Go Ask Me Bollix

The vitriolic, despicable treatment of the founders of Abbey College, forced by way of punitive immigration policies and a failing economy to close its doors last Friday, is nowhere more apparent than in the press, with such a slanted piece as www.independent.ie/education/latest-news/they-are-robbers-they-stole-my-money-i-want-my-euro2300-backbut-i-dont-know-what-i-can-do-2842849.html.

Fiona Ellis writes well, and is normally on the side of reason and rationality. This surprised me, therefore: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/company-had-over-euro200000-in-bank-just-six-months-ago-2842852.html.

In this piece, she refers, or at least sanctions a reference made by her co-author, to ‘lower-level academic language schools’. What can she possibly mean?

At least one chap working for a struggling School had the balls to bounce back a few of the pieces of despicably received wisdom here: http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/time-limits-unfair-to-overseas-students-2842827.html.

He’s wrong in asserting that there has to be a degree programme at the end of an English course prescribed by immigration, but he’s entirely right that Ireland is making itself look a dick in the wider world because of its uncertain and frankly racist-seeming immigration policies.

The Irish press have been contemptible in demonizing a couple of people who originally tried to do some educational good. I for one stand by Abbey College’s owners and wish them all the best (though the P45s through a courier was possibly ill-inconceived, when one is looking at destitution, normal behaviour is surely not to be much in evidence).