Not sure what you mean. Correct me if I am wrong but English has been the official language of the UK for centuries. The fact that a few thousand Scots also speak Gaelic and that Welsh was resurrected from being close to extinction 50 years ago, does not alter that fact.

I have no experience of Spain but a great deal of personal experience of France. English children attend French schools with no concession to their nationality and learn the language “raw”. The result is they speak easily and fluently in a very short space of time.

The argument is irrelevant to Welsh and Gaelic speakers because English is their first language anyway.

The government of the United Kingdom governs the entire Kingdom regardless of the location of the seats of its own MPs. Subjugation is an emotive and totally irrelevant word in this context and has more relevance to the days of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the clearances. We have all moved on rather a long way since then.

There is no problem. They have not actually been nations for centuries in case you hadn’t noticed. But if they do want to run their affairs give them their independence and let them get on with it. It will save England a fortune – and no more printing official forms in Welsh!!:diablo:

Hi Anne, I couldn’t agree with you more it should be a prerequisit upon entering the Country,to permenantly live here, that all over say 14yrs of age speak English.
Lincoln .7

Exactly so. My view is that all immigrants should learn the language of the country they choose, of their own free will, to move to. And BB’s comment is quite staggering, however small the percentage involved. “When in Rome….” has been my mantra for decades and still remains so.

Just to really make your evening, Linc – do you know how many languages the form is printed in? Yup, the same as Heinz – 57!!!!!!!!!:mad:

True, but that was the initial vote in which the Scots on a slim majority and a low turnout failed to implement the Scotland Act 1978. At the same time the Welsh voted against an Assembly. So it was the manifesto commitment and the zeal of Labour’s intentions to secure Labour’s vote in those regions which produced the devolve assemblies we currently have.

Yup, we have wandered again……the scope of this thread keeps encouraging tangents!