B2B

Back to Brexit.

I arrived into Heathrow at the crack of dawn, and helped a woman with her bags at the carousel, at her request. I realised it was because they contained pure lead and she preferred to damage the back of a bystander rather than herself. My own bags didn't show up, which isn't surprising given the chaos of Addis Ababa where I transited. I was less hopeful than during past baggage delays as my baggage wasn't showing on the system and I left without much hope of seeing it again. Which was a bummer as I'd spent some money jazzing up my wardrobe after our CEO advised me that the Maputo fashion scene required a smarter appearance than most African capitals.

I enjoyed a frappucino in the sun whilst waiting for the train at Kings Cross. The train to Cambridge was ramjammed and I had to sprawl on the carpet next to the bin. Day services are usually quieter so this did nothing to dispel the recent stories of a rail system in crisis.

Encouraging news that Paul Dacre is stepping down as the Editor of the Daily Mail, to be replaced by someone apparently more palatable, to 'detoxify' the paper.

It's interesting that there would be self-recognition of the need to detoxify. I interpret this in one of two ways, the first being more likely:

1. Recognition that in some circles the paper is regarded as the worst of media poison and needs a complete brand overhaul - mainly to improve PR and safeguard advertising revenue, or;

2. a genuine attempt to correct some of the falsities spread over the years, e.g. how the paper has planted in the psyche of susceptible islamophobes the falsity that 25% of the UK population is Muslim and that anyone is at any time vulnerable to a terrorist attack. It's actually 5% of the population and you're more likely to be violently robbed on the street by a homeless drug addict, failed by state cuts advocated by the likes of Paul Dacre.

One of the things in our politicised world that I find the most galling is people who are against the concept of free movement for others yet could not even dream of being barred such opportunities for themselves. Being at Heathrow brings you into contact with many who invariably feel this way.

The political rhetoric around Brexshit has often revolved around limiting the ability of people deemed less worthy, e.g. Romanian potato graders, to freely live and work in the UK, because it's peddled that they are a drain on resources and a stain on the traditional fabric of the United Kingdom. Statistics show that European Union workers actually claim disproportionately less from the welfare state than do British born citizens, and of course they contribute taxes and other inputs to the economy as does any other worker. It's grossly unfair that this narrative is so pervasive and the fact that so many people subscribe to it is one of the main reasons why I like time outside of the country, where I can divorce my brain from the daily murk of it.

If this all sounds terribly unpatriotic, it's because I don't find it healthy to adhere to a concept of British patriotism. Anti-Americanism is often a criticism you see levelled towards Democrats in the US for wanting to create cities of sanctuary for refugees or take a less aggressive approach to illegal immigrants. The same rhetoric is used towards the Left in the UK, albeit less sensationally, as is our way. If my desire for the country is to be as pro-immigrant as we can be, coupled with actual investments in necessary infrastructure for the number of people that live here, then I am an anti-patriot.

And I will continue to highlight the hypocrisy of wanting to limit the entry of foreigners to the UK whilst not expecting winter sun breaks to Tenerife or retirement plans in the Costa del Sol to be in any way restricted.