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.
Rafael Correa not considering Snowden asylum: ‘we helped him by mistake’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/02/ecuador-rafael-correa-snowden-mistake
Fedup says, at 23h06 :
“It is really funny to read through the Declaration of the Universal Human Rights, and to find the many articles that Cameron, and Obama governments have disregarded and flouted, yet the same chaps have the temerity of hectoring others on their none adherence to the same convention.”
_____________
Which is another way of saying that there is scarcely a single state which has not violated one or several of the articles of the Universal Declaration, is it not? So why the focus on the UK and USA?
If you were to respond – as other posters have in the past – by saying “oh, but I am British and therefore care about what my country does”, then why do you single out the USA and remain silent about others?
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La vita è bella, life is good!
“Rafael Correa not considering Snowden asylum: ‘we helped him by mistake’”
____________
Please refer to my post at 23h51 yesterday 🙂
Where is Shillary when we want a some answers?
Was Benghazi Killing of Ambassador Stevens, 3 Others “Blowback” for Secret U.S. Assassinations?
A new book on last year’s Benghazi attack in Libya concludes the killing of U.S. Ambassador Christoper Stevens and three others was in part blowback for a secret assassination operation run in North Africa by the Joint Special Operations Command and John Brennan, President Obama’s then-counterterrorism adviser, now director of the CIA. According to “Benghazi: The Definitive Report,” President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, and JSOC commander, Admiral Bill McRaven, were running “off the books” unilateral operations in North Africa that were not coordinated through the Pentagon or other governmental agencies, including the CIA. Ambassador Stevens was reportedly never informed about these operations. We’re joined by the book’s authors, Brandon Webb and Jack Murphy, both veterans of U.S. special operations. Last week they published the contents of Ambassador Stevens’ diary from the days before the Benghazi attack on their website, SOFREP.com.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/7/1/was_deadly_benghazi_killing_of_ambassador
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67198
Did Cameron’s visit soften the old bastard’s heart?
Blairspinco ™ working flat out behind the scenes, there.
“Please refer to my post at 23h51 yesterday”
I can’t see one. I can see Hasbarista at 11:49 pm and Kibo at 11:52 pm. I don’t see you in between.
errr…that should have been Cameron’s visit to Kazakhstan…and the answer is almost certainly not.
Coffee!
try again…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kazakhstan-dictator-heaps-praise-on-david-cameron-and-says-he-would-vote-for-him-8681102.html
Belated attempt by Russia to take Cameron out fail;s…
http://news.yahoo.com/unmanned-russian-rocket-crashes-launch-kazakhstan-035601691.html
Two sugars, please, and an added shot of Red Bull, D. Ta.
Coming up …
@Dreoilin 7 07am
“Ireland among countries where Snowden is seeking asylum”
I do hope Snowden looks into Ireland’s record since 9/11 before accepting asylum in Ireland.
Given “neutral” Ireland’s record of providing Shannon for the transit of millions of US soldiers, unknown numbers of kidnapped people, and unknown quantities of arms (US planes not checked), the odds are that asylum in that country would be short-lived.
A glimpse of the kind of protectors he would be entrusting with his life to was given most recently in the response to Clare Daly in the Dail.
In the meantime he continues to show just what the good ole USA really stands for right now.
Now that the US citizenry know that they too are enemies of the state maybe that worm could turn?.
Let’s hope courage is indeed contageous.
President Maduro who is visiting Moscow says that Edward Snowden deserves the world’s protection. He says that his application for asylum is being given consideration.
@ Dreoilin
sorry to have sent you off on a wild goose chase; my post was at 21h51 and not 21h51.
A shot of grappa in mine, please.
@ Mary/April Showers/Flaming June :
“President Maduro who is visiting Moscow says that..etc”
_________
Surely you mean President Maduro Moros ? (You know, like Henrique Capriles Radonski)
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La vita è bella, life is good!
“Given “neutral” Ireland’s record of providing Shannon for the transit of millions of US soldiers,…etc, etc”
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Probably for Dreoilin, but when was that? Millions?
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La vita è bella, life is good!
It’s not yet 10 o’clock BST but the nonsense level is aleady building up dangerously.
Good job it’s not real smog.
@Dreoilin. 7 00am
“Attack in Tel Aviv”
The letter at the end says it all.
“This is the same reaction my grandmother faced in Germany when the Nazis would stop Germans from walking with her, because she was Jewish.”
“Given “neutral” Ireland’s record of providing Shannon for the transit of [millions of] US soldiers, unknown numbers of kidnapped people, and unknown quantities of arms (US planes not checked), the odds are that asylum in that country would be short-lived.”
Ah sure I know. But the Irish Gov’t wouldn’t consider giving to him in a blue fit anyway. They just love the “special relationship” we have with America (based entirely, of course, on the vast numbers who fled to the U.S. during and after the famine + the large number of U.S. presidents with some Irish blood) and they just love trotting over to the WH on St Patrick’s Day with their ceremonial cut glass bowl of shamrock – bah! Stick it to the USA? Not likely.
@Habba. 8 52am
“Millions?”
Yes Habba, Millions!
That’s the correct term when you put a two before six zeros.
We only know this because in Ireland (proud home of the Boycott) there are still people who care deeply enough to bear witness and count.
“Ireland has played an active and despicable role in all these crimes against humanity by allowing over two million armed US troops to transit through Shannon airport.”
Check it out here:
http://www.shannonwatch.org/blog/more-non-violent-peace-action-shannon-airport
Habbabkuk
“If I were Julian Assange, I would be a worried man”
I don’t think so. Correa has reiterated several times that he is on as good terms with Julian as ever.
Kibo,
I wouldn’t have known “millions” either. But I take your and shannonwatch’s word for it.
Hidden costs of Afghanistan/Iraq still to appear:
https://research.hks.harvard.edu/publications/workingpapers/citation.aspx?PubId=8956&type=WPN
As for the US, so, presumably for the UK. The US borrowed to finance Afghanistan and Iraq. We borrowed to finance just about everything:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/oct/18/deficit-debt-government-borrowing-data
“All political parties have faced their fair share of debt through the years – almost as if the economic climate has its own life independent of who is managing it.”
Well, duh.
Firefox says “Firefox can’t find the server at http://www.shannonwatch.org ” Pity.
Apparently, in Ireland anyway, you can’t apply for asylum unless you’re already in the State. That’s a handy “out” for them.
There is talk now that Russia may give Snowden temporary documents until he finds a country to take him in.
There is anger in France, also, regarding EU trade negotiations with the U.S. It seems the U.S. has had the French negotiating documents for some time, by spying on the French. So now there is a move in France to suspend (their part in) EU trade negotiations and to offer asylum to Snowden. This has all come to me by telephone.
Snowden has withdrawn his application for asylum in Russia. This is a developing situation though people are rushing to conclusions. He may yet end up in Venezuela and even Ecuador or Iceland. Point is how does he get out of the Catch 22 of being holed up in Moscow airport and having to be on territory to apply to another country. The Russians may yet allow him safe passage to an embassy in Moscow, else?
The best would still be if China/Hong Kong were to grant him asylum — has he applied to Hong Kong, anyone?
Give it another try, Dreoilin, it came up ok for me. Linked back from Shannonwatch site is this site:
http://www.therenditionproject.org.uk/global-rendition/the-flights/index.html
Plenty on here.
“There is talk now that Russia may give Snowden temporary documents until he finds a country to take him in.”
Looks like it’ll have to come to that, Dreolin.
I wonder if Chavez was alive if that would’ve been a done deal?
@ Arbed 1 Jul, 2013 – 4:46 pm
“Ben at 4.39pm: I think the Guardian/Observer pulling that story is sheer embarrassment because Wayne Madsen is known for his very conspiratorial views, and hence not really a very credible source.”
Why are conspiratorial sources not credible? Conspiracies, from Microsoft’s long-alleged gubmint software backdoor to Icke’s Jimmy Savile allegations are now proved true.
@ Dreoilin 1 Jul, 2013 – 11:57 pm
“Think I’ll head for the duvet. I keep thinking of Ed Snowden with only a hard floor to lie on, or perhaps a row of awkwardly-shaped seats. But at 30 he’ll cope better than I would. And his freedom is all that matters really.”
President Putin has him in Stalin’s old quarters:
http://englishrussia.com/images/bunker_for_stalin/8.jpg
http://englishrussia.com/images/bunker_for_stalin/9.jpg
Bottomless pots of caviar and black bread too. However if Master Spy Snowden craves pizza, chicken and Pepsi (CIA Moscow is on high alert to track pizza deliveries — they know Snowden’s favorite toppings) he hikes 10 miles through the tunnel to the Kremlin, covered in the special acoustic pillows he brought along from Hong Kong and his red hood of invisibility, lugging four(4)laptops with Uncle Sam’s most precious secrets. Should he get lost in the tunnels, he has a Boy Scout’s compass that all well-appointed spies now carry.
Even senior conspiracists don’t fully note the absurdity. Thus far, Snowden hasn’t revealed any real secrets, only confirmed what was correctly assumed. He’s allowing The Guardian and The Washington Post to select what’s fit to print. How are those two institutions doing that except with advice from their respective security services?
We could hope he’s made off with the master list of elitist child molesters and cannibals, but even that wouldn’t change much other than provide a few weeks of snickering gossip.
I like how our own Big Organs of State and Party propaganda invariably remind us, “The revelations were the lead story on Russia Today, the Kremlin’s international propaganda TV channel.” 🙂
Thanks, Komodo. I have it now.
And I’m glad to be able to say that I was in Shannon, protesting, myself.
Talking of loan-funded wars of aggression, future prospects for:
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2013/07/01/Israel-seeks-50B-in-US-loans-to-buy-arms/UPI-49641372706630/
$3Bn annually in mostly military aid isn’t enough, it seems.