Will the Chagossians win the right of return?

[Wildcat 10]

In June the Chagossians go to the House of Lords in the hope of finally winning the right of return to their Island home they were cleared from by the UK Govt. in the 1960s to make way for a US military base.

 

Successive Govts have treated them appallingly. It is about time we righted the wrong we did to them.

 

Guardian story

 

Their Campaign website

[Wildcat 10]

The High Court has ruled and the 2,000 people evicted from their homeland by the UK Govt in the sixties lost their right of return in a judgement made today by a narrow decision of 3 judges to 2.

 

So much for justice and our historic traditions.

 

Magna Carta "No freeman shall be taken, or imprisoned, or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed, but by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7683726.stm

[taxman 12]

Wasn't one of the "reasons" given was that if they were allowed back they could ask the British Govt for funds to rebuild their devastated islands...and we wouldn't want that would we?

 

"Lord Hoffmann said the case's subtext was funding - the UK may have had to pay for rebuilding their community.

 

He said the Chagossians had understandably "shown no inclination to return to live Crusoe-like in poor and barren conditions of life". "

 

So much for British fair play and all that stuff

[Evremonde 10]

Lets be realistic, they are just a bunch of islanders who were inconvenienced.

 

 

The base was needed, there was a cold war and we were more concerned with potential apocalypse than a few island fishermen, so why do the lickspittles of this world have to have a go at the government for what was at the time a necessary situation?

[Halibut 12]

Lets be realistic, they are just a bunch of islanders who were inconvenienced.

 

If you were kicked out of your home and sent to live miles away and never allowed to return would you regard it as a mere inconvenience?

[Evremonde 10]

If you were kicked out of your home and sent to live miles away and never allowed to return would you regard it as a mere inconvenience?

I'm not a native making a basic subsistance living, and therefore with little to leave behind.

They were.

[Halibut 12]

I'm not a native making a basic subsistance living, and therefore with little to leave behind.

They were.

 

Oh, so your life is more important because you have lots of money?

 

 

And you think that makes you anything better than an arrogant, pompous, selfish loser because?

[Evremonde 10]

Oh, so your life is more important because you have lots of money?

 

And you think that makes you anything better than an arrogant, pompous, selfish loser because?

I never mentioned money Mr H? Do you have some complex about money? A bit of a chip on the shoulder perhaps when dealing with those more affluent than yourself? You really shouldn't you know.

 

Have I, in our discussion, called you anything? Offered you any insults that might justify ripostes or accusations of my being arrogant, pompous, selfish or a loser?

 

As far as I can tell, your attack is entirely unprovoked, and not well mannered.

[Halibut 12]

I never mentioned money Mr H? Do you have some complex about money? A bit of a chip on the shoulder perhaps when dealing with those more affluent than yourself? You really shouldn't you know.

 

Have I, in our discussion, called you anything? Offered you any insults that might justify ripostes or accusations of my being arrogant, pompous, selfish or a loser?

 

As far as I can tell, your attack is entirely unprovoked, and not well mannered.

 

Grow up. It's what you come here for. It's what you crave, tool.

[Evremonde 10]

Grow up. It's what you come here for. It's what you crave, tool.

Oh, such sweet irony .

[melthebell 864]

great britain and its long great history of its "empire"....

........

.......of slavery, death, stealing, greed and displacement

[Korky 10]

great britain and its long great history of its "empire"....

........

.......of slavery, death, stealing, greed and displacement

That my be one view - a somewhat jaundiced one though I would suggest.

 

Would you care to comment on Britain's leading role in the abolition of slavery, and the many years (and financial commitment) of policing and preventing the slave trade across the world's oceans based on the strength of the Royal Navy?

 

 

On your other points, what about the education Britain gave to developing nations? Medicines, water systems, roads, working governments, trade links and governmental parenting that continue to this day - much to the satisfaction of those very ex-colonies? Have you travelled to any of them and asked their opinions?

 

Whenever I hear the anti-colonial Brit arguments I have to smile and think of that wonderful scene in The Life Of Brian - what have the Romans done for us?

 

It's simple really. The Romans dragged us into a civilised state, and we in turn did that for a third of the world in recent centuries.