I do agree, Melanie, with everything you have said.  I am sure I am not the 
only ESOL teacher in the country who is close to despair about the hijacking 
of our subject. I feel we are being used as an arm of the Immigration 
Services.

I have been reading Chris Taylor's "ESOL and Citizenship " (NIACE 2007) 
which captures some of the enthusiasm some people felt at the beginning of 
the Citizenship project. Teaching Citizenship groups has been exciting, 
inclusive and successful.

But increasingly, at the beginning of each new Citizenship course I start 
teaching now,  I find myself apologising for the erratic journey the 
students are embarking on; for the vagaries of the Home Office; for the fact 
that ESOL students are now the only Skills for Life students who have to pay 
for their classes. They know full well that we are not a 'tolerant and 
fair-minded country'.

And now I am going to have to rewrite all the materials again to incorporate 
what? ID cards? English tests for spouses? "Earned citizenship"? Limits on 
access to benefits?

Enough of the rant - now to the point. Have we any evidence throughout the 
country that it is becoming harder for students to gain citizenship after 
gaining just one Skills for Life Speaking and Listening Certificate? Some of 
our students appear to be hitting another brick wall and have been told by 
the Home Office that they have to enrol on the next level course. This goes 
against all information tutors have been given so far.

Heather Greaves

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Melanie Cooke" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 11:23 AM
Subject: Earned citizenship: another brick in the wall of fortress Europe


Dear All, here is another version with some slightly easier to read
punctuation!

Some thoughts on the Green Paper announced by the Home Secretary Jaqui
Smith on Wednesday. Interested to hear other thoughts on this,
Melanie Cooke

A Green Paper announced by Home Secretary Jaqui Smith in Parliament on
Wednesday proposes yet more restrictions on those coming to our
'tolerant and fair-minded country' and further draconian demands on
those wishing to settle here and become citizens.

Smith reminded us with pride that at the end of the month the
much-touted Australian style points system will allow 'only those whom
we NEED to come to work and study' (my upper case addition)) and that
later this  year 'we will begin to introduce compulsory identity cards
for foreign
nationals who wish to stay in the UK, making it clear whether they are
allowed to work and how long they can stay.' At the same time, the
consultation on testing the English of 'spouses' is nearing its end
and seems likely to become law in the near future.

Wednesday's announcement set out New Labour's plans for the 'third
phase of immigration reform'. These plans are based on the results of
what Smith calls, quaintly, 'listening events' with the British public
(did anybody on this list get listened to about this?). The British
public, according to Smith 'were clear about what we should expect of
newcomers who choose to come to the UK and start on the path to
citizenship 'that they should speak English; that they should work hard
and pay tax; that they should obey the law; and that they should get
involved in and contribute to community life.'

With the supposed backing of the British public in place, Smith went
on to announce a raft of highly draconian proposals which amount to a
shoring up of Fortress Europe against the rest of the (less developed?
Brown and black-skinned? Poor? Non-European language speaker) world.
These proposals are notable for their focus on health care and other
welfare benefits, for example, migrants will be charged for services
until they are full citizens (or EU, of course). She also introduced
the concept of 'earned citizenship', mooted previously in papers by
Ruth Kelly and Liam Byrne and mentioned in several speeches by Gordon
Brown. Here we see how ideas and things said in passing become
law, how what is unthinkable one day becomes acceptable and then
'common sense' a short time later. Some of the proposals are:

- All migrants coming to the UK will be admitted as temporary residents.

- A limited number of categories?highly skilled and skilled workers,
those joining family and those granted our protection?will then be
able to apply to become probationary citizens for a time-limited
period. Probationary citizenship is a new  stage which will determine
whether a migrant can progress to full citizenship or permanent
residence.

-The vast majority of highly skilled and skilled workers entering
under the points-based system will be expected to speak English
(unless they are from the EU, of course?)

- In order to become a probationary citizen everyone will be expected
to demonstrate English and knowledge of life in the UK. (that's where
we, the ESOL sector come in)

- Refugees who legitimately require protection will continue to
receive their current entitlements (but the govt will make sure that
fewer and fewer are accepted each year)

- Temporary residents will be expected to support themselves without
general access to benefits. Full access to benefits and services will
be deferred until migrants have successfully completed the
probationary citizenship phase. They are expected to contribute
economically and support themselves and their dependants until such
time as they become British citizens or permanent residents. (does
this mean ill people will be left to treat themselves? If someone is
in an accident and taken to hospital they won't be treated unless they
have paid their dues? How much further back will the welfare state be
rolled?)

- People will be able to move more quickly through the system where
they have made a positive contribution to British life by, for
example, volunteering with a charity.

- A fund will be set up to help local service providers to deal with
the impacts on local communities of rapid changes in population. Money
for the fund will come from charging migrants an additional amount on
immigration application fees.

Unlike her predecessors at the Home Office, Smith does not even
attempt to couch racist, discriminatory polices in the liberal
language of 'entitlement' or rights. What were unthinkable, or at
least unpopular, ideas only a few years ago e.g. citizenship testing,
language testing prior to entry, (almost) forced voluntary work, ID
cards, removal of health care and education for the most vulnerable
etc etc are about to become enshrined in law. The question for those
of us who remain on the inside of Fortress Europe must be how long
before the same legislation is extended to us?





----- End forwarded message -----


-- 
Melanie Cooke
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Education, University of Leeds.
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***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
To contact the list owner, send an email to
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