- cross-posted to:
- world@lemmy.world
- unitedkingdom@feddit.uk
- cross-posted to:
- world@lemmy.world
- unitedkingdom@feddit.uk
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/50537635
For an administration otherwise so uncertain of its motivations, Sir Keir Starmer’s government has proved remarkably determined to get its dud Chagos Islands deal over the line. No warning, from any quarter, has deterred the effort.
Not the opposition of the Chagossian people, evicted by Britain in the 1960s, the majority of whom have made it clear they do not want the islands to fall into Mauritian hands. Not America’s ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens, who understatedly warned that surrendering the strategically important territory was not the “ideal outcome”. Not the opinion of US senators that No 10’s legal case for secession was “nonsense” fuelled by “a misguided anti-western agenda”. Nor the considered view of the former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who told this paper that the deal’s potential to strengthen Chinese influence in the region meant it was “one of the dumbest geostrategic mistakes”.
[…]
The case against ceding control of the Chagos Islands is by now well-rehearsed and unanswerable. The islands are home to the US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, nicknamed “the footprint of freedom” for the unique aerial access it affords to the Middle East, Indian and Pacific theatres. Having turned this strategic asset over to Mauritius, whose claim to the land is dubious, Britain plans to pay the new owners £35 billion over the next 100 years for the privilege of leasing it back.
That extraordinarily unfavourable arrangement, championed by Sir Keir’s special envoy to the archipelago, Jonathan Powell, was a completely unforced error triggered by a non-binding resolution of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which the UK could, and should, have simply ignored. Labour’s rationalisations were always blatantly spurious. It complied with the ICJ’s edict under the naive impression that Britain would then be able to parade as a paragon of virtue to the global south.
[…]
From any angle, Sir Keir’s unfathomable desire to surrender the Chagos Islands has been a chaotic and embarrassing debacle, symptomatic of the government’s misplaced goals and strategic confusion. However unattractive the prospect of another U-turn, Labour should resile from the project while it still can. Further humiliation is now a certainty either way.
You must log in or register to comment.
While I’m not informed enough to comment on the wider discussion, I find it weird that the article kept listing more and more Americans in the list of opinions being ignored. The article weakened its case by not stopping after the first sentence
Not the opposition of the Chagossian people, evicted by Britain in the 1960s, the majority of whom have made it clear they do not want the islands to fall into Mauritian hands. Not America’s ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens, who understatedly warned that surrendering the strategically important territory was not the “ideal outcome”. Not the opinion of US senators that No 10’s legal case for secession was “nonsense” fuelled by “a misguided anti-western agenda”. Nor the considered view of the former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who told this paper that the deal’s potential to strengthen Chinese influence in the region meant it was “one of the dumbest geostrategic mistakes”.
I hate to say it, but it sounds like they have a point. As a british territory the locals probably have it way better than what it will revert to, and even just a fraction of that leasing money could pay for free healthcare and education and the commonwealth could give them an avenue to a life in the wider developed world.
Sins of the past aside, right now, being a territory of the UK is far preferable to falling to local control of corrupt neighbors. Or local control that would immediately be subjugated to powerful interests. Instead give the local government more self government powers, full benefits and commonwealth status.
The only inhabitants are US military personnel. The locals were all deported to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 60s and 70s.
Chagossian people […] have made it clear they do not want the islands to fall into Mauritian hands.
Addition: Last year, Chagossians took their fight against the UK deal to the UN by writing to the committee asking for an advisory opinion that the UK should not sign the deal over human rights concerns.
Yes, I read the article. The guy I responded to seems to think Diego Garcia is an Okinawa situation where the military is embedded alongside civilians, and that the local economy is benefitting from the US Naval base. Only the Chagossians are gone, forcibly expelled from the island over 50 years ago to countries that are not the UK. He’s just straight up lying and saying the Chagossians benefit from the current situation, which is comically untrue. Is like saying the best path forward for inhabitants of Bikini Atoll would have been continued nuclear testing of their homes.
Everyone was seemingly on board with this as a good idea until trump and Farage decided to say it was a bad thing, despite trump being one of the people cheering for it a while ago. Now people who didn’t even know the islands existed 6 months ago, have very strong opinions about it.
Reminder the Times is a Murdoch owned rag these days.
Chagossian people […] the majority of whom have made it clear they do not want the islands to fall into Mauritian hands.
The native people living there don’t want the island to be under Mauritius’ control, and they have certainly always known the island.
Those who are supporting UK’s move are mainly pro-China propagandists, as Mauritius is a strong ally of China in the region. You may be right that many of them might not have known 6 months ago that the island even existed.
The government needs money to funnel into Palantir contracts and thats the only real variable in this. At least I’m assuming they get money out of this and not nothing but with queerharmer in chief anything is possible.
Murdoch owns the Times and the UK must get rid of these Palantir contracts. But this is has nothing to do with the topic.
The majority of the Chagossian people have made it clear they do not want the islands to fall into Mauritian hands. But Chinese propagandists do as Mauritius is a strong ally of China in the region. All others, especially the people of Chagos Island, don’t want that.
