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I deplore Jim Ratcliffe's words. (owner of Man U)

(558 Posts)
Wyllow3 Fri 13-Feb-26 09:42:19

I think Jim Ratcliffe was openly, and shockingly racist, and gave no credit for the value added to our economy over the years by hardworking immigrants

- we simply could not have managed without them, because our birthrate is not congruent with the needs of an aging population as many of us live much longer than we used to.
the NHS, the care profession, and many a person seeking a Polish Plumber (to give a well worn cliche an outing) could hardly exist.

His comments seek to divide us and to encourage racism, and yes, while he funds a footie club from afar haven for the tax dodger. Interviews with some of the fans, themselves sons of immigrants, show just how horrific his comments were - turning fans against fans.

Opal Fri 13-Feb-26 10:28:36

Casdon

Opal

Oreo

I haven’t seen anything that warrants taking the thread down, so am mystified .

I could tell you what I think, but they'd take the thread down .....

Do you understand the rules of Gransnet Opal? Either you or somebody else on your thread must have said something that was not within the Gransnet guidelines, that’s the only reason the thread would have been deleted. It’s not dependent on who reports it, but on whether the admins think it breaks them.

Yes I do understand the rules of Gransnet Casdon, and as far as I know, no rules were broken. As the admins have not informed me why they removed it, I have no idea why they did so.

Oreo Fri 13-Feb-26 10:29:00

A great deal of the country would agree Sago

Casdon Fri 13-Feb-26 10:35:04

Opal

Casdon

Opal

Oreo

I haven’t seen anything that warrants taking the thread down, so am mystified .

I could tell you what I think, but they'd take the thread down .....

Do you understand the rules of Gransnet Opal? Either you or somebody else on your thread must have said something that was not within the Gransnet guidelines, that’s the only reason the thread would have been deleted. It’s not dependent on who reports it, but on whether the admins think it breaks them.

Yes I do understand the rules of Gransnet Casdon, and as far as I know, no rules were broken. As the admins have not informed me why they removed it, I have no idea why they did so.

If you message them directly they will tell you, that’s your best option. If other people responded it might be something somebody else said, although they usually just ban that post and by that refer to it when that happens.

Opal Fri 13-Feb-26 10:37:57

Nope, just deleted the whole thread.

Casdon Fri 13-Feb-26 10:39:09

There will be a reason. I didn’t see your thread, but perhaps somebody who did can remember what exactly was said which may throw some light on it.

CariadAgain Fri 13-Feb-26 10:44:48

Opal

Oreo

Opal

Galaxy

Presumably this will be deleted like the other 2 threads.

They've deleted 3 now!

😬 not worth bothering to reply then.

It's ridiculous Oreo, whatever happened to free speech?

Yep....free speech is very much part of British values - well it was.....and only some of us are aware it still is...

JenniferEccles Fri 13-Feb-26 10:46:52

I agree with him too and I wish he hadn’t felt compelled to apologise.

Primrose53 Fri 13-Feb-26 10:48:47

Wyllow3

1960srelic

I agree with Wyllow. I've seen many health professionals in recent years and almost all are immigrants. I'm very grateful to all of them.

I had a recent hospital stay and cannot express my gratitude enough for the kindness that many recent incomers have especially I have noticed respect for older people becuase in their culture of origin families do look after their own, however poor they are.
Also enjoyed some conversations about similarities and differences of culture. Life is full of interest if you are curious, not a grumbler.

I don’t think anybody on here is concerned about NHS staff coming here to work legally *Wyllow3”.

My friend’s Mum was a nurse who came here in the 50s legally from St Kitts in the West Indies. Her husband also came to work. She came because she was invited to and she left my friend’s Mum and brother with her parents. After a couple of years she had saved enough to bring her kids over and they are still here. The hospital where my kids were born had a very high percentage of West Indian nurses and midwives.

CariadAgain Fri 13-Feb-26 10:51:34

Sago

“The owner of one of the world's largest chemical companies, Ineos, said: “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.”

I totally agree with him.

Although I would go as far as to use the word invaded rather than colonised.

True dat......and even more so when we all know (whether we use it ourselves or no) that AI is going to remove a lot of jobs and so there may well be more people genuinely on benefit against their will (been there done that myself - back in the 1980s - when things started changing so much for office jobs like I do/did).

It is asking a lot from a Welfare State to support those genuinely unemployed, everyone else claiming benefit, lots of others claiming benefit who've never paid in in the first place (to use my fathers sentiment of many years back - "Whilst you are still a child then I am paying in for what you get, then when you are an adult then you will pay in yourself for what you get". Someone has to pay in - and the rich often do their best to exempt themselves from that equation. That was a very simple way of explaining how things are supposed to work - ie "give and take" and not all "take take take".

PhilipGransnet (GNHQ) Fri 13-Feb-26 10:51:52

Hello everyone, just to clarify, threads are only deleted if they break our Talk guidelines. If a new thread is then started about the deleted thread, in order to keep the argument going, that too will be removed. We consider these "threads about a deleted thread" or TAAT for short.

So perhaps, now we have cleared that up, this thread can get back on track.

If anyone has any questions please get in touch.

MNHQ

Oreo Fri 13-Feb-26 10:52:50

Being worried about sky high levels of immigration and people not working and on benefits isn’t being ‘a grumbler’.
The government is very concerned about it too.

Galaxy Fri 13-Feb-26 10:55:11

Thanks for that Phillip, I do appreciate GN trying their best to support discussion, whole thread deletions concern me but thanks for the explanation.

fancythat Fri 13-Feb-26 11:00:58

Does anyone, still, in this day and age, still think people are complaining about the immigrants here legally?
Really?

It is like Brex it all over again.
Took about 6 years , by my reckoning, before some people understood.

AGAA4 Fri 13-Feb-26 11:10:04

We can't carry on supporting so many people on benefits. Why do some people think this is acceptable?
It's bad for all of us.
More and more people are arriving here with no means of supporting themselves.
The legal immigrants who are working here are of course crucial. We can't do without them.

Casdon Fri 13-Feb-26 11:15:05

fancythat

Does anyone, still, in this day and age, still think people are complaining about the immigrants here legally?
Really?

It is like Brex it all over again.
Took about 6 years , by my reckoning, before some people understood.

Yes, they are, of course. Jim Ratcliffe for one. It’s very likely that the people he is talking about will not be illegal immigrants, they will be people who choose to live in areas where there are others from the same culture there.

paddyann54 Fri 13-Feb-26 11:25:31

They aren,t ALLOWED to work!
There are many who would love to work but in their “wisdom” the clowns in Westminster decide to keep them in hotels going quietly mad with nothing to do.
There are many asylum seekers who do volunteer work when they are able to move freely
Why can’t you just see PEOPLE instead of all this horrible divisive rubbish that spills from your mouths,we all came from somewhere and most of us were .
I am thankful that I don’t know anyone in real life with these attitudes towards fellow human beings

rafichagran Fri 13-Feb-26 11:25:32

Jim Ratcliffe did not apologise, he apologised and stated he was sorry if people were offended by the words he used. He did not apologise for the message he gave.
We do have alot of people on benefits, but most are not people coming into the country.

Sago Fri 13-Feb-26 11:35:21

paddyann54

They aren,t ALLOWED to work!
There are many who would love to work but in their “wisdom” the clowns in Westminster decide to keep them in hotels going quietly mad with nothing to do.
There are many asylum seekers who do volunteer work when they are able to move freely
Why can’t you just see PEOPLE instead of all this horrible divisive rubbish that spills from your mouths,we all came from somewhere and most of us were .
I am thankful that I don’t know anyone in real life with these attitudes towards fellow human beings

Because their behaviours tell a different story.

Caleo Fri 13-Feb-26 11:35:32

Grandmabatty

It's easy to see where Reform get their followers!
I have no time for anyone who has a multi national football team rabbiting on about 'colonisation' while he himself lives in Monaco to avoid paying tax. Hardly the action of a loyal Brit. In addition, he closed the local refinery where I live, despite appeals to encourage a local buy out. Hes made my son in law as well as hundreds of others redundant. So forgive me if I consider him a grade A shit

I am with you, Grandma B. Moreover if anyone cares to read his 'apology' , they will see a classic example of a travesty of apology .

Reform supporters support fascism.

Boz Fri 13-Feb-26 11:37:00

He has been backed by Farage, who seemed more Statesmanlike on TV to-day.
I think Ratcliffe was right in the remark that to do what you believe is the right thing often means hard decisions.

MaizieD Fri 13-Feb-26 11:40:31

Can we remind ourselves that 'free speech' includes the freedom to criticise and object to what has been said.

Ratcliffe's comments haven't been removed, there has been no attack on free speech.

I deplore them.

Ashcombe Fri 13-Feb-26 11:42:43

Well said, Grandmabatty!

Opal Fri 13-Feb-26 11:43:50

Caleo

Grandmabatty

It's easy to see where Reform get their followers!
I have no time for anyone who has a multi national football team rabbiting on about 'colonisation' while he himself lives in Monaco to avoid paying tax. Hardly the action of a loyal Brit. In addition, he closed the local refinery where I live, despite appeals to encourage a local buy out. Hes made my son in law as well as hundreds of others redundant. So forgive me if I consider him a grade A shit

I am with you, Grandma B. Moreover if anyone cares to read his 'apology' , they will see a classic example of a travesty of apology .

Reform supporters support fascism.

Well, that didn't take long did it?

"If you support Reform, you're a fascist." says Caleo. Typical left wing b*****x.

What I support is a strong economy, controlled immigration, a fair, honest, hardworking and lawful society, a functioning and effective NHS and for my country's history and culture to be respected and protected. If that makes me a fascist, then so be it.

anna7 Fri 13-Feb-26 11:44:44

I agree with Wyllow3 and I think Jim Ratcliffes comments are deliberately divisive. I understand he has brought a lot of wealth into the country but it seems hypocritical to make such remarks from his tax haven in Monaco.

CeliaVL Fri 13-Feb-26 11:49:52

Apart from the horrible racism of his remarks, he was actually 13 million out with his figures. If he has to exggerate the figures, he can't have much faith in his arguments. He himself is an immigrant, living permanently in Monaco to avoid paying tax in the UK. Immigrants in the UK contribute large amounts of money to the UK taxbase as well as the work they do for which there are simply not enough British citizens of working age.