Here in Ghana people are stunned by the announcement that a bond of £3,000 will have to be submitted by visa applicants to the UK, redeemable on return.
It is unpleasant for a nation to be singled out as comprised of particularly untrustworthy individuals against whom special measures are needed. Theresa May appears quite deliberately to be singling out countries whose citizens are normally black or brown – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ghana and Nigeria. They are all citizens with extremely close ties to the UK. For example, all of those countries supplied large numbers of men to British armed forces in two World Wars; with little resulting gratitude.
The true level of Britain’s regard for the Commonwealth is disclosed in all its arrogance; citizenship of the Commonwealth countries with the longest link to the UK will become a positive disadvantage in visa application. Israeli settlers living in Occupied Palestine on the West Bank, incidentally, will still be allowed to enter the UK without any visa at all, despite membership of neither Commonwealth nor EU. Paradoxical, isn’t it?
The measure shows the arrogant British disdain for these countries – of which India pre-eminently but also Ghana are fast growing and important trading partners. Undoubtedly Ghana will retaliate with measures which hurt British businesses; many of my good friends are senior Ghanaian politicians, and they are all furious. The rhetoric the British employ about transformation from colonial status to a modern partnership of equals is exposed for the tissue of lies it has always been. This is a straightforward racist measure, aimed at securing the racist vote to the Tories.
Not does it make any sense. If you are intending to enter the UK under false pretences, and have the intent illegally to settle and start a new life there, then £3,000 is scarcely a deterrent given the substantial economic gains you intend to make over the long period you intend to stay. It will rather seem a good investment; people will find the money. The people it will deter are those who never intended to overstay. The extra cash upfront, to the businessman for a business trip, for the student coming to study, for the tourist will drive them to go elsewhere, to the UK’s net loss.
More cruelly it will deter decent middle class people from coming to see grandchildren in the holidays, from going to the niece’s wedding, from going to graduation. Those things will become the prerogative of the wealthy, those with plenty of cash to spare.
This does nothing to deter illegal immigration. It merely demonstrates populist racism, demonstrates contempt for some of the UK’s best-disposed friends, and demonstrates that the government thinks the right to travel is only for the rich. It is contemptible.
Flaming June
30 Jun, 2013 – 7:00 am
That old D notice thing rearing its ugly head again?
http://www.newssniffer.co.uk/articles/658994/diff/1/2
Well spotted Mary
Habby’s post to which Doug refers above is reproduced in full below.
Thanks, Doug.
You’ve not only exposed an attempted subterfuge but even more dishonesty in the attempt to cover it up.
What sort of character does things like this?
Can we please be rid of it, once and for all!!
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“Doug Scorgie. 1.58pm Radonski Caprile is a bad loser.”
_____________
Thank you for reminding us that the full name of the losing candidate in the recent Presidential election in Venezuela is “Radonski Caprile”.
Well, except that it’s actually CaprileS (father’s surname) Radonski (mother’s surname).
Given the attachment some commenters have to giving Mr Capriles his full name,I am somewhat surprised that they have never referred to the winner, commonly known as Mr Nicolas Maduro, as Mr Nicolas Maduro Moros. Could it be that the part-surname “Radonski” is of particular significance for them?
****************
La vita è bella, life is good!
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2013/06/pandering-to-racism/comment-page-2/#comment-415456
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“International Health Service open to all comers as recommended by…”: I’ve been responding. Much depends on what the government categorise as ’emergency treatment’, but in the meantime it seems a move of intellectual paucity, financial triviality and an appeal to knee-jerk prejudices.
Uzbeks tortured me, says British Embassy man
Former Foreign Office employee says he has been abandoned, despite refusing to spy on UK
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uzbeks-tortured-me-says-british-embassy-man-8679979.html
Imagine you are a doctor, and someone arrives with a suppurating eye infection. It might not be a life-threatening emergency: it is, however, agonising, debilitating and easily cured. Are others on this board seriously suggesting that that doctor should refuse to treat them?
Ah, so FJ is Mary. The need for aliases is awful perplexing.
At least this posters penchant to bombarded us with off topic, offensive, hateful statements makes sense now.
‘Are others on this board seriously suggesting that that doctor should refuse to treat them?’
Of course not. If the person presenting with such a condition is an EEA national, reciprocal treatment rights should apply. If the person is from another 1st world country (NZ., Japan etc) their travel insurance should cover the cost of treatment. If the person is from a country known to have a high propensity of its nationals to be visa overstayers, the proposed £3000 bond would be forfeited in whole of in part, to pay for the treatment.
Enough shroud waving already !
ah, ‘make Mary the topic time’. I see.
Old mark: thanks. What if they are Somali?
Remember when Wikileaks released the US diplomatic cables ’embarassing’ Hillary?
“Der Spiegel reported that the US had bugged offices and gained access to EU internal computer networks, according to secret documents, the latest in a series of exposures of alleged US spying.
The magazine quoted from a “top secret” US National Security Agency (NSA) document from September 2010 that it said former NSA contractor Edward Snowden had taken with him, and which its journalists had seen in part.
Der Spiegel said the document outlines how the NSA bugged offices and spied on EU internal computer networks in Washington and at the UN, listening to conversations and phone calls and gaining access to documents and emails. It said the document explicitly called the EU a target.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/30/us-clarification-us-spying-nsa
I didn’t see that Der Spiegel was specifically targeted.
“The prospects for a new trade pact between the US and the European Union worth hundreds of billions have suffered a severe setback following allegations that Washington bugged key EU offices and intercepted phonecalls and emails from top officials.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/30/nsa-spying-europe-claims-us-eu-trade
Thousands and thousands of Egyptians are in Tahrir Square. They do not like Shillary’s stooge, Morsi. 22 million people have signed a petition demanding that he ‘step down’.
Egypt protest: Thousands stage anti-Morsi rallieshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23115821
Bowen has just been on giving his two pennorth. ‘Deteriorating conditions in Eqypt are leading to this unrest. Unemployment is high and the young especially feel discontented at the lack of dialogue.’
Now when and where else have we been hearing that?
~~~
Cameron pledges to ‘stand together’ with Pakistan on terrorism’. Any Pakistani people surviving Obomber’s drone attacks will probably be able to ‘stand’ too. Now he’s in Kazakhstan on a trade (arms?) mission.
Perhaps he will pick up some tips from Nazarbayev for success at the polls in 2015.
‘On April 3, 2011 he was again elected President of the Republic of Kazakhstan supported by 95.5 per cent of electors.’ Wow! He must be popular.
No irony in the Guardian headline. B.Liar is on a retainer isn’t he?
Kazakhstan praises Cameron and Blair for helping improving country’s image
As he flies into central Asian republic, British PM says he will raise Kazakhstan’s poor human rights record with its president
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/30/kazakhstan-cameron-blair-human-rights
‘The CE’ needs to wake up. Bit slow on the uptake there. And a rather garbled message.
CE? ? Any of these? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323419604578571601908964678.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet
“But in the note, Mr. Assange also offered public-relations advice to top Ecuadorean officials about how to handle the crisis. Mr. Assange’s earlier efforts on Mr. Snowden’s behalf had prompted one diplomat to caution that Mr. Assange could be perceived as “running the show” in Ecuador.”
I’m sure someone seeks to stoke the fire of power for their own purposes. Kerry undoubtedly cited numerous ‘disadvantages’ to giving asylum.
“I’m shocked….shocked to see there’s gambling going on here”
http://www.juancole.com/2013/06/collects-internet-connections.html
Herbie; I was half-way through cocktail time last eve and my reply to you could be misunderstood.
Cheers.
Flaming June
30 Jun, 2013 – 7:09 am
Medics recruited to join UK Border Agency.
http://news.sky.com/story/1109710/nhs-tourism-govt-to-announce-crackdown
Mary, this is complete bullshit by the government; it is another “knock the foreigners” political ploy.
I will return to this subject later when I get time.
I made a rather poor joke, Ben, and you were very tolerant in reply.
Thanks.
An invitation here to join a party to celebrate the 65th birthday of the NHS.
5th July 2013 2pm
Trafford General Hospital, Urmston, Manchester M41 5SL
http://unite.newsweaver.co.uk/1s88loxzbd9voxu9d3q2j0?
email=true&a=11&p=37346335
As it says –
We are celebrating 65 years of our NHS – the greatest social benefit of any government – but our message is serious.
If we don’t act to save it – we will lose it.
The coalition government’s pro-privatisation NHS shake up coupled with a multi-billion pound funding squeeze is putting our NHS at grave risk.
Local communities are losing A&E units, hospital beds, maternity wards, and other NHS services. Waiting queues are growing, rationing is rife and, staff not sacked, are being overstretched to breaking point.
Picking up the pieces are private companies who are set to make billions of pounds from our health.
Join us to help celebrate our brilliant
@ Mary/April Showers/Flaming June/…? :
No chance that The CE was being gently ironical, I suppose?
Nah, you wouldn’t know irony if it slapped you in the face 🙂
@ Technicolour
“Old mark: thanks. What if they are Somali?
_______________
I think Old Mark has dealt with your question rather well. I hope you’re happy!
And now let’s cut through your clever-clever stuff and get serious.
What would you – yes, you, Technicolour – suggest
1) should be done to prevent illegal immigration
2) should be done with over-stayers if they’re discovered.
My questions assume, of course, that you are not in favour of illegal immigration.
“But the reality is too much to bear for fantasists. You can spend your whole GDP on health care and people will still be sick and dying. How do you explain that? ”
That’s easy, the death rate never changes, it’s one per person, always has been.
The problem is that the health system isn’t designed to cure people who are ill any more, it is designed to make the shareholders of large drug companies, including the ones sitting in the House of Commons, rich.
The drug companies invent a new drug then they invent a new disease for it to cure then invent a new drug to counteract the side effects.
If they just stop handing over so much of our money to rich drug companies there will be plenty left for curing people who are actually ill.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1369125/
Habbakuk – thanks for the intervention. But I think I’ll wait for Old Mark to actually reply to my question; only polite, you know.
btw “You didn’t like Mubarak very much (he was an American stooge). And now you don’t seem to like Morsi very much either – apparently he’s an American stooge as well” – absolutely!¬Well spotted!
“I know you’re busy with other ‘scoops’.”
Yes, like this one perhaps. Dedicated to Flaming June, soon to return as Mary, or perhaps Hotter than July? :
Cost of updating Parliament toilets to be £100,000
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23117369
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/26-0
Thanks for that from Egypt June, another sucker who has been exposed for taking the piss with the aspirations of young Egyptians. I eminent Egyptian scholars and Professors warn of impending civil war, with sectarian divides further blurring the lines of accountability and lawful judicial discourse.
Villager’s amourous chit chat with Habby here, their common love to verbalise what their posts produce, is all beginning to look like a happy ending is near, when is the date?
How about the 4th July, such fitting special day for all global lovers of freedom and democracy via the barrel of a gun, I’m sure people will come. Don’t worry about the beads and wind chimes along the isle, it’ll be fine.
‘Villager’s amourous chit chat with Habby here, their common love to verbalise what their posts produce, is all beginning to look like a happy ending is near, when is the date?’
oh for heaven’s sake.
@ Technicolour
Never mind Nevermind, he can’t help it. Too many high altitude flights with defective equipment. Oxygen starvation. Terrible thing, you know.
Fred, the pharmaceuticals industry is very much part of the bigger problem of health care economics. And I think several factors make this so.
Having said that, modern medicine is remarkably new (~130yrs) and in due course, many of the essential pharmaceuticals developed in the last 50 years will fall in price as patents expire leading to competition.