Mumtaz: So, Miss, is immigration good or bad for the country?

Teacher: Good for our prosperity, almost certainly. But that’s not the only thing that counts. Some people think it’s bad culturally.

David: What does that mean?

Nat: Well, y’know, there’s people who think Britain was better when almost everyone was white and Christian…

David: Not Jewish then, like me?

Nat: Well, yeah, you don’t need me to tell you loads of people don’t like Jews.

Teacher: In fact there were objections from MPs during the last century, about too many Jewish immigrants.

Tzu Lee: So, okay, immigration changes the culture. I can see that. Of course, with all us Chinese, Jews, Caribbean people, Pakistanis like Mumtaz and all that, Britain’s not like it was….

Nat: And some people think it’s worse, that things were better the way they were.

Megan: What do you think Miss?

Tzu Lee: Yeah, right, like she’s gonna say ‘All the immigrants shouldn’t have come’…. With us lot here. I don't think so.

Teacher: How could I say that, when I know people like you?

Tzu Lee: Yeah yeah.

Teacher: No, I mean it. I really do think that. I really do think that Britain is a more interesting place because of the immigrants that have come over the past 60 or 70 years. Sorry if you think I’m just saying that because some of your parents or grandparents were immigrants, but it’s the truth.

Nat: So when you said about ‘culture’ before, what did you mean exactly?

Teacher: Well there’s obvious things like music, art, food and fashion. Immigration has made a massive contribution to those. I can’t imagine Britain now without those influences….

Nat: Okay, what else?

Teacher: The rest is harder to name exactly…

John: I like it that there’s lots of different religions. That’s culture as well, right?

Mumtaz: That’s something, coming from a nonbeliever!