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Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#161

Post by csomar »

chosenbreed37 wrote: post #94
throwaway1997 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will disproportionately take away the more wealthy and better educated. The majority of HKers live in public housing, pay no tax and are unlikely to have the means to live in the UK since there will be no recourse to public funds. This level of brain drain, as in the other mass migration events away from HK, could trigger the government to loosen their grip.

> This level of brain drain, as in the other mass migration events away from HK, could trigger the government to loosen their grip. I've heard that HK is no longer as important to China as it was 20 years ago. HK's contribution to China's GDP has declined in relative terms as the rest of China has developed. With regards to the brain drain I get the impression that there are plenty of people from the mainland that co…

That's in GDP terms. But lots of money flow through Hong Kong. If HK was to fail and get disconnected, China will lose a significant portion of their exports. Hong Kong imported around $264bn of products from China. These are unlikely going to HK mainland but rather re-routed to other parts of the world.

It doesn't help that China is in bad terms with the U.S. and India. India is on track to become the third-world economy. China is gradually isolating itself from the rest of the world.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#162

Post by vertex-four »

derision wrote: post #157
vertex-four wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but it's a lot more distributed. It's people being assaulted in public spaces for being in any way different. It's the bathroom bills encouraging people to assault people in bathrooms based on nothing but perceived trans status - and then this actually happening. I've suffered both in a country where I theoretically have protections, and I am aware that my friends in the US have suffered worse. I am not going to…

[flagged]

OK, how about this: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/06/health/trans-teens-bathro... - right wing policies lead to sexual assault.

What about this - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/north-caro... - right-wing violence, kidnapping and sexually violating someone for taking a fucking piss.

Do you want me to spend the next 24 hours finding you news stories of right-wing violence against people minding their own business? Actually, no, you do it.

EDIT: Ooh, this one, where right-wing violence resulted in literally needing bone surgery to repair the victim's face: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/31/us/man-guilty-hate-crime-...

You try and explain to me how property damage is the same thing as murdering people in cold blood for simply existing. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/18/chicago...

What do you want to see? What would convince you that right-wing violence is a problem? Number of hate crimes?

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#163

Post by Veen »

runawaybottle wrote: post #100
nly wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surprising isn't it, given how much of a driving force EU immigration was in the Brexit debate.

Is it surprising? UK has a problem with certain races coming over. What’s the difference between Syrian refugees and Hong Kongers? They would both be seeking refugee status essentially.

Certain religions would be a more accurate way to put it than certain races.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#164

Post by ReticentVole »

ericmay wrote: post #4

US has as well to some extent [1]. I hope the entire Anglosphere follows suit (CAN/AUS/NZ). [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-police-make-first-sec...

Aus and NZ are still in futile COVID suppression mode, so they are unlikely to be taking in a million Hongkies any time soon.

I'm sure they'll get around to it though - it will reinflate their property markets which have sagged a bit this year.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#166

Post by arethuza »

There was an idea floating around in 1989 to build a "New Hong Kong" in Scotland!

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11920027.scotland-could-...

Edit: I'm sure we could find a bit that was fairly similar to the scenery of Hong Kong, though not sure we can do much about the weather....

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#167

Post by soapdog »

ginko wrote: post #135
growlist wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Educated, entrepreneurial, hard working, law abiding, socially conservative, respectful of their host. Who wouldn't welcome migrants like this?

That fits Polish immigrants to the UK to a t.

It fits every single immigrant I met here, including myself.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#168

Post by dragonwriter »

swarnie_ wrote: post #44
daemin wrote: post #40

I would have said that returning Hong Kong back to China was one of the biggest mistakes the UK has made, but here we are in 2020. It would have been better if they made it into an independent city state like Singapore.

If you don't return something at the end of a contract is that theft? or piracy? Its not like the UK had a choice. We're you expecting them to go all Hawaii on the situation and just annex it?

> If you don't return something at the end of a contract is that theft? or piracy?

I'll take, “A routine practice of European (including states that are former European colonies) colonialism in dealing with non-Europeans”. So, like, no one would have been surprised with Hong Kong.

> We're you expecting them to go all Hawaii on the situation and just annex it?

The UK was pulling that kind of thing before the US existed, so, sure, why not? I lean, ignoring the poder balance in the región, which is the real issue.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#169

Post by tankenmate »

woodpanel wrote: post #57
TrueDuality wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very hard to give up your home, your friends, your connections, and potentially your family even if you have an opportunity for a better life. Yes, a lot of those connections can potentially move to the same city & country as you but will your neighbor still be your neighbor? Will the bar at the end of the street you go to after a hard day still be there and know exactly what you want when you walk through the d…

And of course: Beijing will label the emmigrants as home-abandoning traitors.

Not just that they also pressure family members that are left behind so that the defectors who left come back; then they arrest them. [0]

[0] https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/01/31/china-families-interpol-...

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#170

Post by sasum »

Veen wrote: post #60
sasum wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a very savory opinion to say "I wish colonialism had gone even further".

In theory perhaps, but in reality when the choice is between two Empires, people have often embraced the one that they perceive as less harmful to their interests. An independent Hong Kong was never a realistic prospect.

I don't understand this comment. People in Hong Kong don't want to be a part of the British empire. Most want to be a part of the PRC. Less than 20% want to be independent.
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