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.  

Don't call me a Pommie Bastard

I have lots of Australian friends and one of them still calls me a Pommie Bastard, in jest, even though the expression has now fallen out of favour. I don't care what he calls me because I know that he is being both friendly and ironic, and he knows that I will not take offence. Others would be insulted no matter the relationship.

Every time you speak to someone  you have to be aware of the context in which you are making observations and asking questions, especially with people you have just met. I have worked in many countries and managed teams of people from different backgrounds. I have been cautious and aware  enough in my working relationships not to cause offence, so I have never  been accused of "racism".

You should never ask someone where they are from until you get to know them a little bit and they get to know your intentions and attitude. 

It is helpful to know someone's background and find out a bit about their heritage especially when you are managing multi-cultural teams, which may include, Muslim, Jewish and active Christians as well as people with different coloured skins. White people are in a privileged position, as they usually come from what is perceived to be an historically "dominant " culture, so, therefore, they are obliged to be more tolerant and sensitive to cultural niceties. 

There has to be a bit of give and take, but, the incident at the palace with a Royal aid being accused of "racism" is a case in point of insensitive "where are you from" questioning gone too far.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ngozi-fulani-racism-susan-hussey-buckingham-palace-b2236213.html#

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ngozi-fulani-lady-susan-hussey-racism-b2236786.html

 When Ms Ngozy Fulani made it clear  that she was born in Britain and was a British citizen, then Lady Hussey should have shut up or changed the subject quickly, and apologised if Ms Fulani had taken offence. I am only commenting on press reports so I do not know the actual facts. But I do know that everyone, should be aware that the attitude of "white entitlement" does not go down too well with all members of our community. We should all be careful of what we say and how we treat others. Apologising after the event is not good enough and does not go far enough, so it is time now for a sincere change of attitude.

Britannia Unchained or Britannia Unhinged

 For me it is both sad and disturbing to see my nation, the UK, being humiliated by the current economic crisis. The money markets and the IMF have dictated to the UK what to do. And that is to reverse the economic policies of the so called mini-budget. The UK prime minister was  forced then to sack her Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Chancellor was acting under the authority of the Prime Minster who was equally as responsible for the mini-budget  failure. The budget failed because it could not balance the books by increasing public sending and promising tax cuts .The Prime Minister and her Chancellor were joint authors of a book written in 2012: Britannia Unchained. The book promulgated libertarian economic policies such as deregulation, low taxes and completely free market policies which would lead to economic growth and which would lead  Britain to become a 1st rate world power again. Unfortunately economic life does not work out that way: deregulation does not work as it leads to financial scandal, polluted rivers and costal waters, poor food standards and runaway global heating. Lower taxes have not really been proven to promote economic growth. The only place in the world where there was absolute "free trade" was the European Single Market and we left it.

Britannia Unchained was a pipe dream which has now lead to Britannia Unhinged. Britannia has  completely lost its economic sovereignty, and  much of its political power.

And now what of the future? Of course, no state which operates within international markets can afford not to balance the books. Financial stability is key if a government is to fund its activities by borrowing from the international markets. Before the mini-budget the UK was on the way down economically. Leaving the EU has reduced the GDP potential, of the UK, by 5.7%  and it has reduced investment in the UK economy by 13.7%. Worst still, since leaving the EU the UK balance of payments deficit has worsened to 7% of GDP; this is unsustainable. The UK is having to borrow more and more to keep its head above water. A crisis was coming mini-budget or not, but the mini-budget hastened its arrival, and more Brexit related privations await us if we do not change course.

It looks as though the new Chancellor has stopped some of the financial rot but the additional costs of the financial excesses will cause more difficulties for the poor and middle income citizens who will have to pay much more for their energy, food, rent and interest payments while receiving very little tax relief. A governmental disaster has been averted, but it  will turn into a  personal disaster for many of our citizens. Further instability, for the UK, in the financial markets, will be expected if politicians thwart the Chancellor in his efforts to balance the books.

Economic growth does not just depend upon balancing the books, it requires the economy to be vibrant, and it depends upon exports of goods and financial services. Our exports provide the cream to top a stable and  financially  balanced economy. Our industries require new ideas and new skills  and an entrepreneurial spirit to compete in international markets. We require cooperation with our friends and allies. The ideas contained in Britannia Unchained have failed, as many of these ideas inspired the failed ideology of  Brexit.

How can we find hope of better economic prospects ? Well, one idea would be to re-join the single market and pool our sovereignty with other nations to our mutual benefit. Joining the single market would solve many problems. It would encourage growth and investment, and Britain would be invited to join the Horizons project. There would be no need for the Northern Ireland protocol as the trading rules for Ireland and the UK would be the same. By ditching the protocol we could establish better relations with the US and achieve a trade deal with them. Scotland would be less likely to vote for independence if we join the Single market. We could go one step further and rejoin the Customs Union, so that we could benefit from the new EU -USA partnership which is under negotiation. The EU might even gives us a veto over Customs Union negotiations.

It is time to admit that leaving the EU has contributed to our economic failures and contributed to our national humiliation and loss of sovereignty. The Prime Minister has had the courage to admit her mini-budget mistakes, but will she and her cabinet colleagues and the UK opposition party admit that it was a mistake to leave the EU. Unfortunately I doubt it, so economic stagnation and further humiliations await.

Another failure of diplomacy

 The war in Ukraine is yet another failure of diplomacy. This war is a cruel waste of soldier and civilian lives with all the disruption that this brings. Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes and have been forced to become refugies. The whole conflict is a futile waste of effort and money which will achieve little if anything but stalemate. The conflict and suffering could go on for years and achieve little but suffering.

A solution could have been negotiated based on neutrality for Ukraine coupled with perhaps joint sovereignty by Russia and Ukraine over the disputed territories of the Donbass and Crimea.  But nationalism in both countries and the desire for absolute sovereignty have got in the way. Nationalism is a dangerous concept wherever it rears its ugly head. And, the belief in absolute sovereignty is equally as dangerous.

It is clear that Russia would be severely defeated if  ever it came into conventional warfare with Nato, which has vastly superior weaponry and economic resources. Russian politicians are aware of this, so that maybe why Russia is so determined not to allow Ukraine to become a  member of NATO. Fear may also be just as much a driving factor in Russian calculations as irredentism. A peaceful settlement could have been negotiated  which could have been guaranteed by Nato without Ukraine joining the Western Alliance. It is probably not possible now to negotiate an equitable peace settlement. One side or the other will have to be defeated before they sue for peace. This is unfortunate for both sides.

This war has been a complete waste of money , money which could have been spent helping the poorer nations of the world. Unfortunately, many of the world's politicians are hell bent wasting money on wars and needless social conflict whilst being driven on by  their nationalist communities. Sometimes I despair for the human race and its future.

Privileged ease of movement and gridlock in Dover

 Every year, some our friends from the US come to the UK to stay in West Wales to avoid the hard and cold winters in Colorado; they would like to stay longer or even become British citizens. They enter the country under visa free rules and are usually allowed to stay for just six months. Their chances of becoming British citizens are virtually nil, and getting visas to stay longer than six months are intensely bureaucratic and expensive. Sometimes, they stay in the EU but they are restricted to staying  90 days within a 180 day period. Our friends would be model citizens if they were allowed to stay long enough to apply to become Britons or Europeans, as they are self sufficient and would not be any sort of burden to their new country of residence.

 There is no such thing as absolute "Freedom of Movement", as the migration rules of the EU do not permit immigrants from another EU country to reside in another EU state for longer than three months unless: they are employed, self-employed or running a business, a student or a retired /self-sufficient individual. If you break these rules you could be asked to leave or even be deported- there is no free lunch. Usually you have to register as a resident after three months of staying. All these restrictions were lost on the majority of  UK voters in the 2016 referendum.

EU citizens are, however, allowed to cross EU borders for tourism, business  and family reasons with hardly any formality, and if your country is in the Schengen area you do not even need a passport or identity card to cross borders.

This ease of movement is a privilege which is something to be cherished in an increasingly controlled and bureaucratic world. I have discussed migration many times with our lovely American friends, as they would love to have such arrangements to ease their "freedom of movement" while visiting and staying in Europe. This privilege is a social bonus even if you do not take full advantage of it.

Today , I was looking at the chaos at the UK-Dover border with France; freight and tourist traffic was being held up for hours because British travellers are now subject to unfamiliar  border regulations because they are now "Third Country Nationals". These regulations are now causing delays at peak holiday times. The town of Dover is now in gridlock, because of inadequate management of the tourist traffic. Brexit is the cause of this.

The Port of Dover is blaming the French border control authorities for not having sufficient personnel  to examine passports. British travellers now have their passports examined for date validity and for overstayers who have stayed in the Schengen area for too long. This all takes a lot more time. Before Brexit none of these checks where taking place. Under Schengen rules you could now also be asked for proof of a return ticket and sufficient funds to support yourself, and proof of where you are going to stay.  This is a bureaucratic nightmare. I've got a feeling that some of the French border control staff are turning a blind eye to families where one of their members has a non-compliant passport etc. They are not waging a vendetta against the British; they are just trying to implement the rules.

In easier times, in the past, I have often travelled between Jersey and France without showing a passport and if challenged I would say I forgot it, but  no difficulties resulted. I often travelled in Europe with a work colleague who regularly forgot his passport  and he was allowed to enter European countries for work purposes without a passport, and when he returned to the UK he simply said he had forgotten his documents and they let him in. Not anymore, you will not be allowed into any European country without a passport, if you are British, unless you are going to Ireland the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. British citizens are entitled to re-enter their country without a passport but try it now without one;  you will delayed for a long time while they check you out.

It is no use complaining, for by leaving the EU and  the Single Market, the British people have lost their ease of  movement privileges. This is what the British people voted for-  the control of our borders: we are denying EU citizens ease of movement into Britain and the EU countries are reciprocating. It is no use whinging that the French , Dutch or Spanish are not staffing their borders properly or that they are  not waiving the rules for the British because "we" are exceptional. France, Holland and Spain are sovereign countries and they staff their borders appropriate to their own needs and not to the desires of  the British.

Britain could probably negotiate a better agreement on ease of movement but this would have to be reciprocal, but in the current climate of bad relations between Britain and the EU this is unlikely.

Our American friends are not complaining about British or EU  border controls not being easier for them, but they would love to have the privileges EU citizens have to travel almost freely within the EU and Schengen areas. A privilege that the British have lost. As a Briton, do you feel proud or duped?