Drop this obsolete term

Thursday 8th April 2010, 3:00PM BST.

From Bridget Murphy.
IN the approach to the 65th anniversary of our liberation from Nazi occupation, it would seem some of your correspondents still rant on about democracy, and foreigners occupying top positions in the Island, and that Jersey should be running its own affairs.

Firstly, democracy is about people, not their nationalities, not their backgrounds. As far as jobs are concerned, it is experience, merit, and suitability that should decide selection. Some of those people who hitherto held, and now hold, such positions, are mainly from the British Isles, of which Jersey is a part. Indeed, it was Hitler’s proud boast that he occupied a part of Britain.

It should be remembered, too, that many people who now call themselves Jersey are of ethnic origins, so it is no longer appropriate to refer to them as foreigners.

I believe Jersey is to be admired, mainly for its evolving good management, as a whole. All human society makes mistakes from time to time. And Jersey is to be envied in the way it strove and got back on its feet after five long, dark years of Occupation.

Now in the 21st century, we should be delighted and welcoming those who wish to live and work in Jersey. And, the description of ‘foreigner’ should be an obsolete reference to any person.

1
Nathan Jordan

April 9, 2010 at 9:11 am

“ethnic origins”? says it all…

NJ.

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2
kate

April 9, 2010 at 12:49 pm

I understand your letter Bridget and in an ideal world it would be wonderful however when you have four children you have worked hard to pay your rent, feed, cloth and pay your taxes like most it goes against the grain when your childdren are trying to get an apprentiship there are none because the have brought in outsiders who are fully trained etc but will work for almost nothing. There arn’t the jobs for our children who are going to end up having to leave the island. When locals can’t get work it makes you wonder where we are all going to end up.

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3
Adrian

April 11, 2010 at 1:32 pm

What is Bridget on about?

No matter what anyone says or argues the bottom line is that the Channel Islands were sacrified to help save the rest of Britain from Nazi tyranny. I know of some who don’t have much time for anyone from the rest of the British Isles because of what they perceive to have happened over here in the early 1940′s.

As per the rest the bottom line is someone not born in any country where they reside is a foreigner. How can they not be?

If I lived elsewhere I would be a foreigner, however I prefer at present to stay in my own land, not wanting to chase a fortune in any given land of plenty. I leave that to others.

Once large migration starts to affect any given country it causes all sorts of stresses and strains. Most people are still tribal at heart and will react if they feel their tribe is under threat. You only have to look to the UK to see this being played out IMHO.

At some stage Jersey will be full won’t it? What happens then? Trying to grow your way out of recessions or demographic patterns is plain silly IMHO and it will backfire before too long as far as I am concerned.

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4
R B Bougourd

April 11, 2010 at 8:18 pm

I suspect that Nathan Jordan is as fed up as I am with the constant misuse of “Ethnic”.

We are all from some ethnic group or other, for goodness sake. It’s not a description reserved for certain types of foreigner.

Just like “Criteria” and a number of other words, if people don’t understand the correct use they would do better not to use the term.

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5
Leah Holmes

April 13, 2010 at 3:48 am

It’s just a word, and when used correctly it simply makes a factual statement, it is neither a negative nor a positive. I totally agree with R B Bougourd.

Sometimes the ‘listener’ attaches their own thoughts (positive or negative) to specific words even though the speaker is just using them factually.

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6
Sanity

April 13, 2010 at 8:55 am

People of a different ethnic origin!

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