Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Episode 20

Episode 20 of 20

Samira Ahmed and guests discuss whether immigration is good for Britain. Should slang be banned in schools? And would religion be better with women leaders?

Samira Ahmed and her guests discuss the ethical issues of the week. On the panel are theologian and blogger Vicky Beeching; poet and activist Benjamin Zephaniah; journalist Angela Epstein.

Is immigration good for Britain?
With labour laws due to be relaxed in the new year, there's much talk of a potential influx of immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria. The campaign group Migration Watch UK says it believes around 50,000 migrants a year could come to Britain. The government will not speculate about numbers but says it will be tough on benefits for those arriving here. A recent report has suggested that immigrants to the UK since 2000 have made a 'substantial' contribution to public finances and that immigrants are less likely to claim benefits and live in social housing than people born in Britain. So are immigrants actually good for Britain?

Should slang be banned in schools?
Children at a primary school in the West Midlands have been told to stop using slang words from their Black Country dialect to halt, what the school calls, a 'decline in standards'. The new policy has been met with a mixed response, with some parents claiming that slang is an important part of their identity. Phrases on the prohibited list include, 'I cor do that', meaning, 'I can't do that', and, 'It wor me', meaning, 'It wasn't me'.

In this week's Sunday Stand, poet Benjamin Zephaniah claims it's a class issue and that people who use slang or speak with a regional accent are still looked down upon today.

Would religions be better if they were led by women?
The General Synod of the Church of England has paved the way for the introduction of women bishops, following bitter opposition in recent years. While opponents still believe that the measure goes against biblical teaching, supporters believe it moves the church into line with modern society and makes it more inclusive. Would all religion benefit from more women in positions of authority?

Pilgrimage
A new Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Two series, Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve, follows in the footsteps of early pilgrims and meets some of their modern successors. Simon talks exclusively to Sunday Morning Live about his experiences and the effect that making the programmes has had on him.

1 hour

Last on

Sun 24 Nov 2013 10:00

More episodes

Next

You are at the last episode

See all episodes from Sunday Morning Live

Clip

This week's programme

The immigration minister Mark Harper has warned that the Government is powerless to stop a new phase of Romanian and Bulgarian immigration which is expected to begin in January, in line with other EU countries.  


Is that such a bad thing or is immigration actually good for Britain?    


And we have poet Benjamin Zephaniah on why attempts to ban the use of slang in some schools amounts to linguistic fascism.


Also joining Samira Ahmed this week, for the last programme in the current series, are  theologian and broadcaster Vicky Beeching and journalist Angela Epstein.

Is immigration good for Britain?

With labour laws due to be relaxed in the New Year – there is much talk of a potential influx of immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria. 


The campaign group Migration Watch UK says it believes around 50,000 migrants a year could come in the initial wave. But the Government says that migrants may well choose other countries in Europe and will not speculate about numbers.   


Recent reports have suggested that immigrants to the UK since 2000 and immigrants were less likely to claim benefits and live in social housing than people born in Britain. 


So are immigrants actually good for Britain? You can and then by text when the programme is on air.

Should slang be banned in schools?

Children at a primary school in the West Midlands to halt a ‘decline in standards’.  


The new policy has been met with a mixed response, with some parents claiming that slang is an important part of their identity.



In this week’s Sunday Stand, poet Benjamin Zephaniah claims it’s a class issue and that people who use slang or speak with a regional accent are still looked down upon today.

Would religions be better if they were led by women?

The General Synod of the Church of England this week , following bitter opposition in recent years. 


While opponents still believe that the measure goes against biblical teaching, supporters believe it moves the Church into line with modern society and makes it more inclusive.  


Would all religion benefit from more women in positions of authority?

Pilgrimage

Also on the programme, a new Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Two series, , follows in the footsteps of the early pilgrims and meets some of their modern successors. 


Simon talks exclusively to Sunday Morning Live about his experiences and the effect that making the series has had on him.  


The series begins on Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Two on December 3 at 9pm.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Samira Ahmed
Series Editor Dave Stanford
Producer Kuljinder Khaila
Participant Vicky Beeching
Participant Benjamin Zephaniah
Participant Angela Epstein

Broadcast

Visit Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Action Line

Visit Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Action Line

Information and support for issues covered in our recent programmes