Britain : A new Eldorado (0 à 2:00’)

Keywords :
British/ West Indians/ Hope/ A long journey/ Land regarded as an Eldorado/ Fellow : British
citizens/ England/ Machinist/ Lucky/ labour exchange/ £ 9/10/ work for all : coloured and
white/ Children’s education

1) Say what you have learnt about the West Indians (origins, journey, arrival,
expectations)
In 1954, about 10,000 West Indians emigrated from the West Indies to Britain. The
journey was long but they were happy to get to Britain and be welcomed to « the Mother
Country ». They regarded Britain as an Eldorado. They thought they would find work
easily and start a new life. They were confident because they believed that they would enjoy
the same rights as the Britons as they had been historically members of the Empire and of
the Commonwealth.
2) Use the following words in a sentence to explain the 1954 « National controversy »
West Indians/ members/ identical rights/ British Empire/ Not deny entry/
The massive arrival of West Indians caused a « National Controversy », meaning that not
everybody took their arrival well. Nevertheless, they were citizens of the British Empire and
therefore had the same rights as members of the British Empire (identical rights). Thus, it
was not possible to deny them entry into GB.
3) Comment on the journalist’s tone ad objectives.
The journalist adopts a cheerful/ enthusiastic tone that matches the expectations of the
newcomers when they left the boat to set foot in England, dreaming of an Eldorado.
The journalist also wants to show that these immigrants should be welcomed as they are
all British citizens. Moreover, the white population can feel reassured since their goal is to
work and integrate British society.