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]

/UKIP is sort of a bunch of ... fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists, mostly./

i think that was rude and ill considered

and will probably continue to bite him in the bum

[anotheoldgit]

We are getting 'swamped' by leftism.

[Quizmonster]

I know you probably won't bother, AOG, but why not have a glance at my response above, timed at 17.04? it makes it clear that 'swamping' a school is a very different matter from 'swamping' a town, a fact whch is surely perfectly obvious in terms of numbers.
Accordingly, JTH was very far from 'match point', I'm afraid!

[Zeuhl]

I maintain:

being swamped by an 'it' is fine

applying the term to people is derogatory

[Quizmonster]

So, AOG, you really can't see the difference between the few hundred pupils in British schools and the many thousands of people in British towns. Why am I not surprised?
Here's an illustration... a cupful of water is enough to swamp a little boy's folded-paper boat whereas a trawler won't even notice it.

[chaptazbru2]

I maintain:

I totally agree with him ..

[Zeuhl]

your unapologetic wish to be rude to people is duly noted chaptaz

[chaptazbru2]

Thanks Zeuhl !

He's STILL right !

[Zeuhl]

^LOL

but not a very skilful Minister

:-)

[anotheoldgit]

/// Both Leicester and Birmingham are expected to become ‘majority minority’ during the 2020s. Two London boroughs were already majority non-white in 2001 ///

These are 'SWAMPED'.

[Zeuhl]

aog

please

stop trolling (and shouting)

[Quizmonster]

So, AOG, you've found only TWO places - inner-city places at that - in the whole of the UK, where immigrants are in a majority. Well done! Now, I don't know how many boroughs and towns there are in Britain, but I'd say that two represents a totally statistically irrelevant number. Can you show me how I am wrong in that assessment?

[jackthehat]

I was highlighting the injudicious usage of the word 'swamping' by.......whomever.......and the 'outrage' it causes.

Naturally, it seems that *our fellows* use of it is less offensive than *your fellows*........:o)

[Svejk]

I thought it was only Islington twerps with waaay too much time on their hands and axes to grind that lived in a perpetually offended state. Can't believe that ordinary (sane) people agree with this kind of nonsense.

[Svejk]

Well said, jack. (I think)

[Zeuhl]

OK then

the country is swamped by old people


(sorry, what i meant is that the ageing demographic is putting pressure on social services, the NHS and the Pensions budget)

[ChillDoubt]

Swamped/swamping is a derogatory term? Really?

Does that mean Daniel Hooper is allowed to sue whichever media gave him his nickname? Or was it his own anyway and he cultivated it after gaining infamy?

[Svejk]

ooh, I'm so offended. I've reported you. I'm not even old but I'm taking offence on their behalf. (a lot of them have dimintia, you know, ;o))

[Quizmonster]

JTH, I was simply pointing out the inescapable fact that it is totally possible to swamp a school with one 'sort' - for want of a better word - of children, whereas swamping whole towns with particular 'sorts' of people, as Fallon claimed, is an entirely different kettle of fish!
If you look at AOG's 17.26 answer, you'll note that even HE can find only two such places in all of Britain.

[Zeuhl]

/Swamped/swamping is a derogatory term? Really?/

If you don't mind being likened to a smelly bog that's ok I suppose

I'm not sure it ever bothered Dan Hooper

He's probably a Chartered Accountant now.