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part- time as well as
full- time 
employees.
The Schengen Agreement: this enabled the
passport- free movement of 
people between participating European countries. Members may tempo-
rarily reintroduce border controls for reasons of national security. The UK 
opted not to join Schengen for these reasons.
National policies towards multiculturalism and diversity
The UK
London is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse cities of the 
world, its inhabitants from many cultural backgrounds making it a unique 
world city. More than a third of the approximately 8.2 million London resi-
dents were born abroad and almost a quarter are not British citizens. The 
Office of National Statistics’ figures in 2006 show that Bangladeshis, Indians, 
Russians, Brazilians, South Africans, Ghanaians, Poles and Australians 
were currently leading the globalization of the capital. These are the ‘new 
Londoners’, adding to the large number of immigrants from the Indian sub-
continent, Africa and the Caribbean who in many cases have been resident 
for much longer. It is estimated that over 40 per cent of all immigrants in 
the UK live in the Greater London area. The UK itself is becoming more 
of a ‘rainbow nation’ with ‘mixed race’ being the fastest growing ethnic 
minority – one in ten children is now living in a mixed- race family.
‘Multilingual Capital’, the first survey, in 2001, of modern London’s 
languages, found that there were 307 clearly identified languages spoken by 
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198 Cross-Cultural Communication
school children in London, with only two- thirds of these children speaking 
English at home. This phenomenon causes many problems for teachers in 
London schools, requiring innovative and culturally sensitive methods of 
teaching English and building confidence among their pupils. This is a par-
ticularly serious problem in a number of inner- city London primary schools, 
where it is estimated that 55 per cent of primary school children do not 
have English as their mother tongue (Migration Watch Report, 2010). The 
Migration Watch Report anticipates that by 2018, 23 per cent of pupils in 
UK schools will not have English as their mother tongue.
In 2004, Trevor Phillips, the Chairman of the Commission for Racial 
Equality in the UK, which was founded to promote multiculturalism, criti-
cized multiculturalism for: ‘Defining people as different and then treating 
them differently.’ He believed that a policy of multiculturalism, attempting to 
promote the culture and values of ethnic minorities, can in fact produce 
the very opposite result. Instead of uniting the peoples of the UK in a 
recognizable common citizenship and national identity, it would increase 
their differences, which in turn ran the risk of leading to a widespread 
sense of alienation from the rest of society. He wanted to rehabilitate the 
term ‘integration’ as he believed that: ‘Multiculturalism does not mean that 
anybody can do anything they like in the name of their culture.’ He recom-
mended in the Commission for Racial Equality Report 2004 that all citizens 
should: ‘Assert a core of Britishness … We need to remind people that we 
are all equally British regardless of race or religion. Our claim for equality is 
founded on the certainty of our citizenship, on what we have in common, 
not our differences.’ He also advocated establishing a set of ‘British’ values 
to which all groups should subscribe.
Citizenship training has now been officially introduced by the British 
government to facilitate integration and help overcome the problems 
outlined in Figure 10.2.
Lack of English language proficiency 
Employment opportunities
Coping with local regulations 
Coping with family separation
Understanding the social welfare system 
Having realistic expectations
Figure 10.2 Problem areas facing immigrants
Special courses are organized to prepare those who wish to apply for 
citizenship, including increasing understanding in such areas as:
a basic competence in English;
the history and society of the UK;
national institutions – roles of the monarch, the prime minister, 
Parliament, the Cabinet and local government;
the role of elective representatives and political parties;
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Multiculturalism and Diversity 199
the concepts of freedom of speech of the press and open government;
the law: what the police can and cannot do, rights and duties of a citizen, 
basic obligations under the law, reporting crime and the role of the courts;
employment: how to get a job, the National Insurance system, the role of 
trade unions, employment laws;
sources of assistance: Citizens Advice Bureaux, councils and councillors, 
public libraries, access to health care and the taxation system;
everyday needs: housing, banks, post offices, entertainment and leisure 
facilities, national holidays and the etiquette of everyday life.
At the same time, state secondary schools are now required to include 
citizenship in the compulsory curriculum.
Such a course for training for would- be citizens aims to provide a test 
of ‘Britishness’ before they are granted UK citizenship after a residential 
qualification. There is also a requirement to take an oath of allegiance to 
the Queen and an oath of loyalty to the UK with respect for its rights and 
freedoms, as well as to uphold democratic values, observe UK laws and fulfil 
the duties and obligations as a British citizen. The first citizenship ceremony 
was completed in London in February 2004. In 2009, the UK government 
introduced the citizenship test for foreigners who wished to become British. 
They have to study a special booklet, Life in the UK, to help prepare them 
for the test. The test itself has been criticized for its emphasis on knowledge 
of factual information.