To paraphrase Douglas Adams, the UK Home Office is bad. Really bad. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly bad it is. And yet, the story that's gained media attention today is one where the Home Office doesn't seem to be the main party at fault, and where it isn't doing anything particularly unreasonable. Shane … Continue reading A bad way to find out that bureaucrats aren’t fans of cunning plans
Category: Foreignery
Despite being largely immune from the economic woes that afflict flyover America and northern England, Australia is by no means immune from the present worldwide levels of hysteria about migrants taking our jerbs. We also have a struggling centre-right Prime Minister, who is beseiged by the far-right headbangers who dominate his party (and, to a … Continue reading Australia’s new restricted migration visa rules: serf’s up!
I've not been blogging here a lot lately. Partly because I've been doing that horrible thing known as "working for money and trying to forget", partly because now that Facey and Insty exist, there's no real need to stick amazing holiday photos up here, and partly because Brexit has completely fucked up my predictions and … Continue reading The future, and other things I have no idea about
I've refrained from long-form comment on the UK's EU referendum, partly because the debate is generally painful, but also because there are extremely clever people who've already made most of the points I've wanted to make. One thing that I think is worth addressing, though, is the current suggestion that people are switching back to Remain because … Continue reading Actually, it’s about ethics in plebiscite campaigning
I've tended not to blog here about my migration status in Australia, for reasons that are probably obvious. But to my great delight and relief, earlier this month I was sworn in as an Australian citizen [1]. The process, from tourist to citizen, wasn't super-easy. However: it was a hell of a lot easier for me than … Continue reading Disruptive illegal migrant gets come-uppance
I don't know what's going to happen in the next US general election. I also didn't know what was going to happen in the US electoral primaries, although I don't think there's any great shame in admitting the current situation isn't what I anticipated. It seems highly likely, at this point, that Donald Trump will … Continue reading Electability and absurd arrogance
There's an absolute stinker of an article in today's New York Times, emotively talking up an terrible lawsuit. When stripped of irrelevant interviews with soldiers' widows and scary quotes from showboating neoconservative lawyers, here's the actual story. The US didn't take the news very well when its puppet state in Iran had a revolution in … Continue reading Time to sue Henry Ford for complicity in car bombings
Australian PM Tony Abbott was born in the UK in 1957. Being born in the UK between 1948 and 1983, he immediately became a British citizen by birth. His mother was an Australian citizen, so he also immediately acquired the right to Australian citizenship by descent. Paperwork and patriotism The law in force at the … Continue reading Abbott, Birthers, written constitutions, judges, hilarity
"We're really excited about this Russian-language film festival we'll be hosting with you guys. But, um, we're a bit uncomfortable with the fact that Putin's rights-abusing and civilian-killing government is contributing to the funding. Their grant is only GBP1,400 so it's no biggie; we're happy to make up the difference ourselves as long as you … Continue reading Meanwhile, at the Festival of Russian Language Films
I'm not dead Mashudur Choudhury, a chap from near enough to where I grew up that it might as well be the same place, went off to Syria to die. His leaving letter to his missus went, "what good is a husband, father, brother that sits in comfort, sleeps in comfort, eats in comfort but … Continue reading Of course I’m fucking cynical, that’s why I’m alive and not in gaol