Saturday, 23 May 2009
If Gurkhas wore Burkhas...?
Listening to Welsh men and women commenting on a BBC Radio Wales phone-in regarding Joanna of Arc, confirmed to me that the public mood is fully behind the decision on the Gurkhas and the efforts of the patron saint of their campaign. It is also clear that concerns over issues like immigration or the right of individuals to live anywhere in the British Isles has nothing to do with race, colour, culture or religion. The Gurkhas share neither the race, colour, culture nor religion of the majority of the population, in fact I am not sure how well many of them even speak English, but their commitment to Britain and their sacrifices in defence of the nation’s interests has earned them a place in our history, our hearts and our homeland. Perhaps this is the acid test for who belongs here and who doesn’t - rather than the cosmetic stuff.
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I find it hard to defend having a regiment based on a colonial hangover. However, it is hard to argue with their loyalty to the UK state, so one wonders what the BNP really think about their situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the regiment is a throwback to the British Imperial era and perhaps given that various regiments have been merged in recent years to save money, now might be the time to disband it.
ReplyDeleteMy point was the Gurkhas who have served (and so long as the regiment exists) certainly deserve to live in the UK and the British public's reaction to them, in contrast to the issue of immigration in general, has been very supportive. My interpretation of this is that the Welsh, Scottish, English and Irish are not inherently xenophobic or racist nations - something we already know.
The BNP on the other hand, flying in the face of public opinion, don't want Gurkhas living in the British Isles and that simply confirms that the 'British Reich' they wish to establish is dominated by the issue of race and 'blut' neither of which guarantees model citizenry, and certainly does not guarantee the desire to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend one's country.