It's going to be a long few weeks!!!

[DavidS]

A bit like the English speaking ghettos in Spain etc where it seems like there is no intention to become part of the local native community. I find that as insulting as incomers here keeping totally to their own people and language rather than integrating.

Theres a lot of that where I live. Some Brits have lived here for 16 years and can barely order a coffee in Spanish, whereas in just 2 years, I find myself able to converse on most topics in either Spanish or Catalan. My pronunciation is far from perfect due to a Yorkshire accent and a short tongue, but I am understood and theres very few instances where I need to ask for help speaking the language.

Our holiday languages are limited (in every sense) to French, German and Italian and we do our absolute best to at least start a conversation in their language. I speak it better, my wife listens better, so we work it out. Things usually degenerate once it gets into conversation rather than question and answer but we rarely fail. We even get on with the French!!

I firmly believe that. if you emigrate to a country, there should be compulsory language and history/local customs lessons for everyone.

As for Portuguese, it may as well be Russian - all we can manage is obrigado/obrigada and i can't remember which si which now. Lovely place and people though.

[AlanHolt]

Language lessons for expats are rare in rural parts, but my girlfriend has started going to English lessons where she helps the locals learn English and naturally finds herself learning Spanish. I've learnt more by becoming friends with some of the locals, but if I don't venture off the farm for days, the lack of practice really affects my confidence.

[DavidS]

Even just popping to the shops regularly gets the language going.
You get to know all the local swear words as well - I had a Belgian neighbour in my teens Long forgotten Flemish words now though.

[AlanHolt]

We have so much ongoing work to do on this previously neglected hillside farm, it can be over a week between trips to town and then it's just a flying visit to get essentials. Hopefully the bulk of the work will be finished by mid-May, so we can start to get out more often.

[-Ralph-]

Most sane people don't object to positive immigration where they contribute to the local or national economy.
The objection comes from uncontrolled immigration where any old dosser is entitled to entry. There should be a valid reason to be here and if it's fruit picking to engineering, if they are needed because their is a local shortfall, then that 's fine by me.

And I wouldn't raise your thought process in those areas or schools where the metaphorical 'British' (and I choose that carefully) have been reduced to a minority compared to recent immigrants. We don't have that problem here but there are plenty of areas where I understand Brits feel a minority race and English isn't even the majority language. And I don't read any newspaper, let alone the Mail.

A bit like the English speaking ghettos in Spain etc where it seems like there is no intention to become part of the local native community. I find that as insulting as incomers here keeping totally to their own people and language rather than integrating.

Very much a minority issue though. Theresa May could have controlled immigration when she was home secretary by introducing the same rules Spain use that requires you to have a job and health insurance within 90 days if you want to stay.

She chose not to do that because she said it was not necessary, and the vast, vast, majority of immigrants were working and contributing to the economy within that time.

There are the odd stories of immigrants coming over getting a job for a week, then claiming benefits or getting NHS health treatment, but it's a tiny issue in reality that has been blown out of proportion by the right wing press to sell newspapers and create the frenzy that led to Brexit.

Even where an EU immigrant has been getting free healthcare, the NHS is entitled to claim that back from the country of origin and hasn't been doing it, that's not the patients fault!

There are schools where there are a lot of for instance eastern European kids, but again it's a minority of schools and our authorities placed all those kids in the same schools and created the issue.

The whole immigration argument is a complete right wing red herring. It's nowhere near as bad as it's been made out to be.

If you want to see dilution of our culture look at Birmingham or Bradford with Far Eastern migration, there's nothing on that scale caused by Eastern European migration.

[chunky butt]

Wtf. ......confused..... just a bit......let's stick to biking

[Andi_Archer]

Wtf. ......confused..... just a bit......let's stick to biking

All those ruddy cheap foriegn bikes coming over here and affecting our economy