Dear Professor Harrow,
As you must very well know, there is no way anyone is going to get a black ass like mine to accept or defend Racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Homophobia, Xenophobia or that particular, old Caucasian American disease known as Negrophobia - no way. ( About the latter I should like to recommend William Faulkner's Pantaloon in Black - to the not so conscientious White Brethren & the Klan.
I'm not defending any of them or anyone but I do understand what's happening: that anti-immigration sentiments contributed handsomely to the success of Brexit - i-e. A large number of people want to see fewer Poles and other East Europeans – basically economic refugees (whose countries of origin are not very welcoming to foreigners), migrating to the UK in large numbers and because ( so I'm told) they are prepared to work way below the minimum wage – they thereby displace / replace a lot of Brits who as a result find themselves out of work ( I*M told it's for the same reasons that African Americans despise certain African migrants in New York - they are prepared to work for slave wages…)
There is a debate going on in Poland right now about letting immigrants into their country. There are similar tensions in Sweden where 160, 000 refugees arrived last year , mostly from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq - but they are not yet a competing or competitive workforce or yet accused of building more mosques or taking our women etc. (and of course the Swedish government has been yapping a lot that the UK and other EU countries such as Poland and Hungary should contribute their own fair share when it comes to solving the world's refugee problems, by taking more refugees in, be the refugees Jews or Muslims or non-believers
It is a reasonable and understandable reaction from the British working class , even if you want to call it racism . Indeed, I can imagine how some of the racists feel about the fact that the parents of the Lord Mayor of London, are Muslim immigrants from Pakistan. Some of them must be asking, are there no English men around and what the hell is going on?
And yes, I am familiar with Irving Howe's World of Our Fathers
The Swedish papers are awash with Brexit page 5 of today's DN features Chris Patten's A British Tragedy in One Act - and I though of you & Porter when I read it this morning; the folks over here are a little traumatised by Britain's' exit ( we have so much a common an the UK is our closest ally when we're not dancing with Angela Merkel that is)
At this point the late Colonel al-Gaddafi comes to mind; he it was who extended the invitation to Israel to join the Arab League. Now imagine if this had happened and given the " free movement of people" imperative it would have been only a matter of time before Israel would be facing the much feared demographic nightmare and some of the nationalist sentiments would certainly prevail and I'm sure that the Israel-exiters from the Arab League - what some of them would equate with Nazi Germany - would prevail - and you can call them rebels against cosmopolitanism, racists, bigots, idiots but their decision would make absolute sense to me.
This evening little Wales is taking on Belgium and I'm supporting Wales of course but mindful that my Better Half's distinguished father is of Walloon stock.
May the best man win.
From the inter-rail universe
Shabbat Shalom.
Cornelius
On Friday, 1 July 2016 16:17:07 UTC+2, Kenneth Harrow wrote:
Dear Cornelius
The people have spoken. Are we supposed to say amen, no matter what? All the reports I have read on this vote indicate that a very strong component of the vote was based on anti-immigrant sentiment, and with it racism, xenophobia. I didn't invent the idea of a bigoted campaign. The use of nazi era posters with masses "invading" were a sign of the level of bigotry. Why do you want to defend this? I didn't invent the notion that young people want to be part of a cosmopolitan universe: that's how the voted.
I agree that the e.u. should be criticized, but the arguments used against it were wrong. It didn't harm the people in the countryside, according to multiple reports; it wasn't undemocratic, despite the propaganda. Surely you've seen all those reports. I would criticize it for using austerity politics that wrecked Greece and spain. That wasn't the case in the u.k.
It was a vote by people on the right who hate foreigners. Why would you want to accept that as a good thing?
ken
From: usaafricadialogue <usaafric...@
googlegroups.com > on behalf of Cornelius Hamelberg <cornelius...@gmail.com>
Reply-To: usaafricadialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com >
Date: Friday, July 1, 2016 at 3:18 AM
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com >
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Fw: prof olukotun's coloum
Professor Harrow,
It's Brexit. The people have spoken. I cannot understand how you could be so angry! And calling names too! "Idiots!" " racists and bigots!", "dumb to think there will be no repercussions" - in short, " It's the economy stupid!" ?
Joining the EU was not a marriage vow of "for better or worse, in sickness or in health , till death do us part" was it?
Well, here's the Farage -Cameron debate in full - although I would still like to spare you the pain of watching it, even retroactively , if you should think that it's painful (torture) – like water-boarding...
What's even more ridiculous is the idea that the EU is about to strip the EU of English as one of their official languages ! Anyway our English Language will continue as one of the bonds that keeps the Commonwealth in a loving embrace., and they ( the EU) cannot strip the global community of the English Language, thank God!
Londoners are cosmopolitans even if you mourn the alleged death of cosmopolitanism; and yet the Lord Mayor of London rejects that idea of London becoming a city state
The British Isles have always been separated from Europe ( "the continent") by the Channel and not unexpectedly mass immigration breaching Calais ( another border post) had been the most recent flashpoint for months! ( Btw – I think that it's a WW2 hangover and that the deeper psychological roots to the divorce -especially in the older generation is that the Brits have never wanted to belong to a club in which the Germans are the economic powerhouse and lording it over everybody
Now the EU authorities are insisting on "The free movement of people" as part of the package that enables the UK ( still the UK) to co-operate with other nationals in science research…
Where is your sympathy?
Empathy?
With the £ pound Sterling down ( temporarily) everybody will soon be importing from the UK, since it's cheaper to do so. Saville Row suits from the Oxford Street New Year Sales etc after the Xmas bonanza!
Shalom!
Over here, we know how our bread is buttered. For better or for worse, we're still hanging in there.
Cornelius
On Friday, 1 July 2016 06:49:43 UTC+2, Kenneth Harrow wrote:Maybe maybe. Today Britain, formerly 5th largest economy in the world, has slipped behind france. As fallen behind the frogs, thanks to their idiocy. The pound is 133, not 150. That counts a lot when you have to buy things from abroad.
Ftse isn't everything.
But that's not the real thing: the break-up was an attack on cosmopolitanism, in favor of both isolationism and racism. That's what I mourn.
ken
From: usaafricadialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Cornelius Hamelberg <cornelius...@gmail.com>
Reply-To: usaafricadialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 8:14 PM
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Fw: prof olukotun's coloum
After all the forecasts of economic doom and gloom, today's good news is that FTSE 100 hits 10-month high as Mark Carney signals Bank of England will cut interest rates after Brexit
On Friday, 1 July 2016 01:48:21 UTC+2, ayo_ol...@yahoo.com wrote:Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
From: Ibini Olaide <ibini_...@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2016 05:37:37 +0000 (UTC)
ReplyTo: "ibini_...@yahoo.com" <ibini_...@yahoo.com>
Subject: prof olukotun's coloum
BREXIT TAKEAWAYS FOR NIGERIA
AYO OLUKOTUN
"The backtracking by Mr Johnson (former Mayor of London) and his allies has exposed the venality and cynicism of their campaign- unfortunately for Britain, far too late"
New York Times Editorial. June 28, 2016.
Defying the sombre predictions of the bookmakers and the dire warnings of global financial institutions and world leaders, the United Kingdom, in a historic referendum last week voted to opt out of the European Union. As known, the political and economic fall-outs of what is still an unfolding debacle has been momentous. They include the resignation of the Prime Minister, David Cameron, who will however hang on as lameduck until October, financial tremors travelling well beyond the United Kingdom as the Pound dropped to its lowest level in 30 years, and unprecedented national soul searching in the wake of what has been termed a national nervous breakdown. Meanwhile, analysts are examining the statistics of voting capturing divisions between London which voted to stay in the EU and the rest of the country which voted to dump it, between England which overwhelmingly voted to exit and Scotland as well as Northern Ireland which opted for the EU, between the younger population which cast their lot with the Union and the older strata which voted for britain to go it alone.
But overshadowing all these and the ominous possibilities of the break up of the UK, many are raising the troubling question of how a country reputed for its conservatism and prudence got itself into what Roger Cohen, Op-ed writer with the New York Times describes as "a collosal leap in the dark". One of the possible answers pregnant with lessons for younger democracies like Nigeria is indicated by the opening quote, sourced from the editorial opinion of wednesday in the New York Times regarding the role of politicians such as Boris Johnson, London's former mayor and Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party.
These politicians, one of whom may well be the next Prime Minister, riding on tabloid sensationalism fed the voting population with exaggerations and outright lies from which they are now hastily backtracking. For example, Johnson in the heat of the campaign, claimed that Brexit will save the money which he put at 350million pounds a week that Britain paid to the EU and spend it on the National Health Insurance Scheme and other social services. It turned out that the actual value of Britain's contribution is 150million pounds a week. Johnson and Farage have since denied making such claims. What is the lesson here? Electorates in Nigeria and elsewhere should be extremely wary of the inflated and exaggerated rhetoric of politicians who can easily eat their words and promises when trouble or disaster strikes. Here in Nigeria, the jury is still out concerning what and what the ruling All Progressive Congress promised to do for the Nigerian electorate. The result of this is a predictable crisis of rising expectations, which even if the economy were up and running could not be fulfilled. Hence, Brexit teaches us to scrutinize and interrogate our politicians and political parties regarding the promises they load us with when hunting for our votes.
The other lesson our political class can draw from Brexit is the ease and civility with which Cameron bowed out of office as a matter of principle, having staked his career on a referendum which a more thoughtful politician could have avoided. Cameron could have invented a thousand and one excuses to hang on to office but as Anthony Akinola observed in The Punch (June 27, 2016), resignations on principle are very much a part of British political culture. If our struggling democracy must overcome its arrested growth, our politicians must elevate political practice to the point where they will not employ do or die battles to gain or to remain in office. Nigerian politics is today a far cry from what it was when Chief Obafemi Awolowo voluntarily resigned from the apex civilian postion of the Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council under the Military government of General Yakubu Gowon. Nigeria is waiting for the advent of the beautiful ones who will reclaim the moral high ground for our retarded political culture.
The British media considering their descent to degraded discourse, filled with racial slurs and hysteria concerning immigrants cannot escape blame.This is at least one ocassion when the media were absent from their assigned roles as the nation's educator and inspirational storehouse of edifying ideas.The Nigerian media, which by the way harbour an increasing share of thoughtful professionals and opinion moulders should draw a lesson from the scandalously low ebb to which the British media cascaded. They should do this with the awareness that the Nigerian media which are older than the Nigerian state have often acted as arbiters in times of national crises. Of course, they had their ignoble moments as well, such as when they became the unabashed megaphones of rival political gladiators but overall, the media, the quality media especially have often acted as agenda setters and moral compasses for a nation often adrift. That is the way to go at a time when Nigeria faces an existential battle for her very soul.
There is importantly the issue of renegotiating Nigeria through the holding of referendums even if, as in the case of Spain and Italy, they are not legally binding. In the wake of Brexit, several commentators have raised the question whether our democracy should not include the holding of referendums on such matters as the right of our nationalities to determine their future. Such persons pointing to the example of Scotland which, although voted in 2014 to stay in the UK, is currently contemplating the holding of another referendum which will allow it to go it alone and become a part of the European Union as her citizens indicated last week. The argument here is that the consent of citizens in a multinational union cannot be taken for granted but should be constantly renewed and sought. This view is in consonance with that of Professor Wole Soyinka who argued in The Punch on wednesday that Nigeria's sovereignity is not cast in stone and iron but is eminently negotiable. Of course, there are doubts whether, given the current state of our elections we can pull off referendums without the usual hitches, violence and inconclusiveness. That however is not a good enough reason not to try.
As an alternative however, it is suggested that President Muhammadu Buhari listens to the increasingly vehement opinions of our elder statesmen who are suggesting the revalidation of our besieged federalism through revisiting the key recommendations of the 2014 national conference. As Soyinka put it in The Punch on wednesday " The confab report that came under jonathan is even more superior to the one I participated in as a member of PRONACO..The recommendations strike me as workable, practical and infact, as answering some of the anxieties of this nation". Without doubt therefore, one of our takeaways from Brexit is to address the resentments of the constituent parts and nationalities that make up Nigeria, using as basis the major resolutions and recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.
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