Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 170 posts

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#141

Post by cmsj »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #135
nly wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Real UK wages are stagnant because the UK has a desperately unproductive economy. Growth in disposable household income has lagged Europe massively for decades. We also have the highest tax burden as a % of GDP in 70 years. House prices are the highest relative to income than they have ever been. We're a country circling the drain. Blaming immigration and the EU in political discourse just suits the political agenda…

Your comment makes me think of this essay by Branko Milanovic Particularly this line: Xi sees the break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of the CPSU as the result of “ideological nihilism”: the ruling strata have ceased to believe in the advantages and the value of the system, but lacked any other ideological coordinates within which to situate their thinking. https://braveneweurope.com/branko-milanovic-the-rule-of…

> functional incompetence

Yep, our ruling class is educated to be quick witted in abstract debates and that is the extent of their depth.

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#142

Post by mabbo »

lsllc wrote: post #8

Gosh this is such a heartbreaking and yet fascinating story. The BBC version is has more detail including some possible immigration jeopardy for Sir Mo due to getting citizenship under an assumed name: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62123886 In the documentary, barrister Alan Briddock tells Sir Mo his nationality was technically "obtained by fraud or misrepresentations". Legally, the government can remove a person's Bri…

Setting aside that he's a celebrity and others aren't, the home office has said he's safe... today.

What of every subsequent government?

What happens if he becomes a loud, vocal critic of a current or future PM? If he wants to get into politics himself?

I don't want the word of a bureaucrat that today all is well. I want legal reforms so that Sir Mo and those in situations like his never have to worry. But that's far harder to achieve that empty platitudes.

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#143

Post by thraxil »

07t15 wrote: post #140
secondcoming wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you’re in the UK legally you can vote.

As someone who is legally in the UK (more than a year), this isn't true. It might apply to the citizens of some countries (like the EU).

Yep. Only British, EU, and Commonwealth citizens living legally in the UK can vote. Those of us from anywhere else in the world can't vote until we fully naturalize.

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#144

Post by _benedict »

origin_path wrote: post #138
danw1979 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s such a bunk argument to suggest that because there are other countries physically inbeween the refugee’s homeland and Britain that they are economic migrants by the time they get here. If they all settled at the point closest to their homeland that wasn’t “at war” I’m pretty sure there would soon be conflict there. Britain is a rich, developed nation that is quite easily able to support our “fair share” of refug…

Being a refugee should not be (and isn't) a blank cheque to settle in whatever part of the world you want, financially supported by the locals regardless of whether they want you there or not. If it were that would be a perverse incentive to actually try and make your own country collapse, as it'd be easier to claim "refugee" status than fix domestic issues. This is doubly true given that some people are fanatical ab…

It isn’t a blank cheque, because making it to safety in a preferred country is exceptionally difficult and expensive.

However, it is a blank cheque once you’ve surmounted those challenges and have arrived at the safe country you have chosen (and were able to reach), though most countries receiving such refugees are doing their best not to honour this obligation.

It’s worth noting that the UK tries hard to prevent refugees reaching our shores, but the vast majority that do, and apply for asylum, are granted it [1].

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statist...

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#145

Post by jhugo »

nly wrote: post #129
jhugo wrote: post #61

> In the documentary, Farah admits to being worried about his immigration status. However, the Home Office confirmed on Monday night that he would not face any repercussions. “No action whatsoever will be taken against Sir Mo and to suggest otherwise is wrong,” a spokesperson said. Just imagine if it wasn't Sir Mohammed publicly admitting to using a fake Somali passport and assumed name to gain UK citizenship.

Do you really think the authorities haven't known about this for some time?

No, but that's irrelevant to the point I'm making.

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#146

Post by zarzavat »

mabbo wrote: post #142
lsllc wrote: post #8

Gosh this is such a heartbreaking and yet fascinating story. The BBC version is has more detail including some possible immigration jeopardy for Sir Mo due to getting citizenship under an assumed name: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62123886 In the documentary, barrister Alan Briddock tells Sir Mo his nationality was technically "obtained by fraud or misrepresentations". Legally, the government can remove a person's Bri…

Setting aside that he's a celebrity and others aren't, the home office has said he's safe... today. What of every subsequent government? What happens if he becomes a loud, vocal critic of a current or future PM? If he wants to get into politics himself? I don't want the word of a bureaucrat that today all is well. I want legal reforms so that Sir Mo and those in situations like his never have to worry. But that's far…

Realistically, once he receives assurances from the Home Office that no action will be taken, that is the end of the matter, and it would be legally problematic for a subsequent government to reverse that.

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#147

Post by jon_adler »

Gollapalli wrote: post #63
mrtksn wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most immigrants are economically very active since starting a new life from zero requires that. Unless you can't physically fit people in the island, the solution would be to let the immigrants work legally. Number of houses are not fixed like the total number of bitcoins, people can build new ones. Despite the political rhetoric and recent trends, immigration is a good thing and the problems it causes can be reduced…

Wage dilution is an issue. It's the working and middle classes that are most harmed by immigration. Those who are in the position to not have their wages threatened by mass immigration policies are free to reap the rewards of cheap labor, but for those who are in the position of being outcompeted by incoming labor, immigration is a drawback not an asset. Naturally, policymakers are in the former category, and as such…

How has Australian wages been harmed by considerably higher immigration?

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#148

Post by vr46 »

cm2187 wrote: post #83
petesergeant wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect the OP is saying that children trafficked into a country they subsequently grew up in should probably be treated as victims and dealt with compassionately, whether or not they're widely loved sports stars

I understand the intention but even then you are creating a loophole, i.e. you bring people under 18 illegally, they get the nationality through this loophole, then you need to grant visas to the parent who will care for them. It's basically the story of the loophole of "don't put children in jail and don't separate them from their parents either" at the US border. All good intentions, the consequences of which is th…

This is false equivalence, children being trafficked and forced into servitude is nothing like a family entering a country without the correct visas. There is no loophole here, the child was rescued by social services.

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#149

Post by mabbo »

zarzavat wrote: post #146
mabbo wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Setting aside that he's a celebrity and others aren't, the home office has said he's safe... today. What of every subsequent government? What happens if he becomes a loud, vocal critic of a current or future PM? If he wants to get into politics himself? I don't want the word of a bureaucrat that today all is well. I want legal reforms so that Sir Mo and those in situations like his never have to worry. But that's far…

Realistically, once he receives assurances from the Home Office that no action will be taken, that is the end of the matter, and it would be legally problematic for a subsequent government to reverse that.

As the world moves further towards authoritarianism, how secure do you think Sir Mo feels about that?

In his shoes, would you be brave enough to speak out politically against a government in power, given his situation?

Re: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the UK using another child’s name

#150

Post by rvieira »

toyg wrote: post #122
rvieira wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortunately she believes she is popular and is busy prepping her bid for PM, at the moment.

She is popular. I had to switch radio channel yesterday when one of her supporters called in; Rwanda effectively locked in the "casual nazi" constituency for her, and that constituency is vast . It's possible she won't find the 30 MPs she needs to get on the ballot, but if she manages to get on the shortlist, I'd bet good money she will win.

She's not popular. She's consistently in the bottom positions in Tory member polls.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/08/tory-member...

https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/12/poll-of-tory-party-members-re...

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/0...

Post reply on HN