''When you are in a hole, stop digging.''

''When you are in a hole, stop digging.'' This quote was attributed to the Labour Party politician, Denis Healy, in 1988; he meant that when you got yourself into a hole of political difficulties it is best to stop digging as the first step to solve your problems.

The government has got itself into a deep hole over the Rwanda immigration policy which is a complete failure at the moment and will continue to be. The Rwandan scheme of deporting so called "illegal" immigrants and asylum seekers, or boat people, to Rwanda, is already a failure. The Rwandan government will, at the most,  allow 500 unfortunate immigrants to be accommodated in hotels, but there are around 28,000  boat people arriving every year, so even if there is a way found to legally deport the boat people then thousands will remain to be detained in the UK. 

Thousands of boat people have risked their lives to arrive on the UK shores so being deported to Rwanda will not act as a deterrent to many.  Likewise, the death penalty never stopped murders and it was useless as a deterrent.

It would be best to find an alternative policy  to deporting boat people and stop this inhumane stupidity.

UK immigration policy is a continuing disaster

 Today the UK supreme court has ruled that the governments policy to send so-called "illegal asylum seeking immigrants" to Rwanda is unlawful. There now needs to be a reappraisal of immigration policy.

It was always debatable whether refugees  who enter the country by unofficial means, such as smuggling by people traffickers,  are  in fact entering illegally. Under international law refugees fleeing wars, torture and prejudice do not have to cross borders "legally" to claim asylum.

The best solution to the problem of the boat people is to treat these unfortunate refugees with some respect and compassion. So far the government has failed. In their efforts to appease public opinion they have introduced measures to deliberately slow down the procedures for granting asylum to refugees, and this policy has resulted in huge backlogs to clear applications.  Because, the government has made it extremely difficult for genuine refugees  to gain access to the UK, asylum seekers are paying people smugglers to ferry them across the English channel. The government  has dreamt up the incompetent scheme of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, to act supposedly as a deterrent. Government policy is now both egregious and  unlawful.

Immigration and asylum policy could be improved enormously. I could dream up a better policy and system, which would help solve the crisis.

Many of the refugees are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, we bombed them so they are entitled to come to the UK forthwith and without excessive bureaucracy, provided they are not on a terrorist or dangerous criminal watch list. Likewise for refugees from Ukraine, Sudan and Hong Kong. The backlog could be reduced very quickly. Albanian citizens who arrive illegally should be sent back just like Thai and Malaysian citizens etc. would be.

It should be made easier and cheaper for workers to obtain work visas for the UK. They would then be less inclined to use subterfuge and then work in the Grey markets as wage slave agency workers.

Of course, there will be undeserving cases but their applications would be treated as exceptions, their applications could be fast tracked and undeserving or dishonest applicants could then be removed or jailed if necessary..

France has offered to Britain the opportunity to cater for applications for asylum seekers in processing centers on French territory, but they won't do this whilst the current farrago is not resolved. Let's take up their offer and resolve the problems legally and humanely.

It is time for all politicians to stop appealing to the lowest common denominator of public opinion, on dealing with immigration. The public should be reminded of our duty to accommodate  refugees with compassion and lawfulness. There needs to be a policy agreed between all the major parties.

If we treat everyone according to their human rights and dignity, then there will be no need to implement egregious policies and leave the ECHR. Gut instinct politics should have no support in a humane society.

Gaza crisis

 The violence and hatred between Israel and Palestine needs to stop immediately. There needs to be rapprochement and the "tit for tat" revenge needs to end. It does not matter who is individually to blame for the war. The Jewish and Palestinian victims are simply the victims of war. 

I am not a religious person but there is one religious maxim which is pertinent and that is "turn the other cheek".

It is time for both sides to introduce a change of thought and moral perspective, otherwise this conflict could go on forever. The international community must work together  with the warring parties to arrange a two states solution where both Israeli and Palestinian citizens can live in peace and without  the endless cycle of  revenge.

Stirring up prejudice

 A couple of days ago I was walking towards our local high street when I heard a white woman direct a foul mouthed invective towards two women, nearby, who were wearing hijabs. "Go home" she shouted. "Fuck off back to where you came from". The two ladies looked shocked by her obscene and violent outburst. I was shocked too, and it took me a couple of seconds to finally understand what she was saying. She disappeared quickly before I could challenge her. The two victims were too far away for me to  approach them to tell them that not everyone indulges in this form of hate speech, and anyway they may not have appreciated me approaching them for fear of being subjected to further abuse. Under these circumstances it is difficult to know what to do for the best.

The woman shouting the obscenities could not have known where her victims were born; they could have been as British as she was. The white woman just assumed that  they were foreigners because they were wearing hijabs and had slightly darker skin than her. The white woman doing the shouting just displayed her ignorance and vile prejudice, she was committing a hate crime and probably would have been arrested had the police been around.

I have never witnessed this sort of abuse before in our local community. I cannot prove it but I suspect that recent speeches by our politicians criticising multi-culturalism and so called "illegal migrants" is stirring up not just unhinged characters, but also more sane, but prejudiced, people into orally attacking citizens who they assume to be immigrants. Worse, some people are being subjected to "racist" and bigoted violence. 

Even if there is no causal connexion between the  outpouring of politicians and racist hate speech and violence on the streets, then political leaders have a duty to appeal to the population to restrain themselves. Without this we could be on a slippery and dangerous slope. 

Women's World Cup Football Madness

 We have all seen and read about the controversy related to the Rubiales kiss and his crotch-grabbing triumphalism. It is my opinion that his behaviour was more crass than criminal. He should resign even if he  and his mother feel that he did nothing wrong: and before the public clamour, for something to be done about his behaviour, leads to his dismissal. 

In my opinion the football authorities are more to blame than Rubiales, because Rubiales should not have been on the stage in the first place and neither should any other of the dignitaries from the winning or losing states. It would have been sufficient for prominent women of both the hosting states , Australia and New Zealand,  to be handing out the cup and the medals: this would have lead to a more dignified occasion.

Football has lost its way because it is being run by men who are unable to resist the temptation of commercialism, jingoistic triumphalism and egoistic exhibitionism.

Footballers have been encouraged to dance around platforms when they win and embrace the blatant commercialism and the public relations jamboree. There must always be a winner, so much so that football has to have a penalty shoot-out when there is a draw. This does not select the best team of the tournament. Knock out competitions rarely do. There must be a winner demanded by commercial interests and the  TV and social media schedules. A draw is unacceptable for them.

The pressure to win, at all costs, has lead to teams cheating and fouling and generally bringing the game into disrepute.

The growth of the women's game gives women the opportunity to make the sport better. However, I fear that the female version will be dragged down to the level of the men's game. It is time for women to take charge and prevent this from happening just for the love of sport.

There are lots of things wrong with our political system

 There have been some disturbing reports with our political system reported recently.

One MP has been using foul language about asylum seekers and immigrants, he was was quoted as saying that asylum seekers should "f*** off back to France" if they do not like being accommodated on a barge. I would never vote for any prospective MP if they use such language, no matter what party they stand for or opinion being cast. I expect every MP to be more respectful and intelligent in their choice of language when making public statements.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lee-anderson-asylum-seekers-bibby-barge-b2389327.html

There have been disturbing reports that hackers have stolen the names and addresses of every voter in the UK from the electoral commission. This is egregious. How could this have happened? It seems that none of our data is safe and secure in the  UK whether they are in the hands of government bodies or corporations? How can we now trust future plans to have electronic voting if the electoral systems are not safe from hackers and bad actors? Anyone who holds our data should redouble their efforts to improve to ensure that any information held is secure.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hack-cyber-attack-uk-voters-b2389523.html#comments-area

The Russia and Ukraine war

 The war between Russia and Ukraine is an unjustified scourge. So many innocent civilians and conscripted soldiers have died or have been wounded.  There are thousands of people who have lost their homes or have become refugees. The cost is running into billions of dollars.It is all for nothing and no side will ultimately benefit. There was a Minsk 2 agreement which, if implemented ,would have formed the basis of a lasting peace. There could have been a rapprochement based on joint sovereignty of the Donbass and the Crimea. But, no, both sides failed to implement the agreement by preferring war to achieve their aims rather than by using diplomacy. 

There is an increasing stalemate on the battlefront and both sides are using cluster bombs which many states, including the UK, regard as unacceptable if not a war crime. A war of attrition could go on for years. 

In any war there is a temptation to destroy infrastructure as both an offensive and defensive tactic, this tactic is exacerbating the problems of Ukraine and its people.

It is possible that Ukraine will recover the Donbass but I doubt that the Crimea will ever be recaptured. If there is a peace agreement to be negotiated ,when one side starts losing, there will have to be provision for the human rights of ethnic minorities in both Ukraine and the Crimea. Sanctions should be maintained against Russia if they do not agree to this, and, likewise, Ukraine should not be allowed to join NATO or the EU if they do not agree. Any negotiated settlement must be implemented by both sides.

Eventually, there will have to be a peace agreement so why not stop the war, and start negotiating now? What is so wrong with the human race that we cannot solve international problems by diplomacy rather than by war.  We have the madness of nuclear weapons hanging over our heads, and one day a psychopathic dictator might decide to use them if he starts  losing a war. The climate crisis could erase the human race from the planet; we should all pool our efforts into fighting man-made global warming rather than pursuing useless and dangerous wars.

Hubris

 The perennial problem that Britain suffers from is Hubris or the arrogance of  excessive pride. It is not just politicians that suffer from this, but it is also  a considerable proportion of the general population. Many politicians from all sides of the political divide use the belief of excessive pride to manipulate the population into voting for them.

When I was young in the 1950's we were taught that Britain was best at almost everything, that we the British made the best chocolate, had the best police and health services, we had the best mountain climbers and military forces, and above all we had the best democracy. Our society was better organised than anyone else's, as after all we had civilised the "backward nations" in our Empire. Above all, we had liberated Europe from the Nazis; US, Canadian, Russian and Free French forces were but a sideshow. Our erstwhile allies might have a different opinion, but of course they got it wrong.

All of this crowing, that Britain is best, is of course tosh. As a nation and people, we are no better or worse than anyone else. It is not declinist  or unpatriotic to be realistic enough to think that sometimes your country can get it wrong and that it is not all powerful. In fact, it is a complete mistake to believe that your country is perfect and exceptional in everything it does as it leaves no room for improvement or co-operation with other countries.

We have seen politicians banging the hubristic drum this week. One politician in parliament today quoted some cherry-picked economic facts to claim that everything is better now that we have left the EU, when clearly it is not; our economic woes are a result of the pandemic, the Ukraine war and  Brexit. Above all, however, our long term economic problems are the result of Hubris; as a perfect society is believed to not require improvement.

The Financial Times is at pains to work out why Britain performs badly as compared to our neighbours and the US,  when economic conditions get tough: they only have to look at our Hubristic attitude that a perfect Britain is so great that it can go-it-alone and does not need to work with our neighbours to create an improved economic, social and environmental order. It's time for politicians from all political sides to tell the British the truth and convince them that "go-it-alone exceptionalism" is not always the best course of action.

https://www.ft.com/content/497543ea-5f85-4522-a4df-b15ff416cca8

Sometimes you are responsible for your own safety

 I have every sympathy for the British nationals marooned in Khartoum to face their fate without their government or anyone else helping them. They must be terrified. However, the British government is obliged to help its citizens to escape. It seems that it was relatively easy for the British government to organise a military force as part of a coalition to defeat the Iraqi army and depose Saddam Hussein in the early part of this century. Equally, Britain was able to organise a force to liberate the Falkland Islands from powerful opposing forces in the 1980's,and to do this on its own. Is Britain now so weak as a military power that it is unable to mount a rescue or provide some form of assistance to its citizens in deep trouble?

Any rescue would be fraught with danger for both the armed forces and the Britons who are stranded. Soldiers and Civilians could be taken hostage, tortured or subject to guerilla attacks .But what would happen if  British citizens were subject to murder, torture or hostage taking while waiting for a ceasefire which may not come for many years? Public opinion would demand intervention, we can only hope that there is a better contingency plan than that for the  Afghanistan evacuation.

French, German and Spanish forces have evacuated some of their citizens who were not part of Diplomatic community, and they have reportedly rescued some Britons, but they could have been dual nationals.

Britain is in a weak position as it has thousands of citizens awaiting evacuation but it does not have the military power to easily organise a rescue mission. We have thousands more citizens in Sudan than other European nations. Britain's position would have been better if we had stayed in the EU, as there would have been a moral obligation for France and Germany etc. to provide military help. The pretence of Britain being a military power than can act on the world stage on its own, and as a completely sovereign power is exposed. Those who have respect for their country should acknowledge this and should adjust their political and diplomatic opinions accordingly.

As for the individual citizen, then you should consider that you could simply be left alone to fend for yourself if you travel to a potential war zone, as a gunboat won't be on its way. You are simply responsible for your own safety. However, lets hope that help will be come shortly.

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/sudan-evacuation-british-doctor-elderly-father-khartoum-2293983?ITO=msn

It's time to stop the prejudice about migrants

 Everyone on the planet comes from a migrant family. Modern Humans originated from a small area, probably in what is nowadays called Ethiopia. Our ancestors did not remain there they moved and spread out across the world owing to the same reasons as today: lack of food or water, warfare and fear or simply to find somewhere better to live. You are the descendant of a migrant. If you believe that somehow migrants are inferior to you, then you believe that of your ancestors and of yourself.

If you are proud of your ancestors then you must be proud of migrants. You can't have your cake and eat it.

Migrants are intelligent and resourceful people and this is why Humans became the dominant mammalian species, and this has been sometimes to the detriment of our mammalian cousins.

Morally, there cannot be anything wrong with migration, most people do not migrate unless there is something substantially wrong where they are living at the moment. Most people return to their homeland when it is safe to do so and they become homesick. An adventurous and enterprising few in number remain and adapt to their new country.

Every migrant is worthy of respect just like we respect our elders and ancestors.

The problems associated with migration will not be solved if we treat asylum seekers and other migrants worse than pet dogs; we just belittle ourselves and we besmirch the memory of our ancestors. By de-humanising migrants we also de-humanise ourselves, and we threaten our own survival. It is time to wake up and face the reality.

Refugee tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea

 Once again there has been a tragic sinking of a refugee ship in the Mediterranean Sea off Calabria. This time 60 refugees have died, including children, on their way from Turkey to Italy. Many of these refugees are fleeing from war, torture and other ravages from countries such as Afghanistan and Iran. 

It appears as if these people and their human rights are being ignored by western governments and populations. Surely the miserable plight of refugees needs to recognised and there should be some sort of political settlement to alleviate their suffering.

Refugees from the war in Ukraine have been allowed to cross borders into western Europe  to seek re-settlement and so they should have been. However, why should refugees from Afghanistan be prevented from crossing borders they too are trying to escape the ravages of war? The same applies to folk from Somalia and Yemen. Many people are trying to escape from political discrimination especially if they are homosexuals. Some people are trying to escape from imprisonment for their political views. Most people do not wish to flee from their homeland unless there is a dire and immediate need.

 Usually people emigrate voluntarily for family, work or business reasons or for adventure but not because they are forced to go. Anyone who is forced to leave their homeland should be treated with humanity just like the citizens of Ukraine and Hong Kong.

We need to solve the refugee problem by making every country in the world fit to live in for all citizens no matter their ethnic background, sexuality or political views. We need to stop wars and mitigate the effects of climate change and famine.

Rich governments and countries can easily stop the forced migration of people by stopping costly and dangerous wars, and divert resources from war making to nation building. Rich governments and countries could help third world countries mitigate the effects of climate change. There is a surplus of food which rich governments could help to re-distribute.

The refugee problem could be easily managed,but it requires a change of attitude from every one. All human beings have the right to be treated with equal respect and we all need to to recognise this. The concept of "stopping the boats" both in the English Channel and the Mediterranean to me is repulsive; there has to be a way of accommodating refugees humanely. No refugee should be treated as if they are "invaders" as they are fleeing war , famine or torture, and most of them are good people rather than criminals or terrorists. They do not deserve to be traduced by some of the indigenous population or their politicians. 

I fear, however, that our human race will continue with its policy of discrimination and ill treatment of refugees, and it will continue to ignore the peaceful resolution of national disputes, and it will not tackle climate change and famine. The refugee problem will, therefore,  only get worse. It is time that we all wake up and tackle the problem head on, but some hopes.

ETIAS and Free Movement Nonsense

 Very shortly and after long delays the Schengen area is going to introduce a travel permission system called ETIAS or the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. The system will vet travellers who do not require a visa to visit  the Schengen area of the EU and other European Countries. which means that travellers from the US, Canada, the UK etc. will have to register with ETIAS before they travel. The voyager will need to input their personal and health details and scan their passport  and  into the system, and then pay 7 Euro for the privilege of being allowed to travel for three years. The system can prevent someone from entering the Schengen zone if they have a serious criminal record, a disease or they are on an organised crime or terrorist watchlist. There is an appeal system. It will take a up to 96 hours for your permission to travel to be authorised but it could take longer if there has to be manual intervention in the system.

Citizens of the EU or the Schengen area will be exempt as will travellers granted permanent residence.

Further to this the European Entry Exit system is also going to be introduced. Travellers who require ETIAS permission will have to supply their fingerprints and eye prints to be recorded by machines at ports, the first time they enter the EU and Schengen area after the system is up and running. This will mean that travellers will be delayed when the system starts up.

It's my opinion that this is bureaucracy gone mad. Airlines and other travel companies will be obliged to stop you from travelling if you do not have ETIAS permission. If you need to travel to a Schengen country quickly to visit a dying relative or urgently do some busines or work you could be stopped from travelling. The governments of Western Europe will have a database recording your every movement in and out of the country. Your days in the Schengen area will automatically be counted, if you overstay your 90 visa free days then the authorities could deport you or or put you on a blacklist. Families could be split up if one of them has an irregularity.

There really is no need for this system. In former days I and some of my work colleagues have crossed borders without showing a passport when we have forgotten them. None of us had criminal records and none of us was a danger to national security. It is my view that more than 99% of people are of no security risk and fewer than 1% of people are terrorists or dangerous criminals. Interpol already has a list of the the worst people and they are on a watch list at the airports etc. My wife and I travel regularly between Britain and France, using the channel tunnel, and we have never seen anyone being asked to leave a coach or car to be arrested despite all the checks. We have also, in former times, crossed the channel without showing passports both ways; no one bothered to look. Now we are delayed in unnecessary queues and we have to double check that we have our passports with us: we and most of our fellow travellers  are not going to wittingly harm anyone in Britain or France.

Further to this Britain will introduce a similar Electronic Travel Authorisation system, or ETA, in 2023 although it is delayed, but a pilot system is operating. This means that our American friends who travel to Europe every year will need and ETIAS permission and an ETA permission to enter the EU and the UK respectively. Our friends have never harmed anyone and do not intend to, so why should they have to bother with cumbersome bureaucracy just to visit Europe and the UK.

It will be a criminal offence to enter Britain without an ETA permission; so watch out if you go to the Republic of Ireland and then cross the open border to Northern Ireland,  for you could be arrested if you are found out  accidently and could then be put in prison! 

Why are governments controlling innocent citizens when the terrorists are entering countries and crossing borders with false passports issued by hostile countries? Finding terrorists is like finding a needle in a haystack; these systems are just making the haystacks bigger.

The "antidote" to the "antidote"

 Recently the US government supplied the Patriot missile system to Ukraine, these missiles can destroy the Drones fired by Russia to destroy civilian targets and kill innocents. The defence system is an "antidote" to being attacked. The Russian president claimed that his military had an "antidote" to the patriot missile system, therefore his army had an "antidote" to the "antidote". There is no doubt that the Ukrainians will find an new "antidote" to the "antidote"; this could go on ad infinitum.

I suggest that the best a"antidote" to all this is not to invent such dreadful weapons in the first place and not to make unprovoked attacks on your neighbours and to think rationally rather than emotionally about international relations. War will never by a satisfactory solution to international problems.