Would you rather be a migrant or a thug?
I was reading today's Metro and came across a story of an individual called David Oluwale - a Nigerian immigrant who met an untimely and brutal end in Leeds, England in 1969 (Metro, page 27). A play is being performed tonight at the Hackney Empire dealing with the circumstances surrounding his death (something I thought would have more relevance in Leeds than in London). Which sort of reminded me of another group currently in the news at the moment - Somali pirates.
Though many might work very hard, immigrants tend to be tagged as spongers. I never really understood the issue of illegal immigration: If you were born in a country surely you have a duty or maybe an obligation to make a contribution to that country, instead of turning up somewhere else and expecting a handout. The stigma (sponger) and immigrant tend to go hand-in-hand, when most people in a society tend to pay their own way and live their lives aiming to make a contribution to public life. I say this considering the British-Nigerian community in Britain, whom I would assume won't be flattered by the play and I wonder how many of them would be turning up.
It's a shame that many people in life want a "free ride", and unlike illegal migrants who tend to target public services and The State's resources at the expense of all of us, pirates are the more darker breed; going to extraordinary lengths to achieve their ends: using kidnapping, torture, violence and the humiliation of their captives as both a tool and goal. I guess it's up to all well-meaning men and women everywhere to stop this culture of impunity and take a stand against such free-loaders.
I was reading today's Metro and came across a story of an individual called David Oluwale - a Nigerian immigrant who met an untimely and brutal end in Leeds, England in 1969 (Metro, page 27). A play is being performed tonight at the Hackney Empire dealing with the circumstances surrounding his death (something I thought would have more relevance in Leeds than in London). Which sort of reminded me of another group currently in the news at the moment - Somali pirates.
Though many might work very hard, immigrants tend to be tagged as spongers. I never really understood the issue of illegal immigration: If you were born in a country surely you have a duty or maybe an obligation to make a contribution to that country, instead of turning up somewhere else and expecting a handout. The stigma (sponger) and immigrant tend to go hand-in-hand, when most people in a society tend to pay their own way and live their lives aiming to make a contribution to public life. I say this considering the British-Nigerian community in Britain, whom I would assume won't be flattered by the play and I wonder how many of them would be turning up.
It's a shame that many people in life want a "free ride", and unlike illegal migrants who tend to target public services and The State's resources at the expense of all of us, pirates are the more darker breed; going to extraordinary lengths to achieve their ends: using kidnapping, torture, violence and the humiliation of their captives as both a tool and goal. I guess it's up to all well-meaning men and women everywhere to stop this culture of impunity and take a stand against such free-loaders.
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