Blunkett sparks language row

Now, encouraging immigrants to learn to speak English sounds like a good thing - I feel that different cultures can only really happily live next to one another if they can communicate. Making English language lessions mandatory appears a bit reactionary at first, but there are arguments that it can enable people to make choices that otherwise they might not be able to - certain cultures would not encourage women to learn English and to engage in life outside the home, for example. Now if a woman chooses such a life, then that is up to her, but giving her the tools she need to make her own decision can only be a good thing, and in the UK, a command of English is one of them.

But surely what language people choose to speak in their own homes is a matter for them?