UPDATED: The BBC now reports UK to give asylum seekers one-way ticket to Rwanda
Some asylum seekers who arrive in the UK on small boats across the Channel will be given a one-way ticket to Rwanda, under new government plans.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is in the African nation to agree a £120m trial involving mostly single men arriving in Britain on boats or lorries.
BBC home editor Mark Easton, reporting from Rwanda, said ministers face legal hurdles and substantial costs.
Refugee organisations have criticised the plans as cruel and urged a rethink.
When the Tory government announced it was in talks with the government of Ghana over opening internment camps for asylum seekers in that country, I was quickly able to confirm with Ghanaian ministers that this was simply a lie; the subject had never been discussed and would not be discussed.
I am hoping that the same may be true of Rwanda, and the Tories may simply again be making up stories to placate their racist base. Certainly the Times reported that Johnson was this week forced to delay an announcement as arrangements were not yet in place. But unlike Ghana, I do not have contacts with the government of Rwanda so I cannot be certain.
What I am sure of is that it would be a massive disgrace to any African country to host prisons for locking up those fleeing persecution – including fellow Africans. I do not wish to believe that any African state would cooperate with the continent’s largest former colonial power, which still retains colonial possessions, in the systematic imposition of racist detention. It would be a terrible blot on the good name of Rwanda, and a terrible blot on the good name of Africa.
We must call on all Rwandans, wherever they may be, to express through your contacts and institutions your unhappiness at any Rwandan involvement in such a scheme. It is only racism that determines that refugees from wars and disaster from Eritrea, Syria or Libya should be treated differently (by the UK) from Ukrainians or political dissidents from Russia (though God knows the UK has failed to offer the real help to Ukrainians it promised).
A policy which is going to include using naval boats to push struggling Africans and others in small craft back in the cruel sea, which will include shackling Africans, who have done nothing except flee war and starvation, to fly them to Rwanda, should not for a moment be entertained by any African country. No amount of money promised by Johnson and his crew is worth selling the souls of the Rwandan nation for this scheme.
We must also call on the African Union to adopt a policy that no African country will host immigration detention camps for former colonial powers. We must call on His Excellency President Macky Sall of Senegal, Chairperson of the African Union, to bring the matter forward. I call on Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa, Nana Akuffo Addo and Muhammadu Buhari to make sure there is a firm African Union policy against this evil. We must especially call on President Paul Kagame of Rwanda to follow the Ghanaian example and immediately deny Johnson’s claims.
This really is an issue where Africans, both in Africa and in the diaspora, particularly in the UK, I believe could get a reaction from their governments if everybody feeds in their concern by whatever means is available to them.
Africa has been for many years the victim of white racism. Africans should never act as the facilitator of white racism.
I am contacting a number of people to see if I can organise a delegation to Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and OAU Headquarters in Addis Ababa to lobby against Johnson’s prison camps.
I am very happy to hear from anybody who can contribute in any way to efforts to unite Africa against this shameful proposal.
————————————————-
Forgive me for pointing out that my ability to provide this coverage is entirely dependent on your kind voluntary subscriptions which keep this blog going. This post is free for anybody to reproduce or republish, including in translation. You are still very welcome to read without subscribing.
Unlike our adversaries including the Integrity Initiative, the 77th Brigade, Bellingcat, the Atlantic Council and hundreds of other warmongering propaganda operations, this blog has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. It runs entirely on voluntary subscriptions from its readers – many of whom do not necessarily agree with the every article, but welcome the alternative voice, insider information and debate.
Subscriptions to keep this blog going are gratefully received.
Choose subscription amount from dropdown box:
Paypal address for one-off donations: [email protected]
Alternatively by bank transfer or standing order:
Account name
MURRAY CJ
Account number 3 2 1 5 0 9 6 2
Sort code 6 0 – 4 0 – 0 5
IBAN GB98NWBK60400532150962
BIC NWBKGB2L
Bank address Natwest, PO Box 414, 38 Strand, London, WC2H 5JB
Bitcoin: bc1q3sdm60rshynxtvfnkhhqjn83vk3e3nyw78cjx9
Ethereum/ERC-20: 0x764a6054783e86C321Cb8208442477d24834861a
Subscriptions are still preferred to donations as I can’t run the blog without some certainty of future income, but I understand why some people prefer not to commit to that.
Thank goodness you have the knowledge and the connections to step in here and advise the African nations as what this evil racist scum of a government is trying to impose on innocent people. Take care Craig. We need you.
‘Innocent people’ who expect others to pay for them.
The people who are innocent are those who say ‘If Mr Murray wants all the costs, he can have them up in Scotland’.
There is nothing racist in saying that you don’t have to open your front door to every single economic migrant posing as a refugee.
what makes you so sure they are economic migrants posing as refugees? just curious.
Because they’re coming from safe countries in Europe eg France.
So you just accept the word of everyone?
Refugees need jobs too, so what’s the difference?
It is only racism that determines that refugees from wars and disaster from Eritrea, Syria or Libya should be treated differently (by the UK) from Ukrainians or political dissidents from Russia (though God knows the UK has failed to offer the real help to Ukrainians it promised).
Plenty of people in Scotland applying for a trendy pet Ukrainian rather than the other kind. So, not just government racism.
Why not get the frigging billionaires to adopt a million of them each?
They can afford it.
Unlike bankrupt UK.
Yup, the UK and US governments are full of millionaires, due to the billionaires funding and getting protection from them, including Russian Oligarchs.
Perhaps it may help to write to Rwandan academics, at some of the following institutions:
https://apply.sir.rw/
Another possibly useful contact, if you can find him: Tim Jenkin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Jenkin). He was played by Daniel Radcliffe in the film Escape from Pretoria.
Rwanda has a history of accepting the destitute (admirable? see “Update” on page 3 at first URL below), but also asylum seekers who have been deported from (and I think this is relevant to the current topic): a nation with a worse human rights record than the UK.
https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Rwanda-Detention-Data-Profile-2020.pdf
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/05/denmark-plans-to-send-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda-unconscionable-and-potentially-unlawful/
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/asylum-seekers-who-left-israel-for-rwanda-warn-those-remaining-don-t-1.5785996
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/rwanda-to-take-in-afghan-refugee-students/2345985
https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/224133
All this to say, it will be a relief to be proven wrong but to set expectations: the current political culture of the Great Lakes region (more so, Rwanda and Uganda) is quite capable of working with a shameless opportunism worthy of the most calcified Torry.
In contrast, the national leadership of Ghana has traced a different “moral” trajectory, and their robust reaction to the previous ‘outsourcing’ story was within character. Rwanda I fear, may prove to be more enigmatic.
Lastly, the attitude towards Ukranian refugees (in the UK and elsewhere) clarified for me, your use of the term “white racism”. It is simply a fact that some detritus of global power games is more equal than another.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60728298
Dear Mr. Murray,
May I be permitted to share my heartfelt feelings with you.
My heritage is mixed, it is African on my paternal side and Indian on my maternal side. How did the African come about? Easy – it was the involuntary enslaved Africans which explains the African in my Jamaican roots. It then is the post 1838 Abolition and the subsequent periods of indentured servitude which then explains why my Indian mother was enticed into the West indies as the descendant of indentured servants to be the bride of my African descendant father.
Now, let me lighten this quite serious comment. It is when over my years of study and process of qualifications (or is that qualifying) in England I would say to the attractive lady who I would try to woo – why not try – for you have the rhythm of Africa and the mystery of the East all in one man. Sometimes the line worked – sometimes it didn’t – but always worthy of a good try.
I read your account of your lineage and familial background. My father actually became a very wealthy businessman who could afford to school me after O’levels in England all the way through undergrad and post-grad. In a manner of speaking, if I am to be honest in my response to the concept of ‘White privilege’ then I believe myself actually to come from ‘Black privilege’. Let me tell you how so. At the Inns of Court just before finals – in the cloak room as I was heading out – a fellow student who never over the year he saw me time and time again thought it necessary to approach me lest deign speak to me. He stopped me at the head of the staircase and then said to me that he knew that I was very good at Constitutional Law (which indeed I was). He enticed me into some port and he asked me for advice on how to pass the examination in Constitutional Law. I outlined to him the range of questions which could be thrown at him and emphasised that all that he needed to do was pass three of the five questions which would be given – and here is the core of the subject involved and I outlined. Who was he? Well he was the eighth Earl of somewhere who lived off his inherited trust money. So, we go back to my humble Caribbean origins and I am the first university graduate in my family descended from one generation of parents from slavery and indentured servitude. So – the Earl asked the peasant for advice and it was freely given. Maybe there is actually decency in my family and upbringing?
Another – a Professor friend of mine at Balliol invited me to Cambridge and sat me at the head of the table and I was engaged in conversation with the Master of the College. Let me add – the most prestigious College at Cambridge University. He heard my answers to his questions about my period of studies in England, having come from the Caribbean. We then drifted on to the question of corruption in the world and my attitude towards Britain – and I quite squarely told him that Britain was a corrupt country and stated that the only debatable issue was – to what degree. He then tried to defend his country and as I reeled out instance after instance of a truly heartless and/or compromised Britain he diplomatically changed the conversation and a good time was then had by all.
Now, Murray, to Africa and here is my assessment for what it is worth:-
https://blackcommentator.com/170/170_guest_barnett_reparations.pdf
P.S. I trust that in this brief post – I have clarified what I have observed as ‘White racism’ – ‘British duplicity’ – and my own sense of honour and purpose in my life.
Well said
Very well said, Craig. You read stuff like this and think it can’t possibly be true. Yet this lunatic government is capable of just about anything. And nobody bats an eyelid. We have passed any measure of normal, and are in some kind of inverted Trumpian-Johnson wonderland. Good luck.
The British Empire was strictly colour-blind in its racism, just as happy to starve millions of white Irishmen to death as brown Bengalis. Similarly, white Ukrainians get the same Windrush treatment of bureaucratic malevolence designed to make them give up their legal right to asylum as black Jamaicans. All non-Englishmen are equally unworthy before the callousness of Little England.
” . . . naval boats . . .”
What does this mean? Gun boats, patrol boats? Torpedo boats, submarines? Rowing boats?
Imprecision with regard to naval terminology never ceases to amaze me.
An ex-diplomat should know better.
And I don’t know my scuppers from my bilge pump.
I mean boats belonging to the navy, hence “naval boats”. I am not privy to Patel and Wallace’s precise mad plans, but I presume not even they are expecting to chase inflatable dinghies with frigates through the world’s busiest shipping lane. So not ships, boats.
AFAIK, the navy refer to their submarines as “boats”. Even the big nuclear ones that carry Trident missiles.
Gun boats and torpedo boat no longer exist, and rowing boats aren’t much use for anything except paddling round ponds.
I’m guessing — just guessing, mind — that you mean patrol boats.
” . . . to chase inflatable dinghies with frigates . . . “
But frigates deploy Zodiac semi-inflatables, which are eminently suitable for chasing . . .
You don’t need to guess. I replied to you. The navy has various boats, including fisheries protection vessels. I don’t know which precise boats they would use.
I remember that from my brief work on navy contracts.
Appreciated.
I am sure Mr Murray will be outraged for me calling him an anti-white racist. But that is what he indubitably is.
Anyone who is honest (and on this subject, Mr Murray is one the most dishonest and disreputable liars going) knows that all the money being spent on ‘housing asylum seekers/economic migrants’ is at the expense of people already living here, born here, struggling to gain any access to affordable housing, social safety nets etc etc. Food banks are an absolute sign that we cannot even look after our own, let alone pay hotel prices putting up economically inactive migrants.
The first rule of societal civility is to become capable of looking after your own. Only when you can do that, do you accept new entrants, all of whom cost money up front and many of whom will never pay back the investments required in housing, schools, the NHS, public infrastructure etc etc etc.
There is nothing racist at looking at the UK public finances and saying ‘we simply can’t afford this’. The fact that the government spaffed £400bn on absolutely corrupt Covid19 nonsense is neither here nor there. We cannot afford large net migration currently and if Mr Murray says otherwise, he is the most unprincipled liar I have ever come across in my life.
You have a large house in Edinburgh, Mr Murray. You set an example by housing 8 asylum seekers. Not Ukrainians, black African Muslims. You will banish pork from your house, not consume any more single malt Scotch and you can tell your wife to cover her face up.
You will pay for all their food, all their clothes, every single cost of them being here. You will learn the hard way what it actually costs to keep them here. You will pay their medical bills, you will pay 8 units of council tax for them (four times whatever it is you are currently paying), you will pay all the increased costs of heating and lighting, electricity and gas.
The people who will go without will be you, your wife and your children.
You are now second in line. If the migrants lack anything, you do without.
Learn to be a second class citizen Murray.
Learn it for 10 years of servitude.
You are not welcome to come to my site and call me a dishonest and disreputable liar, particularly on the grounds I do not agree with your anti-immigrant views. Consider yourself banned.
I have always thought that the non-working class anti-immigrant stance was fuelled by self interest. If they come over here, I will find it hard to get a hospital appointment, social housing for my kids etc etc. Mr Jaggar demonstrates this belief so well.
Out of order and over the top comment; I think the current situation has caused Mr Jaggar to crack up. There is no call for insults: he could have put his case in more acceptable terms.
However, let’s not throw baby out with the bathwater. Our country is not flush with money and we do have our own social problems, but as usual the problems stem from this appalling, corrupt, incompetent bunch of liars in Westminster.
Yes! I am very glad to see this smug, sadistic, racist, right-wing, anti-scientific conspiracy delusionist banned.
Rhys Jaggar knows nothing of Craig Murray, and makes criticism from ignorance. I have occasionally stayed at Craig and Nadira’s home, and have met some of the people they have accommodated. Craig does not merely talk the talk, he walks the walk. He has been helping refugees and asylum seekers for decades. Craig already puts others ahead of himself, and it makes him a first class citizen, not second, Rhys.
Another bonus is we won’t have to hear the sick bastard calling for the torture and murder of the _children_ of people he doesn’t like. Should have been banned long ago if you ask me.
There’s a lot of homeless people in the UK more deserving of a free hotel room and a mobile phone than countless young male boat people seeking asylum from France.
I’m surprised you’ve tolerated his racist, misogynistic bile for this long, Mr Murray. It’s not the first time he’s posted a nasty diatribe aimed at you personally. He’ll feel more at home dedicating more time posting with his fellow-fruitcakes on “OffGuardian”.
Malevolent, ignorant, insulting and completely and deliberately missing the entire point of Craig’s article. Just so you can rant and rave like the smallest of Tory minds in an entirely fictitious and slanderous way. Craig doesn’t deserve to have his eloquent and conscientious articles trashed by such permanently dyspeptic, hostile ‘followers’ who carpet bag his blog for their own vanity.
It is amazing how many people labour under the delusion that state resources not expended on something of which they disapprove will automatically be spent on something of which they approve.
I suppose it is the case that “People tend to believe what they need to believe and the greater the need the greater the tendency” and when you are a racist trying to make an economic case for your racism, the need is very great indeed.
@ Rhys Jaggar
Geeze, didn’t see that coming.
Rhys, seriously, I suggest that perhaps you try providing refuge to a “black African Muslim” yourself. You might find that you are pleasantly surprised and relieved of your dreadfull, debilitating prejudice.
Oh I think I COULD see that coming. I have notices a progressive hardening of his comments. Its as if some nasty event in his life has turned his head.(It happens- people can be transformed by adverse experiences)
Around Brexit, the well educated, apparently thoughtful professional person that I sat opposite unleashed a wicked racist diatribe against the Polish people who had widely adopted Torry, Aberdeen as a base for an ‘expat’ community. This was due to the relative affordability of the housing. I was shocked by the appalling extreme vitriol from this ‘colleague’. Both she and I Lived in that area so I recognised her vindictive views immediately.
By far the worst behaved people in the area were our fellow Scots. Anti-social behaviour amongst the natives was rife. Drunkenness/drug addiction/vandalism/violence/criminality were commonplace.
As secondary teachers it was uncomfortably noticeable that the immigrant children had values which were consistent with learning-they were at least bilingual and were sociably playful in a way which I recalled from my own childhood. The did not indulge in the kind of destructive disruption that undermined any progress and did harm to the more vulnerable pupils.
One of the interesting aspects of this hostile atmosphere was that all immigrants were lumped together as ‘Polish’.In fact there were many Latvians and others from the Baltic states. and other Eastern European countries such as Czech republic/Slovakia/Bulgaria. The Latvians had adopted a particular pub called the White Cockade and there were frequent fights with locals and the there was gossip that some of these people were involved in prostitution rackets and drugs distribution networks, although I never actually saw or heard anything despite living nearby to the pub.
My point here is that the views expressed by Rhys Jagger are far from confined to him. Alarmingly they may be closer to the norm than we care to contemplate.I have a sense that these views are making inroads into our ‘collective conscousness’ (whatever that may be).It seems to me that Trumpism or a local variant of it is present even in far flung places like Scotland.
I have many thoughts about causation, but as many will possibly have discerned from previous comments I have to say the I think Humanity is being more and more confronted by the 2nd Law of thermodynamics. Somehow this is registered in our consciousness though there may not be much formal understanding of how this law of nature operates in our daily lives. I suspect we are approaching a period of severe de-growth where technology and innovation will fall short of sustaining current lifestyles.(its already happening)
The input (hours of creative thought) required to generate new productive ideas (in the context of our current creed of apocalyptic capitalism) are increasing exponentially ,while output, in terms of new ideas and new efficiencies is diminishing, also exponentially
We are within ten years of the crossover point.That is an uncomfortable thought. If anyone is interested this has a lot to do with a property called “Energy Density” this is the crux of the climate emergency and the international tensions such as Ukraine/Russia.
See the late David Mackay’s book-‘sustainability without the hot air’-available as a free download.Its also worth trying to get a handle on the idea of entropy- a difficult idea though initially it may seem simple enough.
Can I ask why in our current digitally connected world and with some of the oldest universities in the world, with one of the world’s largest arts festivals, and with a significant commercial and technological heritage you think Scotland is a ‘far-flung place’?
You also forgot Billy Connolly is a friend of the Duchess of York.
OH Lord! Pedantic or what Phil. The point is that politically speaking one might regard Scotland as ‘far flung. from the republican trump tribe in the USA. The point is that the Trumpist nonsense has plenty of followers in our wee corner of the world. Small minds ,of which we have our fair share, find something appealing about Trumpism.
“…a ‘far-flung place…”
It is, a bit.
…and I quote…
“To the west there is nothing…. except America.”>
Oh dear, an ethno-nationalist rant. I’ve seen some stuff under your byline that looked dodgy before, Rhys, but directly insulting your host isn’t a good look, and that racist rant is *way* over the top.
That was a weird one, wasn’t it? I always thought this guy was considered to be one of the stalwarts of this blog.
Who knew, eh?
There you go folks…If you engage in that kind of language, you’ll get “removed like Jaggar”…
?
You mean, the Ukrainian Nazis? C’mon, everyone knows they do not exist. This is just a spook story that boy scouts tell by the campfire. If they were real, BBC will tell us so, I’m sure.
Very good Phil!
I prefer the original “Moves like Jagger” …
+1
All these foreigners, especially of colour, they take our homes and money! And they are often muslims, to compound the whole thing. Terrible.
Oh well we’ve been there before, haven’t we?
¯\(°_o)/¯
This was one of the arguments of Brexit: that hospitals are full because of immigrants – it stands to reason. But Brexit was reported as an internal argument between Johnson and Farage on one side, and Cameron and Osborne on the other. The honest response from Cameron would have been “No, it’s nothing to do with immigration, it’s because of all the cuts we made. We did that.” But obviously they couldn’t say that, so their hands were tied over one of the strongest (and most dishonest) of the Brexit arguments. I heard it again in the last election, about over-crowded schools, from a Conservative minister! (Patel? but it could have been any of them.)
I was actually surprised, and encouraged, to see CraIg Murray’s insistence on basic civility – on the internet! – you get so used to anger and nasty attacks. But I feel sorry for Mr. Jaggar, this site is obviously important to him – do you envisage a process of rehabilitation, a parole board? The site is important to me as well, I would like to thank you for your work.
I sort of agree. Maybe he should be sent to the sin bin for a while but a permanent ban might be a bit harsh. Like you say, this site did seem to be a part of his life.
Maybe an apology and a bit of contrition from Mr. Jagger and a bit of understanding and magnanimity from Mr. Murray would do the trick?
Anyway, it’s Craig Murrays board, so it’s up to him to run it as he sees fit.
This is not an isolated episode, unfortunately. Mr Jaggar has a long history of posting reprehensible comments, the worst examples of which are swiftly removed by moderators. Accordingly, readers only see the more innocuous output. If you refine your terms well enough in a search engine, you may be able to find instances of problematic behaviour associated with that name on other public internet forums.
Your compassionate attitude is recognised and appreciated. However, it isn’t the responsibility of this blog to rehabilitate people who persist in making offensive remarks, urge violence against named individuals or social/professional groups, argue in favour of racist discrimination, promote conspiracy theories while condemning the stupidity of those who don’t agree, complain about monitoring and persecution by the security services, or have been accused of improper conduct. While there may be traumatic reasons underlying such challenging attitudes which warrant a sympathetic response, the first step in character reform is to confess the failings, and there has been precious little of that in evidence despite numerous prompts from moderators which were visible only to the comment author. I’m sure you appreciate that citing specific examples in public could evoke further embarrassment, so it’s best to let the matter rest here as discretely as possible. Thank you for your concern, nonetheless.
Further commentary on this issue would be off topic, as it has nothing to do with Rwanda, Africa, or UK policy on refugees. The Blog Support forum is available for comments on operational matters.
OK, understood.
Thank you for answering that point.
Cheers
By the mid-1970s, the capitalist mode of production was in one of its more serious periodic crises: large blocs of the world lay outside its sphere of influence for politco-economic reasons, the 1973 Arab-Israeli war had seriously disrupted energy prices, restrictions on capital flows intended to aid post-WW2 national reconstruction in the West were still in place, and the working class had made significant gains in their conditions of existence during this 1945-1970 ‘Golden Age’ of Cold War spending. Stagflation was the order of the day.
This ‘block’ in ‘progress’ was broken by the adoption of what are now termed neo-liberal policies, the fundamental tenets of which were/are financialisation and open borders for capital, goods and services, and labour-power/”people”. Outward capital investment from the ‘core’ to the ‘periphery’ expanded in search of the cheapest labour costs, initially (before the fall of the Berlin wall) to some Eastern European States and SE Asia, then, post-1980, massively to “Communist” China, the final boost being given by the IT revolution. The spectacular success of these policies over this period (c.1980-2005) was the basis of the spectacular growth in wealth disparity that eventually triggered the Occupy Wall Street movement.
By the mid-1970s, the Communist movement was also in serious trouble. Physical actions taken and politico-ideological positions claimed as “Marxist/Communist” from the 1930s onwards, whilst nothing of the sort, had led to severe reputational damage and the splitting of the movement into cult-like factions more interested in attacking each other than organising against Capitalism (brilliantly lampooned by Monty Python in The Life of Brian. The formation of this ‘New Left’ from the 1950s onwards in fact presaged many of today’s equally risible “identity politicking” groups, since both adopted Frankfurt School “critical theory” in place of Marxist theory, the fundamental problem with this being that critical theory looked to Marx’s “early works” (pre-1845) for its foundation, and these were idealist Hegelian/Feuerbachian texts, not materialist Marxist ones.
The result? Since the 1980s, a rampant neo-liberal/globalist Capitalism has faced a catastrophically ill-educated, non-Communist, “woke”, “identitarian”, “progressive” “Left”. What could possibly go wrong? Absolutely nothing, as far as Capitalism is concerned. In the academy, de facto trolls such as Thomas Piketty churn out garbage in the name of “Marxism” (see Frédéric Lordon’s recent demolition of Thomas Piketty’s ‘Capital and Ideology’ ). In the political sphere, the “Left” now embraces open borders as “progressive”, and characterises those who oppose them as “racist”. Could there be a more ironic turn than the “opponents” of Capitalism supporting principles vital for its survival – a corporate wet dream, with the “Left” supporting its thirst for imported cheap labour and opposing (manual) working class demands for investment in skills, UK/US jobs for UK/US people, etc.
Strangely, like their silence over their claim that labour-power is the only commodity not subject to the law of supply and demand, this identitarian “Left” do not explain how shafting the working class of a de-industrialised, ‘core’ capitalist country by importing a labour surplus from a ‘peripheral’ capitalist country advances the cause of Internationalism understood in the Communist rather than the capitalist sense. Their only response to those of us who oppose open borders is “STFU, because “white” Capitalism raped the “black” Third World for hundreds of years and so we deserve what we are now getting”. Except that, as usual, it is the bloody (manual) working class that, having fought Capitalism’s colonial/imperialist wars, is, once again, “having to take it”, not the capitalist 1% and the (intellectual) working class, living in Virginia Water in the UK or Martha’s Vineyard in the US preaching how “racist” we are.
Financialisation reached its limits in 2007/2008 and the “capitalist” economy now openly and unashamedly survives on bail-outs and market manipulations; open borders are now opposed by both Left and Right; intra-‘core’ wars are back; free-speech is being suppressed; “advanced” States can no longer maintain the living standards of the majority of their citizens We are witnessing the death throes of Capitalism – it’s not going to be pretty.
That only valorizes working-class racism. How do we explain all the middle-class racists like Rhys? (Sorry, “racists”)
Oh, that’s easy: it’s real racism, not the faux racism that the (manual) working class are accused of by these very same “individuals”.
You see, it’s the well-known principle of projection (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection), whereby negative personality traits are attributed to others as a defence mechanism – currently majestically revealed by the Russia-Ukraine war: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/russia-ukraine-war-criticised-racism-western-coverage.
When (honest) historians look back at the EU Referendum result in the UK and DT’s presidential election victory in the US, whatever else they find, two facts will be undeniable: firstly, that the abject ideological corruption of the MSM was revealed not just to those who had already read Mattelart or Chomsky but also to the great unwashed; secondly, that the hypocrisy and pure anti-manual working class animus of the intellectual working class/”middle class” was displayed in all its “glory”, your comment (“That only valorizes working-class racism.”) constituting but one particularly pedestrian example amongst many others.
Psychology’s a real bitch, ain’t it!
For the avoidance of misinterpretation, my first sentence refers to the “middle class” tout court, not Rhys Jagger – I have no idea who he is.
What happened to my post?
—
[ Mod: It was suspended by a moderator. As your details are the same for this comment, if you are using a fully functioning browser you should still be able to see the comment together with the moderation annotation which begins “[ Mod: Off topic. Contrary to guidance you’re making comments about moderation, which is not up for debate in topical threads.” It goes on to explain why the arguments you made against the moderation decision concerning RJ were not valid. Those points will not be discussed here. ]
Apart from the egregious racism, the banned poster has clearly fallen for the “govt has no money of its own” Thatcherite nonsense.
The reason this utterly inaccurate interpretation is so unnecessarily damaging is because money, for the govt, is not scarce at all.
The govt via its central bank is the monopoly creator of the currency, and can spend as many pounds as there are goods, services, materials, land, and energy for sale in Sterling in the U.K. to spend them on. The constraint isn’t financial – it’s the finite limit of those *real* resources, but govt should be maximising those real resources rather than minimising them by insufficient public spending.
So austerity is just a *political* choice, but one which is vandalistic and socially and economically damaging, and creates intense competition for scarce *resources* at the lower margins (housing, decent jobs, school places, medical attention etc).
This intense competition leads to the racism that the poster and many like him exhibit. And the capitalists love it because we are all fighting amongst ourselves for those *unnecessarily* scarce resources, rather than fighting *them*.
An informed an accurate understanding of how public finance actually functions in a country like the U.K., with its own sovereign free-floating fiat currency, is therefore a valuable tool in combatting the racism that results from the competition for *unnecessarily* restricted public resources and services.
The banned poster seems to have additional issues beyond that of course, but perhaps he might have been more relaxed about sharing with other, poorer and socially and economically marginalised groups, if public resources hadn’t been made so *artificially* scarce by continuous and pointless austerity.
He should instead focus his ire on those truly deserve it, mostly Tory politicians, their backers and supporters, and anyone promoting the ‘scarce money’ narrative – which unfortunately also includes the current crop of Labour politicians too.
This morning I felt ill and paralysed after reading bad news, concertinaed by own difficult circumstances in Kenya, while struggling to spread a change of perspective under the heavy weight of forthcoming elections, trying to keep a positive mindset. Money is very short. Now this horrific, unbelievable news. I don’t think Kagame would stop to this but he seems beholden to some European interests. Thank you for this. Please keep us updated.
http://www.twitter.com/kirimba
Thanks Craig
Craig, as usual you are right on the money here. It would indeed be shocking if any African country would agree to set up a prison camp for the “benefit” of the UK. This should be opposed by all caring people.
I looked at the Times article, it seems to have been written by Stephen Swinford. Muck Rack gives us a recent profile of what his thoughts are…*
He seems to be the paper’s Rishi Sunak correspondent, I don’t know if he is all that reliable, I would say, having had a brief look at his recent reports, that he has a bee in his bonnet regarding foreigners, but what do I know. Maybe he is just colluding with his fanbase.
*https://muckrack.com/steven-swinford
It seems the colonial mindset is still alive and thriving in the upper echelons of tne British establishment. It’s as if they still think they can snap their fingers just like their forefathers and African leaders will unquestioningly do their bidding.
Money talks, corruption listens.
Nice web site redesign. Real improvement.
There are good reasons for thinking that this kind of scheme will never get off the ground. Rwanda is not Nauru. It may be a poor country dependent on subsidence agriculture, but it is sustainable and and is getting more prosperous judging from the progress in education and health care, and the expanding service and tourist sectors, and many institutes of higher education.
All this plus the likely reaction from other African countries at the creation of effectively a British prison would likely make the government in Kigali think twice before consenting to such a thing. It would be a big humilliation for their country.
In the end part of the solution to this problem may be, not the creation of prison colonies, but a concerted international effort to help other countries in the regions from which asylum seekers come, prosper as well as democratise.
Following the bad examples set by Australia, outsourcing its concentration camps to Nauru, seems normal for our immigrant home sec.
It should be deplored by the opposition parties, but they dare not rile the electorate who is swimming on a blue and yellow, right wing propaganda drive.
Why else did this arms bringing oaf go to Kviev?
Which political party is condemning such shallow disguise and who is next to be interned?
I am glad if you are right that the electorate are sympathetic to the effort to defend Ukraine. Boris went to Kiev, at some risk to himself (since the war is not over) to defend democracy. I commend him for it, even though I don’t vote Tory. I’ve just finished Madeleine Albright’s “Fascism: a warning” and can recommend it.
As for the relationship with Rwanda: promoting democracy everywhere (as the Commonwealth should) will help create conditions where people are less inclined to flee their homelands.
Pardon me, that should be “Kyiv” which is the modern Ukrainian spelling – “Kiev” was the Soviet Russian one.
I believe the spelling “Kiev” long antedated the Soviets.
Would you say Madeleine Albright was a good person, or someone from whom one should take advice on foreign policy?
She appears to be, from her book “Fascism: a warning”. Have you read it? She also appeared in the fictional series Madam Secretary.
The best response I can think of to absurd accusations of “Nazism” (which I note were levelled by Putin against Zelensky) or other kinds of racism is to tell another joke, updated for the times.
Conversation in a Russian prison cell.
‘What are you in for?’
‘Well, in this military parade celebrating the anticipated end of the special operation in Ukraine within 72 hours (I mean they were sure it would be a walkover) , they shoved a pole with Putin’s portrait on it and told me to carry it. But this drunk kept treading on my heels. Finally I lost my temper and said ‘If you don’t stop, you ****, I’ll beat the **** out of you with the clown on this stick.’ They gave me three years for discrediting the army.
Слава Україні! I hope the Ukrainians will stymie the Russian invaders in the East of the country and repel them across the border just as effectively as they have done till now, and that the promised help from the UK, EU and USA will help.
did she also write a book “how I helped starve hundreds of thousands of kids, and why I believe it was worth it”?
Anyone who at this point is stressing they are a fan of Madeleine Albright could not be making it more plain that they don’t care about the mass starvation of brown people. And yet this one still expects to be taken at face value as a humanitarian. In fact seems to be by the other readers on here.
I am not glad about such secret opportunism and think that this trip to garner favour with voters should be declared as an election expense.
Albright, who approved the death of half million children, warning us about fascism?
https://youtu.be/UYagQuqK31s
Must be a fascinating reading, I’m sure.
Priti Patel is not an immigrant.
This is a sensible post, Mr. Murray, but calling on the African Union to do anything which goes against the immediate financial interests of the leaders of various African countries, who are ready and eager to be bribed, is rather pointless. Look at how they welcomed Israel into the AU, look at their behaviour whenever a former colonial power invades an African territory. There are no doubt principled people in positions of power in Africa. Unfortunately, my own President, Ramaphosa, a long-standing crony of the mining industry who gained power through receiving about 20 million British pounds from big business which he could use to bribe delegates at the last party conference (and more recently one of his biggest supporters is facing a murder charge for shooting two dissident delegates at a party meeting) is not one of them. The ANC’s increasing xenophobia towards the rest of Africa is becoming a national scandal. But good luck with your campaign.
MFB,
” Look at how they welcomed Israel into the AU”
No – by any credible established standards of legal process – it was illegal. It was not the AU as a body – It was corrupt individuals who avoided and circumvented the ‘Rule of Law’ on the issue.
It is now for the AU to revoke and discard the illegal process. Indeed – however – a high official was paid..
Over and out.
Madeleine Albright..Fascism:A Warning
The irony is off the scale.
Indeed, couldn’t make it up.
What’s more, if Mélenchon had managed to cleave away enough of Macron’s support to make it a run off between him and Le Pen, you would’ve seen how quickly these “anti-fascist” establishment ghouls would have realigned for a fascist over a left wing socialist. “Oh Marienne’s not like her awful father you know, in fact Melechon is much more of an antisemite…”
IMHO, it was pretty obvious there will be a run off anyway and those who voted for Melanchon will give their votes to Macron. This is likely the same carousel strategy that’s been practiced by DNC for the past 60 years or so. A lefty candidate, such as Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, Jessie Jackson or Bernie Sanders, stirs up the young progressive crowd, then in the last moment he bails out and endorses the establishment’s choice, such as Hubert Humphrey, Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale, or HRC. His role is to activate the young progressives and make them vote. In France this is even easier because of the run off.
Have you read it?
Albright puts LePen’s party in the same bag as Germany’s AfD and Greece’s Golden Dawn. She does not speak of them in a complimentary way. What is happening in France illustrates just the kind of warning that she makes, using several other examples (including Mussolini and Hitler as well as Erdoğan and Putin).
The irony is that Madeleine Albright is a facist.
Could not have said it better myself:-
How Ukraine War EXPOSES Western Racism | Peter Oborne – Double Down News (YouTube, 9m 32s)
Peter Oborne is a journalistic colossus among today’s contemptible collection of MSM pygmies. Very few left of his stature, only John Pilger and Peter Hitchens that I can think of. And, of course, a certain C. Murray.
And Chris Hedges and Pepe Escobar and some more too….
Sorry, I was initially only thinking of “dead-tree” journalism.
Jonathan Cook (who is now back in the UK, incidentally)
Fleeing persecution in France? WTF?
And today brings confirmation that Mr Murray’s fears regarding Rwanda were well-founded! To our, Rwanda’s and Africa’s (if it accepts this) eternal shame.
I was an exchange student in Santiago at the time of the London Olympics and I remember the family I was staying with expressing surprise at the image being projected of the English as the world’s most tolerant and welcoming people, a model to the rest of humanity. This Chilean family were surprised because in South America in general the English are still seen very much as imperialist pirates addicted to bombing and invading non-white countries. They asked me if this Olympics image is how the English really are. I said no, it’s just PR sleight of hand. They haven’t changed a sod.
It’s not the English people. It’s the Government/establishment/ruling classes. The English people have likewise been oppressed for generations by exactly the same scumbags.
No, inhuman treatment of non-white people is fantastically popular among the English people. Look at some of the responses here even from Craig Murray supporters! It is why the Labour Party is offering no criticism other than on grounds of cost. They know English people would not look favourably upon any moral objections to this policy (aka virtue signalling). All the tolerant, welcoming schtick of 2012 was a confidence trick played on the world at no cost to English people. It was always going to collapse under the slightest pressure. They will never change. It goes too deep.
largely unnoticed by the press and readers :
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/ukraine-migranten-in-eu-finanzierten-haftzentren-gefangen-a-ea2ed6bc-9d46-4026-af5d-c58f9d1095f0 – translation (German to English)
“The EU has funded detention centers for migrants and refugees in Ukraine for years. SPIEGEL research now shows that at least one prison continued to operate after the Russian invasion began.”
According to what I’m reading this morning, it looks like the Rwanda thing is a go. I haven’t read any statements to the contrary by Rwandan officials, so what was the sweeteners for them? I’m guessing discounted arms sales.
The UK is an absolute basket case and the inhabitants of the islands are basket cases too because in any other country, there would have been an uprising long before now and yet, UK citizens in general just lap it all up and accept it.
Ukrainian refugees are allowed in but any others get shipped off to an African country to make their already miserable lives even more miserable.
This is almost beyond my belief. Words are beyond me.
M: The UK is an absolute basket case and the inhabitants of the islands are basket cases too because in any other country, there would have been an uprising long before now and yet, UK citizens in general just lap it all up and accept it.
What exactly do you propose or expect people to do about it? It’s all very well insulting British nationals en masse, but have you any suggestion beyond denouncing them and saying “something must be done”?
Yes. A general strike would be a good idea. Mass co-ordinated protest would be good. That’s two suggestions for a start from me, What are your suggestions, huff and puff, say how bad it all is, then get distracted by something else?
What’s happening to society in the UK now is as I say, almost beyond my belief and is far bigger than a Tory government because if Labour ever got into power, not a single thing would change.
So as far as I’m concerned, the UK needs a complete reset and that can only come from the people using the suggestions I made above. It needs a complete attitudinal shift.
I was ashamed to be Scottish when the No vote was returned in 2014. I’m absolutely ashamed to be British now. The entire UK is an embarrassment and I thank my lucky stars that I live in France now.
Craig:
A very good article here. In fact this policy is a copy and paste version of Israel’s immigration policy – what a surprise with Patel’s links to that country. And what happened? Read for yourself the grim consequences. Rwanda is being bribed to imprison asylum seekers under horrendous conditions.
https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/research-subject-groups/centre-criminology/centreborder-criminologies/blog/2018/10/moving-under
Also, good twitter thread here:
https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1514483776855977984?s=20
What exactly is Mr Murray’s position on this? Total open door immigration to absolutely anyone who can make it on to the shores of the UK (which would soon be in the millions)? And anyone who has the tiniest problem with that is to be dismissed as a ‘racist’? Mr Murray is an odd fellow, brave and brilliant on the Salmond trial and inquiry and Ukraine also, but on this issue he sounds like a green haired teenage Corbynista (or Nicola Sturgeon, oddly enough) full to the brim with self righteousness about an issue they have no responsibility for, and totally devoid of balance, insight (how about the consequences for the countries these people are fleeing? Irrelevant?) or common sense. Every single migrant is a saint, fleeing persecution (from France) to Mr Murray, and everyone who questions the open door approach no better than evil ‘Tory scum’. Student union level stuff with a whiff of anti-English bigotry. Very poor.
Lots on Mr Murray. Lots of self praise for being balanced, insightful and possessed of common sense. Nothing on the Tories’ innovative use of Rwanda as a human dumping ground.
The simplest questions are often the most profound. Here are a couple:
* why are Ukraine’s borders sacrosanct and worth the £billions so far bunged to defend them, while the US-Mexico border or the UK-France border remain for all intents and purposes unsecured?
* why are there more Somali-trained doctors practicing in Chicago alone than there are in the whole of Somalia?
“* why are there more Somali-trained doctors practicing in Chicago alone than there are in the whole of Somalia?”
Where did you dig this shite fact up from? It’s utter nonsense. There are more Somali doctors practising in Somalia than there are Somali-trained doctors practising in the entirety of the rest of the world.
Ooooooh! You naughty liberal you! You’ve been reading Quora (https://www.quora.com/Why-are-there-more-Somali-doctors-in-Chicago-than-in-their-own-country?share=1) under the bedclothes after nursey turned out the lights, haven’t you.
More seriously, with respect to the number of doctors presently practicing in Somalia, I refer your nasty arse first to World Bank statistics for health care (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS?end=2014&locations=SO&name_desc=true&start=2014) which reveal that, as of 2014 (the latest date for which figures were available), Somalia had 0.023 doctors/1,000 population, the lowest in the world. Next, I refer you to pp. 9-10 of the publication Somalia’s Healthcare System: A Baseline Study & Human Capital Development Strategy (https://www.heritageinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Somalia-Healthcare-System-A-Baseline-Study-and-Human-Capital-Development-Strategy.pdf), where it is revealed that, in 1978, there were 198 doctors in Somalia, of which 118 were Somalis, and that by 1990, most had left the country. Finally, according to Somali Forums (https://www.somalinet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=328054), there are, as of 2013, 2 neurosurgeons and 1 anaesthetist working in Somalia. That’s the best I can do I’m afraid, but I look forward with proto-orgasmic anticipation to your corrections and sources.
Of course, what is going on here is typical of intellectual working class/”middle class” behaviour when the “going gets tough”. As soon as there is the first hint of trouble in a ‘peripheral’ country, this fine ‘species’ of humanity makes straight for the exit gates (they are, after all, the only ones with the means to do so – the (manual) working class get to stay behind and suffer) in pursuit of overseas spondulix. In their absence, the far smaller constituency of this ‘species’ with morals and a conscience, and who work for the UN, MSF et al, move in to take their place, in many cases risking their lives. True heroes.
As for Chicago, I can find neither my original source (as yet) nor another. Nevertheless, I feel confident in stating that your “source” claiming that “There are more Somali doctors practising in Somalia than there are Somali-trained doctors practising in the entirety of the rest of the world.” is, like you, ignorant.
I doubt very much that many Somalis were able to complete a medicine degree in Somalia during the years of civil war. I am assuming by “Somali-trained” you mean did their primary medicine degree in Somalia, attending Somali university run courses. Or did you mean Somalis who have trained in medicine somewhere/anywhere in the world?
For sure there are many Somalis emigrants who have trained in medicine elsewhere, outside of Somalia, and good for them.
As regards the UK, the most recent breakdown of NHS staff from overseas is here:
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7783/CBP-7783.pdf
Of the African contingent of NHS overseas staff Nigeria and Egypt make up two thirds of the 6% with 35 other African nations making up the rest. I doubt Somalis represent a large proportion of the remainder, especially Somali-trained.
The very low doctors-per-capita figure for Somalia reflects the dire healthcare situation there, presumably much of the blame for that is because of the 20-year civil war. Nonetheless it still means approx 800 docs given the population of almost 16 million. Perhaps the USA, being involved in Somalia during that period accepted more Somalis than the UK and it may well be those who settled in the US or their children went on to study medicine there as US citizens and don’t count as Somali trained. Even so, I’d imagine the numbers are more or less similar proportionately in the US as they are in the UK.
So I am still calling you out on your nonsense question.
PP
The problem is not as simple and not as great (which would soon be in the millions?) as you make out. Racism is the fear of others and in classifying other humans as worthy or unworthy according to whatever traits you can distinguish them by. But just have a look at this chart:
https://twitter.com/sundersays/status/1514499979771060229/photo/1
You do not have to look at this in great detail to understand what is going on and how to seek a humane answer to the problem of immigration and solve it at source in a fair way. I will leave it to you to imagination to come up with answers.
The indigenous population of the UK has no say and are classified as low class scum when it comes to the virtue signalling, ‘let them all in’ brigade. Let’s have a referendum and see how that works out.
Genuine refugees are an entirely different issue to migrants who need to be ‘managed’ in terms of what we can afford, what they can offer and why they are entering the UK. If they are travelling via the EU then they have no legal right to enter the UK since the UK couldn’t possibly be the first point of entry to the EU.
IMO, the UK should not let one single migrant or refugee into the country if they come from any country that the UK is currently bombing, fighting or arming their military. That would include Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, Libya, etc. Harsh/racist you say ? But where is the logical sense in bombing their homes and then welcoming them here when they flee ? Can’t have it both ways, we either want to kill and maim them and destroy their homes or we want to help them. So, the real responsibility is on the government to stop their genocidal policies.
Exporting these people to Africa is just rendition by another name. And, the UK has form with rendition.
Didn’t the UK leave the EU recently? Or was it just a rumour? Dublin protocol no longer applies, so first point of entry to EU is meaningless (for UK).
Many times I see witterings about the wonderful Dublin Protocol that we no longer have the benefit of since leaving the UK…
The UK was always a NET RECIPIENT of transfers under this joyously effective piece of legislation.
The last year published on the govt website (2018) saw the UK accept 1,215 people (63% of requests) and transfer out 209 people (4% of requests).
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/what-is-the-dublin-iii-regulation-will-it-be-affected-by-brexit/
Whilst the ‘point of entry to EU’ may be meaningless to UK, it is demonstrated that migrants crossing from France are either in breach of regulations already by not having claimed asylum in whichever country they first arrived – or they are guilty of what many of the ‘racists’ claim they are doing – discarding all identifying documentation and inventing a ‘poor refugee’ story, despite having just paid 000’s to a people smuggler to get on the boat.
“But where is the logical sense in bombing their homes and then welcoming them here when they flee ?”
Did it not occur to you that the solution might include stopping bombing their homes?
Let them all in but preferably not in Scotland probably. Oh, and don’t increase my tax to pay for it.
Phillipe, thanks for your factual bucket of slime and McCarthyism, dàid you notice the nearly 20.000 refugee migrants from Ukraine arriving? Quietly unquestioned, should we be vetting them as we vett those loose terrorists from Libya, i.e. very little indeed.
And what shall we do when those Ukrainian army/Marines refugees from Mariupol arrive here, full of hatred of Russians? give them a job with Lebedev or with the dark knight Mandelson?
Or send the on to a journey round the globe, from concentration camp/Reservations to concentration camp?
Or should we do what we should have done a long time ago, weed out the racists and fascists and put them into re education camps, run by other refugee migrants?
Why dont you have a rant at some billionaires with the collateral power to change societies rather than wasting what piffle you have to say here on a decent blog?
Well said Chek Eva Bartlett
The Tories are hot bent on outsourcing everything for which they are responsible, so it is a wonder that they have n’t come up with this wheeze before. The country has a history of outsourcing prisoners to Australia, so it knows how to develop and exploit a market from experience. Why not outsource prisoners to USA which has a sophisticated incarceration system, as Julian Assange might well find out, fully endorsed by the judiciary of this country? I am sure young offenders would learn the value of patriotism by being sent to Ukraine for rehabilitation. Saudi Arabia would be delighted to treat all our sex offenders and women beaters.
Many countries would welcome our offenders to work on community pay back schemes, as cheap labour. Qatar could certainly have used them to build its world cup stadiums for “our lads” to play in.
Russia is a no go as we would not want any Brits to find out what it might be really like there and there is nothing that we would want in exchange.
What the county might supply to other countries for doing its work is open to speculation but it seems keen on making military hardware a key export. You take our prisoners, we will give you arms.
I regret that the scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda seems to be going ahead. £120 million was put into it. I wonder how much of that was used to bribe the Rwandan government.
I don’t find the photographs of a “typical refugee facility” looking like the corner of a comfortable hotel room convincing. I remember a true spy story of an American President or other high official being shown round the fanciest apartments in Moscow and being told that these were how typical Soviet workers lived.
Besides, why would Rwandans allow prospective refugees to live better than their own people? Africa has its own share of xenophobia, as we saw in South Africa towards immigrants from neighbouring countries not so long ago.
What will happen to those whose claims are turned down (which I suspect will be the lot of the great majority)? I imagine that following a decision to reject their claim, they will be simply expelled from the processing centre and then deprived of the right to work or what meagre state help there might be, so that they will be totally destitute, like asylum seekers that Israel persuaded to go to Kigali. Here is the story of one Eritrean:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/asylum-seekers-who-left-israel-for-rwanda-warn-those-remaining-don-t-1.5785996
Imaginary conversation in the Ministry of Truth:
Prime Minister Piffle: Independent Advisor Jones! The wolves are after me for having birthday cake during the lockdown. What can I do?
J: There’s Ukraine, PM. You wrote a book about Churchill. Go there, be Churchillian, encourage President Z to do likewise and I’m sure all will be forgiven, at least among your fellow Tory MPs. They’ll withdraw their vote of confidence.
P: Sounds good. Do it!
(A week later)
P: Well, did it work?
J: Almost, PM. The trouble was, Ursula de Lyon beat you to it, and she even visited Bucha. Why, some people might be forgiven for thinking that she’s more Churchillian than you!
P: Curses! Well, thanks to Brexit we can do what we like to workers – or asylum seekers. I believe PP’s looking at deporting them to darkest Africa. They won’t get back to Calais and the dinghy sellers in a hurry from there.
J: The trouble is, PM, the Israelis tried it and stories are leaking out about destitution. It’s not likely to work for very long. That will be a hundred million down the drain.
P: Double curses! I knew we should have used that money for some good tenders, maybe some new nuclear power plants. PP and her bright ideas!
J: That’s not all, PM. The police have started dishing out fines – including you, Sir.
P: @#***%%!!! (Regrettably unprocessable by Google translate, but believed to be something about the next General Election with reference to 1997).