I've just seen that one and it makes me mad. There are places that provide a service where you call them and they call the person you need to talk to on another line in another language. Anyone who has been here less than say three months can use that at their own expense. Anyone who has been here longer should be asked in english if they want to stay here and sent home if they don't understand the question.
There is only one language here, but we can offer a printed list of countries that speak your language if you prefer to keep to it.
Also as we have said before the whole "I don't understand' thing can be a ploy. It is amazingly useful when questioned by the police or social security since you can never be held accountable for any lie you tell and you get to think about the answer and discuss it with your family.
sent home if they don't understand the question
I like your thinking.
And even those who do speak English well enough to understand everything said to them, speak English in such a thick accent as to be barely understood by the English. And it gets thicker the more difficult questions they are asked.
(Anyone who does not live in a "diverse" area, think of your experiences whilst calling English speaking call centres in India. It is like that but everywhere you go.)
At this rate the real English will need translators to translate thick accent English into real English.11. There will be travel chaos and bad weather at Christmas time.12 People won't keep their new year resolutions so you may as well not bother.
are we capable of adopting a joined-up way of thinking when it comes to our spending and borrowing behaviour?
Most people can't do joined up thinking for anything let alone spending14. Most people won't pay over the odds before Xmas and it will be the worst Xmas ever until the sales and then the shops will be packed out with people queueing at 5am.15. Sword-swallowers are prone to suffering from sore throats.
At least the researcher did the research in his spare time, and received no funding for his work.16. People who have pit bull terriers are also likely to have drugs and guns.And often a car with a loud sound system to ensure people notice them.
I saw a wonderful comedy sketch once in which this poor guy had been accidentally castrated. The doctor apologises for the mistake and says "To replace what you lost. At NHS expense we will give you a pitbull/rottweiler, a large off road vehicle with a sound system you can hear for miles and a short hair cut"
Who'd have thought?