Stephen Patrick Letting the Names Down

There are were two famous musicians that shared my given names one was Stephen Patrick Gately, the other is Morrissey. It is the latter who is letting down the Stephen Patrick's of this world today.

He has called the Chinese a 'subspecies' of the human race! No I know that Morrissey is a long-term radical vegetarian and animal-rights campaigner. Remember 'Meat is Murder' the single and the T-shirts. It's a catchy slogan and one that has been taken up by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) see the image to the left.

However, the ethical treatment of animals mustn't neglect the need for the ethical treatment of our fellow humans. Yes there is a different attitude to animals in Chinese Circuses and Zoos which prompted Morrissey's comment:

"Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies."

Well that is really going to get things changed. Yes there is no animal rights legislation in China, but there also is appalling human rights legislation there as well as I often post. It is a nation emerging from a horrific communist regime and before there an supreme commanding Emperor. Meaning that there are still a lot of lessons to be learnt into what is acceptable, what is normal behavior.

It's not so much a subspecies as a lack of education and understanding of the issues as well as cultural differences. In what still can be largely a rural economy with people who have never set foot in a major city there are differences from our refined, westernised world where all our food seems in some cases to come pre-packed (yes the vegetables as well as the meat).

Of course it doesn't help that Morrissey has previous when it comes to racist comments, in 2007 in an interview with the NME he said:

"With the issue of immigration, it's very difficult because, although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won't hear an English accent. You'll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent."

and in the same interview:

"England is a memory now. The gates are flooded and anybody can have access to England and join in."

Yeah, my all means educate the world about the ethical treatment of animals but don't belittle people and turn to maltreatment of others either through racist comments or physical attacks. As I'm pretty sure all of those who want to protect the right of animals so vehemently also believe we're just another animal.

The Mob that Didn't Lynch

I see that Nick Griffin has said that he faced a 'lynch mob'* last night. Strangely I didn't see him swinging from a tree in the Blue Peter garden so I must assume he doesn't mean literally.

He's also complaining that the format of the show changed last night. Well I agree. It gave too much airtime to the opinions of one party, namely his. It didn't really show him up as lacking sensible ideas outside his pet subjects, and even then he didn't do too well on some of those. (Having been asleep at the time of airing I watched on iPlayer this morning).

He's also complained that the show shouldn't have been held in London. Well I'm sorry on that one but looking at the baying crowd yesterday evening, and sadly we couldn't avoid it on the wall to wall live coverage on all the news programmes from substantial and overlong periods of time, it made most sense. Only the Metropolitan Police had the strength in numbers to allow Griffin to appear on the show in a studio of peace. If that sort of protest had erupted in some more provincial BBC studio, or worse some civic centre or theatre heaven knows what would have happened, maybe Griffin really would have been lynched, not that I'm condoning that sort of action.

Mind you to consider London as 'no longer a British City' as Griffin said is surely a treasonable offence. Off to Tower with him. Oops built by the Normans. Well maybe the Queen can sort it out, if she weren't descended from German stock as is her husband 'the Greek'. Mind you it was established by the Romans so maybe he has a point but then surely it wouldn't have been British at all. Maybe he can find solace just to the west at the Kings Stone in Kingston, only that was for crowning the West Saxon Kings and of course they are yet more Germanic people. Clearly what he wanted was a studio audience somewhere in the North like one BNP heartland urban Yorkshire, plonk at the northern reach of the Danelaw.

One does start to wonder where the population of the UK and probably Griffin himself would have to go when all of these half bloods or less are repatriated to wherever they come from. Indeed can we really find someone of true British pedigree. Maybe he and indeed us could end up somewhere in the Empire he yearns for. The Empire that sent its Indians, Pakistanis, Africans, Afro-Caribbeans and others to fight in two World Wars as heroes.

*Definition: lynch mob n : a mob that kills a person (usually by hanging) for some presumed offence without legal authority.

I'm Not Gonna Start Eating Meat to Fly

According to the Mail on Sunday my choice of diet makes me a terrorist suspect. Now I wouldn't mind but for the first 30+ years of my life anytime I got on a plane or ferry I was more or less considered one because of my place of birth and accent.

The Belfast Departure gate at Heathrow is still down a long corridor all by itself. At least now we do not have to take our luggage the whole way with us down there; we can now check it in at departures like everyone else. But I enjoy a largely meat free diet, usually about 75% of my week minimum, which apparently means that when I pre-order a vegetarian meal next time I fly long haul I'm going to be red flagged as a terrorist.

Now I always order vegetarian when I fly long haul for a number of reasons.

1. It is the healthier option than some indeterminate meat by product.
2. It leave less chance of contracting food poisoning.
3. I like the taste of vegetarian food.
4. (Don't tell everyone) It is always served up hot.

Now I've been deemed a terrorist suspect because of my place of birth, I'm not prepared to have this government make me order meat on a plane just to avoid being flagged up. I'll eat what I want to thank you very much. Although Dr Pack it isn't always lentils that get served up, though I don't complain when they do, he has set up a Facebook group to complain about this latest range of prejudices.

It would include my work colleagues who often book at the last minute. I'm actually often offered the over wing seats (to be able to operate the emergency accent). In fact approx 80% of my flights I'm seated there. I also have many friends who are missionaries who who met their partners when they were. Looks like all those international relationships that developed make them a terror suspect to, or for that matter the many mix race couples here in the UK.

Labour are making generalisations because they clearly are incapable of making sound judgement, reasoned deduction or sensible decisions. Pakistan Airways to New York again for me*, if they are going to flag me up may as well give then just cause.

*It's purely a cost thing.

Uighur Unrest in Lead Up to Games

Sixteen Chinese policemen have been killed in the western Muslim Xinjiang region days before the opening ceremony at the other end of the country in Beijing. The attack on a border outpost in Kashgar, Kashi in Chinese, is close to the Turkmenistan border and is the latest terrorist act after a series of incidents claimed by the Turkmen Islamic Party in the past month.

The Chinese repression of the Uighurs is often overlooked by the far more high profile, media friendly, campaign for freedom in Tibet, but is another example of China's continuing appalling human rights record which it promised to clean up before the Olympics come to town this Friday. Sadly the IOC has not held China to its promise for improvement in this area since awarding it the Games of the 29th Summer Olympiad.

The Uighurs are a Muslim people who have been suffering religious suppression under the Chinese regime in the duel names of anti-separatism and counter-terrorism. Sadly the Chinese authorities appear to have been using the post 9-11 fear of Islamic extremists to persecute all Muslims in the region irrespective of activity even if totally peaceful. About have of the detainees being held in Xinjiang's re-education camps are there because of engaging in alleged illegal religious activities. However, the state control over religion in the is as harsh as in the 70s and 80s and the net is so tight that almost anyone can be detained under such guidelines at the whim of the authorities.

Many of the Uighur may well be becoming more militant as a result of the suppression, as with those other groups that China is overlooking and suppressing. So therefore with the worlds media gathering on China and with this attack in an outlying region there must be some concern as to what may happen nearer the Olympic venues from the various repressed groups seeking to draw attention to their causes. Chinese authjorites say they are prepared for action should any threat arise in Beijing, but one wonders just what sort of action that will entail knowing China's past record in such situations.

Do Labour Need Me to Carry Around Half an ID Card?

A little worrying the tack that Labour's ID Card policy is taking down in Crewe and Nantwich. Especially it would seem the requirement of foreigners to be required to carry them.



Now to the best of my knowledge that requirement was lifted before the end of World War II as soon as Churchill, who hated the whole idea of internment etc could do so. It also hasn't been part of Labour's published plans thus far. Yeah their literature in Crewe and Nantwich is making them sound more like the BNP, with anti-foreigner sentiment by the day.

Now I'm in a dilemma by a quick of grandparentage, well actually my own birth also qualified me, I actually do have two citizenships British and Irish. I do sometime travel on the Irish passport, usually when it is easier considering the history of my British passport's travels. So say on one of those trips I'm returning on my Irish passport as a 'foreigner' on that occasion would I be required to carry an ID card at least until I can reattached to my UK passport?

What about those I work with? I work in an international call centre business are my co-workers many of them from other EU countries going to have to start carrying their ID cards to work? Are there going to b e spot checks on this large concentration of foreign workers? If they are found not be carrying them are they going to shipped of on the short trip to Edinburgh Airport and deported? Well MR Brown what is going on, we want to know.

Fearful Tactics by Scared Republicans

Having just acquired series seven of the West Wing I watched episode three 'Message of the Week' last night, in which Arnie Vinnick attempts to appeal to Matt Santos's latino base. While his attempt to shift his opponent unto ground he was avoiding for the fear of appearing to be a minority rather than mainstream candidate that is nothing compared to this.

Letters that have been sent out to 14,000 registered voters with Spanish surnames in Orange County California, saying that illegal immigrants cannot vote in Federal Elections and could face jail or deportation. These letters have been traced to a Republican candidate facing Loretta Sanchez, an Californian born Hispanic Democrat incumbant.

Now we all know the Republics are worried that latest polls show they are in danger of losing control of both Houses in next months midterms but this is a step too far. What make this worse is that ironically the Republican candidate, Tan Nguyen, arrived in America aged 8 after his parents fled the regime in Vietnam.

Tory Case of Foot in Mouth

It's not been a good weekend for Tory leaders' vocal utterenaces. Adding to their woes is Brain Coleman chairman of the GLA and self-confessed football-phobe. He actually in a statement compared the St George waving and flying English supporters to Nazi Germany and the military junta in Argentina in 1978. He said:

"A Jewish friend of mine remarked how the sight of endless Cross of St George flags reminded her of the Nazis' taste for flying flags at every possible opportunity and the nationalistic feelings whipped up by totalitarian regimes.

"The Argentinian generals used their World Cup victory in 1978 to lay the groundwork for the invasion of the Falklands four years later.

"One of the great things about being English is that our patriotism is restrained, rather like all our emotions. If England win the World Cup, let's have some polite applause."

So I hope every football fan has got that. Polite applause only no chanting from the stands, no screaming at the referee and no singing of Championes when your team wins something. Maybe Mr Coleman would care to enlighten us how this anti-flag waving affects the last night of the Proms, the Mall during State Visits or the Union Flag festooning the header of his own party's literature?

Also is Mr Coleman going to stop his party leader flying the flag of St George from his bike as we suppose the chauffer's follow up vehicle?

Blair: England Expects Every Scot to Do Their Duty

The Facts:

On 6 May 1953 Mr Leo Blair's wife Hazel gave birth to a second son in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was given the name Anthony Charles Lynton Blair.

He spent his early childhood in Australia before moving with the family to Durham. But he has his secondary education in the city of his birth at Fettes College, Edinburgh.

Yesterday he became another Scot to become all English saying:

"I support England very strongly, but if Scotland was playing - not England - but a game against someone else why [take the attitude] that I don't want Scotland to win when they are part of the United Kingdom?"

The thing is Tony it is just this sort of attitude that the English will happily adopt an Scot, Welsh or Northern Irish sports team of person as their own when doing well but always reject them when they start to wane that leads to the Celtic nations looking for teams of excellence to support, especially if we are neutral. That plus the fact that the English still go on about 1966. So the Scots have to keep reminding the English that they were the first team to beat the World Champions when they met in 1967. The same may eventually be true of Rugby from 2003 but the Irish take great pleasure in reminding the English who beat them first as world champions.

We also live in a multi-cultural society Mr Blair are you asking the Australians, Germans, French, Americans, Italians and others who live in England and are supporting the land of their birth or forefathers to support Ingerland? Or what about Norwegians, Austrians, Russians or New Zealanders who are merely supporting a team maybe they have some connection with, or maybe has some players in their league?

Last time I checked I was free to support Northern Ireland living here in Scotland. In fact the other Livingston fans applaud me for it. I also support Ireland in the Rugby whether at Murrayfield or, as happened once, at the Scottish Lib Dem conference with the party leader stood beside me.

So when all this jovial anybody but England support is out of the way at some point from the 24 June to the 9 July we'll either be hearing about the 40 years of hurt continuing or ending ad nauseum until the next World Cup or beyond. So allow the Scots their 4 weeks of pleasure Mr Blair, after all tis only a game of fitba.