Boris Johnson: everyone in Britain should speak English

Everyone living in Britain should be able to speak English and councils should drop the “multi-culty” practice of translating information into other languages, Boris Johnson has said.
The Mayor of London said he agreed “passionately” with the suggestion by Nigel Farage, the Leader of the UK Independence Party, that NHS staff ought to have a good command of the English language.
During his monthly LBC Radio phone-in show, Mr Johnson was asked about the remarks by Mr Farage, who at the weekend said he agreed that doctors and nurses who could not speak proper English should be “winnowed out” of the NHS.
“I agree passionately with you," he told a caller who said he shared Mr Farage’s view. “I am amazed by reports that people cannot make themselves understood when speaking English to people working in the NHS. That is completely wrong.
“I think everybody in this country, particularly people working in our public services, should speak English.

Boris Johnson: a week with London's maverick Mayor 10 Oct 2014
“I think everybody in London, everybody who comes to work in our economy, should be able to speak English.

As someone from an immigrant family, I agree with Boris completely. If you want to come into a nation and work, you should at least try to learn the language. You speak of the 'English-speaking privilege', but in reality the majority of Brits that leave their home nation to live abroad don't expect things to be translated for them; they learn the native language at school or by other means such as Rosetta Stone.

Oppressive? The only way to allow immigrants to integrate into British society is to give them ample opportunities to learn the language. Only then can they begin to mix with the rest of the population. Leaving immigrants to continue to settle in growing, non-English-speaking communities (much like the one I live in) simply results in entire sectors of the nation being 'cordoned off', and turned into no-go zones for Brits. All this does is ostracise immigrants and condemn them to a life in which they cannot communicate with the citizens of the country in which they live. That seems far more "oppressive" to me.

Are you trying to imply that we should force immigrants against their will to take part in British culture at the very least by speaking the English language? How oppressive.

Immigration to the UK is a privilege granted by the UK government for the purpose of benefiting the UK so yes we should force them to integrate. We are under no obligation to pander to the cultural wishes of immigrants.

I agree that everyone who either works or studies here should be able to speak English to a reasonable level. That said, if you aren't working or in education there isn't really much need is there? Do we really need to force an old lady who rarely leaves the house to learn English? People underestimate how hard it is to learn a language at that age.

I'm more concerned that we actually have to debate this and not take the integrational stance as read. Sadly, muh multiculti makes it so.

If you say everyone should speak English, the logical conclusion is that multiculturalism is bad and we should make immigrants properly integrate, or ban them from entering. I think this is reasonable, but so many do not (the ones who can hide or run from the damage they create).

Your entirely correct.

You're

Wouldn't normally be a pedant but I think on this thread at least we can use correct English out of respect for the language and our heritage.