Jewish people settled here for over 100 years , Asians, of various backgrounds and of course white ethnicity. If some of the Jewish lads were not wearing their black and white 'uniform', when you hear them speak you would think them ethnic Geordies, as in effect they are. I am often described warmly as an 'incomer' only having been here 20 years!

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Richard
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Re: The new multicultural Hastings

Postby Richard » Sun May 26, 2019 8:41 pm

I am not so sure why large numbers of immigrants are now much more visible in Hastings; there is little employment, apart from hairdresser shops and mini-market retailing.
But it is a fact that (EU) Eastern Europeans have been finding employment in the building trade and some are very hard-working indeed.
The Poles have been welcomed ever since WWII for their hard-working (and drinking!) ethos.
It boils down to opportunities to gain a lifestyle better than obtainable 'back home'.

The unrestricted ability of millions of EU nationals to come here, as the country is booming, compared to many other parts of the EU, has caused some resentment.
The ability of refugee immigrants, entering the EU from outside, has added another dimension as they seemed to gravitate to the French border at Calais, prior to attempting to gain entry into Britain.
Brexit was a knee-jerk reaction, in part supported by concerns whipped up by N. Farage.
Business was largely opposed to Brexit as foreign skills prop up a lot of their work-force.
All in all it is a very complex situation and even Brexit will not stop the rest from entering the country.
Does it all matter? Who knows, even the Government of T. May made a hash of it over 'Windrush' and past and present policies are difficult to fathom, in or out of the EU.

As for disliking foreigners, even the Welsh, Scots and Irish can be a difficult lot!
The N.Welsh (Mountain Boys) have to be careful in talking to the S. Welsh (Valley Boys) because, although they share the same language, if they do not use the correct intonation and manner, such that one or the other thinks shows a lack of due deference, then offence may be taken.
Even the N. Welsh from different villages, meeting in a pub, will come to blows and fight each other over the use of language phrases that are deemed quaint or colloquial.

Well, at least it's not boring! :)

cerberus
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Re: The new multicultural Hastings

Postby cerberus » Sun Nov 24, 2019 8:40 am

Richard wrote:I was quite surprised to see two Muslim men wearing full-length, one-piece clothing, commonly called 'Abaya' at the lower end of Queens Road today.
They were going about their business peacefully enough, without a care in the world but looked strangely out of place somehow.
Nothing particularly wrong in my opinion and whether everyone agrees that it is good or bad to see Hastings suddenly turning into a multi-cultural town, there has been a real step-change in the last ten years, where we have witnessed a noticeable influx of many Indian, Black African, Chinese and Kurdish immigrants, to name but a few!
Nigel Farage appealed to the fears of the locals on the basis of unchecked immigration, supposedly entering from the EU, however it is too late in the day to make any difference now, wherever they are coming from.
'Little Britain' mentality has to and will change, regardless of public opinion being captured by crafty politicians.


Like religions, cultures don't mix - they all want to dominate the others, and then the problems begin? There are none who do so much harm as those obsessed with doing good?

The political and elitist establishments and their lickspittle propaganda machines aka the BBC and gutter-press cynically and unscrupulously branded Farage a racist when in fact he was warning of the exponential weight of numbers of newcomers without first extending the housing stock, and expanding the health and welfare infrastructure before allowing them in. Now we're reaping the whirlwind - and how - because some of those 'refugees' are sleeper-terrorists. Another aphorism - Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.

cerberus
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Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2019 7:54 am

Re: The new multicultural Hastings

Postby cerberus » Sun Nov 24, 2019 8:43 am

Ed209 wrote:It's not a problem where people come from, it's how people integrate.
Some communities have integrated better into wider society more than others.
Hastings appears to have very little problems between different faiths and nationalities and long may that continue.
I work all over the England and compared to other parts of the country where their are unbelievable views / open hostility that would make Alf Garnett blush we are lucky.
It's mainly the fault of local and central government not calling out groups who want to inflict their own views on others whilst screaming from the rooftops racism or discrimination when challenged.
Trans gender women swimming in the women's pool being the latest example.
Giving people their own space and respect should be a given.
It can't see how it's right to force your views on others though.


Or how they don't? Muslims refuse to integrate; on the contrary they flaunt their differences, and we're stupid enough to tolerate it.


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