| Forum Thread | Whittaker now on 18 at 20:59 14 Feb 2024
Just scored against Coventry. Lati struggling to contain him. |
| Forum Thread | Screen goddesses in football crowds at 13:39 9 Feb 2024
Have you ever seen one in person? On a whim I recently again watched High Noon, and could not help but be impressed by the youthful beauty of Grace Kelly. It brought to mind the fact that she is the only screen siren from that time, or indeed any era, that I've seen at a football match on British shores. She was only about 20 yards from where I sat albeit in a glass viewing area. David Niven was also present that day. Can anybody guess what match that was? |
| Forum Thread | What is a safe country? at 11:30 2 Feb 2024
Three stories in the news make this an interesting question. The Home office has just added Turkey to the list of unsafe countries, thus torpedoing the UK Govt’s hope of doing an Albania-style deal there. Just today it emerged that the sex offender and Clapham attacker, Abdul Ezedi, could not be deported even after two asylum claims were rejected because Afghanistan is unsafe due to Taliban rule. Then there is Rwanda, which many are saying must be unsafe because the UK has granted asylum to a dozen or so applicants in recent years. Liberal opinion will say that all these countries are unsafe, but the question then arises of just how many countries there are that are not unsafe for some. In fact, the refugee charities themselves have resisted the idea that there are any completely safe countries from which asylum claims cannot be made. In 2010 Donna Covey, the chief executive of the UK Refugee Council, said: "No country is safe for every person all of the time. Those with a genuine need for protection, whatever country they are from, should have the right to claim asylum in a place of safety." Applicants from almost all African and Asian countries have at one time or another been granted asylum in the UK, even though that does not mean they are all regarded as unsafe in the general sense. There are even rare examples where US citizens have been granted asylum in the Netherlands, Costa Rica and Canada, while many have applied unsuccessfully in the UK. The UNHCR opposed the 2022 UK “inadmissibility” rules that imposed a ban on asylum seekers from listed safe countries, except in “exceptional circumstances”. UNHCR accepts that this is not illegal but sees it only as a way of prioritising the strength of claims. A recent UNHCR document (Recommendations, 2023: p42) stated that: “the designation of a country as a safe country of origin does not establish, and may not under international law be deemed to establish, an absolute guarantee of safety for nationals of that country, and it may be that despite general conditions of safety, for some individuals, members of particular groups or relating to some forms of persecution, the country remains unsafe.” So if this principle is accepted, it effectively means that anybody who presents themselves in the UK from any country in the world has a right to make an asylum claim, that if their country is designated as unsafe they will stay even if asylum is not immediately granted, and that even if the country is regarded as “generally safe” they can claim that their individual circumstances mean they should stay. Grounds can include sexual orientation, political views, religion, exposure to gang violence, and in some recent cases where return was ruled out, the non-availability of necessary healthcare in the receiving country. I just wonder how sustainable all this is and how it fits with the intention of the original international conventions that give legal support to the current situation. I would never enter a legal agreement where in the event that other parties exercised the rights granted this required me to do things that I did not have the resources to do. But it seems that the UK and indeed many Western countries have done just that. Will there be some general move to change the rules of the game? I think there are some turbulent years ahead. [Post edited 2 Feb 11:36]
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| Forum Thread | One more ban from Cardiff Bay at 17:06 23 Oct 2023
Those who know better than mere voters have unveiled one more ban - glue traps for rats and mice - as part of the Agriculture (Wales) Act. It was the only thing that would work for me when I had a mouse infestation some years ago. No doubt many more legislative bans feature in the Senedd's plans. Pity we can't lay down a few mats in the corridors of power - more rats than mice there. |
| Forum Thread | Copy the Luton way? at 11:50 27 Sep 2023
Nobody can deny that Luton's rise from the Conference to the EPL is a remarkable achievement, but one has to ask if it provides a sustainable way forward for an ambitious Championship club. Looking at the BBC comments thread appended to its report on the Hatters' 1- 0 loss to Exeter City last night, I was struck by how many Luton fans are resigned to just a single season in the top flight. A common sentiment was that one season would at least finance a new ground. Is the Luton way really a better model for us than the Swansea way? [Post edited 27 Sep 2023 11:57]
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| Forum Thread | Tom Carroll on trial at Exeter City at 14:35 23 Jul 2023
Tom seems to have struggled since he left us. I think he has had a long-term hip injury which means he hasn't played for over a year. 31 now. |
| Forum Thread | Geraint Davies suspended at 09:34 1 Jun 2023
Apparently because 5 women have made complaints about his behaviour. I know Davies was under a cloud some years ago for inflated expenses claims, but it looks as though he is an all rounder - cash plus a bit of the other! [Post edited 1 Jun 2023 9:35]
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| Forum Thread | Free agents that we know at 23:24 6 Feb 2023
I've just noticed that Frederico Fernandez is a free agent. I'm not saying he is right for us, but thought he did okay while here. Hope he gets a club. He's 33 now, |
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