Lord Tebbit and “foreigners”

I was sad to read the comments in Pride’s Purge and would like to reply.

I don’t know how familiar Tom Pride is with the circumstances of Lord and Lady Tebbit. Needless to say the 24/7 care provided by three carers is necessary for her, and given that board and lodging is included, the minimum wage does not seem to be an inappropriate level of pay. That these carers may be from Eastern Europe must come as no surprise, given the reluctance of Brits to join the caring and catering professions.

In his opening remarks yesterday, Lord Tebbit made clear that he has close relatives living abroad and non-UK in-laws living in the UK. His use of the word ‘foreigners’ was surely to emphasise the bias of the debate in favour of non-UK workers here over the needs of UK workers abroad. He may also have been pandering to news editors with a tongue-in-cheek taunt, but I see no “hypocrisy” here.

The testimony of Marketa sounds like that of a rather bitter and aggrieved employee. Obviously I do not know her exact circumstances, but I cannot see anything wrong in her food being bought from Tesco, not being allowed alcohol when dining with the Tebbits, or having to address them as Lord & Lady. What employee is allowed alcohol when at work, and what hotel employee would address anyone by his/her first name?

With two exceptions, the comments beneath Pride’s Purge generally show anti-Conservative (or anti-Thatcher) feelings, and little sympathy with what it is like to be paralysed since 1984, to forego a career in front-line politics in order to take responsibility for one’s spouse in those circumstances, and to continue to do so well into one’s 80s. I note the absence of criticism of the IRA.

Incidentally, my OED defines foreigner as one who comes from a foreign country. Anyone would think he had said “aliens”!