Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I think it’s right that the abolition of the Transatlantic slave-trade should be commemorated. In fact there ought to be an annual day to educate people about the horrors of the slave trade and to inform people about modern forms of slavery. People say that it all happened a long time ago but so did the Battle of Trafalgar and that didn’t stop the UK from commemorating that. The actions of William of Orange and Guy Fawkes took place long before the abolition of the slave-trade but they are annually commemorated in the UK.
Another reason why the, “it all happened such a long time ago” argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny is that we still commemorate events that happened in WWI & WWII. Is the Cenotaph going to be destroyed once the bicentennial of the Armistice is reached? Is the museum at Auschwitz going to be destroyed on the centennary or bicentennary of VE day?
I also don’t buy the argument that African collaboration in the slave-trade somehow diminishes the responsibility that Europe and America have for slavery. Some people collaborated with the Nazis too, does this mean that we shouldn’t be critical of what the nazis did? Slavery wasn’t illegal in the US or UK, but then again the persecution of Jews wasn’t illegal in Nazi Germany and the gulags weren’t illegal in the USSR.
You may ask why the Transatlantic slave-trade is still a relevant issue in the 21st century. The reason it’s usually brought up is in response to pompous comments about Africa/colonialism, or in relation to modern forms of oppression and exploitation. Has the racial prejudice and ignorance of Africa that existed 200 years ago disappeared? Not really. Has the exploitation of Africa stopped? No. The truth is that most people still know very little about Africa, the continent is still being plundered and the racist beliefs that existed 200 years ago are alive and well in the UK. The prejudice is even worse in the USA.
So, it’s right that the UK commemorates the end of one of the most disgusting affronts to humanity that the world has ever seen. Some people estimate that more than 20 million people were taken as slaves. It was a diabolical trade that impacted on several nations and destroyed millions of lives. It is one of the darkest chapters in human history and probably the most shameful in British history. Would people prefer it all to be swept under the carpet like the Turks do with the Armenian genocide? We should never forget this act of evil.
Typical right-wing nonsense. Africa was plundered for centuries by European imperialists and continues to be exploited by foreign multi-nationals, foreign governments and financial institutions. Some self-righteous people would have you believe that everything was wonderful in Africa during the colonial era and that the world has only tried to help Africa once those countries gained independence. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that many African countries were Cold War battlegrounds where East and West manipulated events in those countries for their own benefits.
The best example of this is Congo. The Congolese lived under savage and inhumane Belgian rule for many years and they thought independence would bring them freedom. They elected Patrice Lumumba as their leader, a man who had visions of creating a free and egalitarian society. However, the CIA had different ideas and they toppled his government like they toppled many other democratically-elected, left-wing, governments around the globe. Eventually, power fell into the hands of Colonel Joseph Mobutu who was a CIA asset. Mobutu was a crook and a tyrant, the complete opposite of Lumumba. He mis-managed the country for many years with the support and blessing of Uncle Sam. Mobutu is gone now but outsiders are still exploiting Congo, as they have for centuries, because of the massive mineral wealth that Congo has.
Towards the end of the Cold War and up to the present day, the world’s financial institutions have imposed right-wing economic policies on Africa, e.g. mass privatisation, which in general have been of more benefit to rich countries rather than African countries. Ask yourself why De Beers or Shell or any other company like that should own anything in Africa. I can understand them being in partnership with African states and receiving a small percentage of the profits, but for them to own oilfields or diamond mines and to take that wealth out of poor countries is scandalous. Venezuela and Bolivia have the right idea in nationalising their lucrative industries in order to use the wealth for the benefit of their people.
Clearly, the colonial legacy, the cold war impact, the policies of the World Bank and IMF and unfair trade policies have all had a gigantic effect on Africa. It’s true that there are problems with some poor leaders but not all countries in Africa are like that. There are stable, democratic governments in Africa. The African Union also has a peer review mechanism that reviews the conduct of member states (democracy, human rights, anti-corruption, etc.) within the union. Obviously, some perfom better than others, but there is growing transparency in relation to affairs within African states and nobody can say that freedom, democracy and human rights don’t exist in Africa because the evidence is there for all to see.
So, rather than the cynical, doom and gloom, view of Africa that ill-informed, neo-colonialists like to take, it’s evident to me that some things are improving in Africa. African states need to be more robust and defiant in the face of exploitation by rich, industrialized nations. The trade rules need to be fairer, the debt needs to be cancelled, African states need to re-nationalise their natural resources and maybe they need to start forming cartels too in order to get a fair price for their exports. African states were once wealthy and influential and, given the right circumstances, they will eventually maximise their economic potential once again.
It’s completely pointless talking to Emma. Here you have a neo-nazi complaining about a government invading other countries. The invasions of Czechoslovakia, Austria, Poland, France and Russia (among others) seem to have slipped Emma’s mind. She complains about the deaths of thousands in Iraq but has forgotten about the 10 million killed in the concentration camps. She probably doesn’t believe the camps existed like her beloved Nick Griffin who was convicted for his anti-semitic rants against Jews including claiming that the Holocaust was the greatest hoax of the 20th century.
Before you bother quoting me and replying Emma, bear in mind that I don’t bother reading your responses to me anymore, I just scroll down.
You people have got it all wrong about immigrants and people on unemployment. Immigrants who do blue-collar jobs often work long hours and there are very few people on unemployment benefit that don’t want to work. It’s all well and good telling someone to work in mcdonalds or sweep roads but it won’t exactly look good on your CV now will it. Employers can be very fussy and if your last job is not as good as the last/current jobs of other applicants it could count against you. I mean if somebody else’s CV reads as Versace, Diesel, Emporio Armani and yours reads Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, lavatory attendant at London Bridge station followed by brief stint at McDonalds, I wouldn’t fancy your chances.
There’s also the fact that some people want to do half-decent jobs or are looking for careers and they try to get those jobs while unemployed which sometimes takes time but is worthwhile in the end for both the jobseeker and the taxman as decent jobs usually pay more than minimum wage. Beyond that there is a stigma attached to certain jobs and I’m sure if you were all being honest you would rather sign-on and try to find a better job than to have people you know see you working as a road-sweeper, lavatory attendant or working in fast food. So it’s far too simple to say that people who are unemployed are just lazy and don’t want to work. Also the idea that every employee shortage can be filled by someone who is unemployed is ridiculous. Not everyone is suitable to be a nurse or doctor or teacher etc.
Getting back to the point, immigrants don’t come here to sign-on. Even fake asylum seekers don’t come here to claim benefits (almost none of them do). Legal immigrants and illegal immigrants come here to earn money. The amount of money a person gets on benefits is paltry when you consider the cost of living particularly in the south east. I also disagree that they have it easy when they come here. White-collar professionals won’t have things so bad but the people who do the mundane blue-collar jobs work damn hard and usually for peanuts. It’s also the case that some people come here with lots of qualifications thinking it will be easy for them to get jobs but end up doing jobs that they are vastly over-qualified for.
It’s not worth trying to have a sensible discussion with Emma. She doesn’t deal with reality and all of her opinions are irrational. You might as well talk to a potted-plant.
I didn’t say that there wasn’t poverty in this country, my point was that countries much poorer than us carry the biggest burden when it comes to refugees and asylum seekers. The fact of the matter is that if you’re homeless in the UK you’re still better off than you would be if you were homeless in a 3rd world country. You forget that we have the NHS here that will treat people for free and there are homeless shelters and charities aimed at helping those people. In some countries there is very little (if any) support for the homeless and some countries do not provide free medical treatment. In fact, in some countries, street kids are routinely killed by death squads. So instead of whinging about how hard done by British people are, be thankful for what you’ve got.
Remember that if we try to pull out of treaties relating to refugees then everybody else will too, which will just lead to more people dying around the world. Remember too that British citizens had to temporarily use Cyprus as a place of asylum during the conflict in Lebanon. Imagine how harder it would have been to evacuate those people if no country was willing to accept evacuees even on a temporary basis.
On the issue of development aid, we get a lot of products from poorer countries e.g. tea, coffee, sugar, cocoa, gold, diamonds, etc. If we were to decide that we weren’t going to give them any more aid and we were going to maintain unfair trade policies and exploitation of those countries, then it’s possible that they could resort to radical measures. I’m not an economist (so I could be wrong) but I imagine in a scenario like the one I just mentioned poorer countries might be driven to start forming cartels for their various products which would result in a significant rise in prices over here.
@geoff wrote:
I’ll leave PB’s question to be answered, but this country is becoming a racially segregated system, thanks to these utterly ridiculous liberalised laws we are having to deal with. We are becoming sectioned by the politicians and more and more British (not white, but British) people are becoming more and more sick to death of it. There will come a time when it breaks down and sectarianism will start to flourish, and the likes of the BNP will eat into those areas of unrest.
Why will they get the popular vote? It’s very easily answered is it not?
British people are sick of being treated like second class citizens in their own homeland. They are sick of being told quotas in the employment system. They are sick of illegal/detentioned immigrants wasting honest, decent working peoples money. They are sick of these immigrant families shacking up in the inner cities, paid for by the state. They are sick of being told they are racist. They are sick to the back teeth of walking on egg shells in the country of their birth because politicians see fit to allow this country to be a state for refugees. Call me racist for outlining it.
In the words of Catherine Tate … am I bovvered??? Yes I am … deeply.
Racial segregation and liberalism are incompatible so your comment that liberal laws are causing segregation makes no sense at all. Sectarianism is what the BNP want, they don’t want harmony or unity, they want unrest which is why they cause trouble all across the country. The reason why some people vote BNP is simply because they are either racist or ignorant and the ignorant ones don’t realize that a vote for the BNP acts as an endorsement of ALL of the BNP’s neo-nazi views.
The idea that British people are second class citizens in the UK is one of the most stupid things anybody could say. The facts simply do not support this absurd claim. White, British people have practically all the power in this country in all spheres of British life e.g. political, economic, religious, entertainment, sport, legal, policing, etc. So how can British people be 2nd class citizens and run everything at the same time?????
Some employers have targets for women, disabled and ethnic minority employees but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would turn down a candidate not belonging to one of those groups. Think of it as a case of belonging to one of those groups being a tie-breaker if all other things are equal.
With regard to immigration, I’ve stated time and time again that illegal immigration is usually caused by people not being able to make a decent living in their own country (so they look for work in other countries). This problem requires a global solution to help eradicate poverty and create the right environment for poorer countries to maximize their economic potential. As for immigrant families living in inner cities, they help keep those cities running. Apart from those immigrants who work in white-collar professional roles, there are a lot who work very long hours doing less pleasant jobs (usually for a pittance).
All this moaning about refugees is pathetic. Do you really think the UK is the only country in the world that takes refugees? You’ll find that it’s the poorest countries in the world who take the biggest burden of the world’s refugees. The countries that can least afford to deal with refugees take the biggest amount and yet people who live in affluent countries like the UK whinge and moan like a bunch of spoilt brats.
It’s staggering that people who have a comfortable life in the UK are struck with such self-pity. So a few immigrants work in the UK, so you can’t make racist comments without criticism anymore – Boo fuking hoo! My heart bleeds for you. Let’s throw you a pity party.
It will probably come as a surprise to the Malaysian government to find out that there was a coup there. I think you’ll find that the coup was in Thailand (same continent at least).
I wouldn’t recommend anybody talking about violently overthrowing the UK government unless they want to attract the attention of MI5. Also (if they find out) you will find yourself on a blacklist for civil service jobs or other jobs that require security clearance.
How many leaders of political parties have criminal records other than Nick Griffin, Emma? Blair, Cameron, Campbell, Farage? I don’t think so. Clearly the BNP have a disproportionate number of ex-cons in their ranks. I don’t think any other party in the country has as many members with convictions for violent crime. Tax evasion, electoral fraud and benefit fraud are to be expected from that bunch of wasters.
Cas, like I said before your mind is very muddled if you were thinking that doing an ESOL course would help you to do a postgraduate course. An ESOL course is useless to a native speaker of English. If you wanted to teach English to foreigners then you need to do a TEFL course (teaching english as a foreign language). If you want to teach English to English kids then neither a TEFL or an ESOL course would be of any value. Anyway, if you’re not already a graduate then you can’t do a postgraduate course.
As for the black man in front of you in the queue, how do you know that he hadn’t already produced his i.d. to this person on a previous occasion? Or are you sure you saw all the documents he handed over considering he was standing in front of you? Maybe you have x-ray vision.
A council employee talked to you in a surly manner? Wow! You must be the only person on planet earth who was ever spoken to that way by someone in a customer service role. Clear evidence of racism no doubt.
It’s astonishing that you think you ‘re a victim of racial discrimination considering that most of the incidents were your own fault. You were wasting somebody’s time by trying to do an ESOL class and you couldn’t even be bothered to read the form you were given by the council. Racial discrimination my ar$e!
