What’s the point of wasting time learning other languages when you could be training for a career?
Spanish would be a good idea, but German and French, such a waste of time unless you intend to visit those countries on a long term basis, or you have mixed nationality.
Obviously Chinese because there are so many of them, and Spanish would be a good language to learn, but we were never offered the change to learn that. It was either French or German. Apart from that…English is the 3rd most spoken language in the world.
Either Arabic or Russian might be popular in Britain in the next few years…
That seems like a very limited view. Germany is the world’s third largest economy. It is home to dozens of the world’s leading businesses - from manufacturing, engineering, software, bio-sciences. It is home to 90 million people. It has one of the world’s highest standards of living - so lots of disposable income per household. And you dismiss learning German as a waste of time. That is ridiculous.
I would also note that learning any foreign language is beneficial. It makes your brain work in a different way. It gives a better understanding of your own native language. It makes you think differently and appreciate the world and other people differently. So learning any language is very good for you and not a waste of time…
There is zero justification for your dismissal of learning another language.
That’s because most people are very limited and don’t have the money or inclination to be a big roller in the world of finance or CEO of a global company.
Some people just want to have a nice house, a couple of kids and a good holiday each year.
Life is not all about business, exports and figures on a spreadsheet. Sometimes life can be about the things that make you happy and proud. Like Being British and living in a community of like minded folk.
Roughly 380 million people are native English speakers globally, making it the third most spoken native language after Mandarin and Spanish. When including over 1.1 billion non-native speakers, English is the world’s most spoken language.
No-one is suggesting that you learn a new language and become a CEO - why do you make that strange logical leap?
In fact, none of this claim makes any sense. Learning a language and having money - there is no link or correlation. I wonder if you are trying to work out why learning a second language is more common with children of affluent parents and less common in children from more ordinary or even deprived areas. That is something worth wondering about as it is an issue - but its an issue whose root is the quality and funding of education. It might also be an issue in the attitudes of the parents - if you’ve a parent who thinks like you then you’ll not exactly be encouraged in any language learning you might be enjoying and benefiting from.
I feel that it would be very hard to enumerate the benefits of leaving the Eu, just as much as it would be to enumerate the benefits of being in it.
All the remainers keep banging on, about one or the other, but, if they are listened to, and a re-examination is needed, then it should be done in the shape of a new referendum, in my opinion, and I’ll bet that the leave majority would be even stronger.
But few remainers would want to see another referendum!
Actually pretty much all people who opposed Brexit would like another referendum - and all the current polling says the majority now think Brexit has been a bad idea, so the outcome is far from certain. Except one thing is certain - those still supporting Brexit are now in the minority.
Also certain are the estimates on the negative impact of Brexit on the UK economy. Examine the number all you want but Brexit has greatly decreased UK exports to Europe, added costs and complexities to those exports that do still happen, and particularly hit small - medium businesses trading with the EU (many simply stopped exporting). This represents a loss of 6-8% of GDP growth. Further, investment in the UK has fallen by over 10%. The negative impact of Brexit on UK businesses is no longer a debate. There are many reports on this and their findings only vary in percentage terms - the core trends are all the same. Estimating this no doubt includes a lot of different data points and no doubt complex calculations … so hard but far from impossible. Here’s one extract:
" Economists and analysts at Cambridge Econometrics found that, by 2035, the UK is anticipated to have three million fewer jobs, 32% lower investment, 5% lower exports and 16% lower imports, than it would have had been. The report states that the UK will be £311bn worse off by 2035 due to leaving the EU."
Personally, I am pretty confident that the Econometrics, mentioned, wre as a result of the stance that the EU took in order to set an example so that others would not follow us out.
But like theirs, it’s just a view as far as I’m concerned.
Is this the same polling that forecast that most people would stay in the EU at the last election?
And is it the same polling that didn’t give reform a chance at the last local elections?
Reform certainly gave Doncaster Labour councilors a bloody nose when they overtook many labour councilors.
Slam the open door shut Swimmy, put tariffs on imports, and start making stuff ourselves and stand on our own two feet. There are too many politicians riding on the EU gravy train unfortunately. Any money we could have saved has been wasted on propping up foreign wars and net zero projects.
