Monday Chatterbox

Hullo. I went for a drive earlier, I did not need a piss at any point.

Sandy! Apple TV - Beastie Boys documentary. The Mark Ronson thing is good as well. After Party is good.

Would swap an Apple TV logon for a Netflix one if anyone is interested...
(Not basic... that's just basic)

The Chagos islands were only settled in the 1790s by the French. Most of the people settled there were slaves.
It was treated as part of Mauritius.

Britain acquired Mauritius in 1814. Slavery was abolished in 1840 (suspiciously later than than the 1833 abolition act, though not as late as in Kenya - which was 1928).

The USA decided it would quite like Diego Garcia as a base in the 1960s. To facilitate this the UK separated the Chagos Islands legally from Mauritius and made them the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Mauritius was grated independence, but the islands were not.

The islands were then cleared by a variety of means. Some islanders were encouraged to emigrate. A large group was tricked. They were refused return from a routine visit to Mauritius.
At no point were the islanders consulted or asked about what they wanted or offered any genuine choice. It was all very underhand and disreputable.

The USA has set up what seems to be a permanent base at Diego Garcia. It has employed local people from around the Indian Ocean to work there. It will not however employ anyone with a Chagos Island connection.

The UK has been ordered several times to allow the islanders to return by various courts. The last trick was to declare the area a marine conservation zone and to say that no one could live there because of that. It is utterly cynical and disgraceful.

Diego Garcia is also apparently the site of a CIA facility which was used to kidnap and torture people during the 'war on terror'.

I know. But eviction of the islanders is a slightly different issue to the one that has Mauritius claiming the Chagos Islands lawfully belong to Mauritius. I think? It seems that way to me

Lazybones

It is a separate issue. 
The British Indian Ocean Territory was only created to allow the base at Diego Garcia.
The Mauritian argument i that this split was illegal. Colonial powers were not required to not split up colonies under the UN rules.
Mauritius was not given a choice as it was done by the UK government pre-independence.

I'd like to see the islanders allowed to return to the islands and given a choice as to independence or federation or even to remain ruled by the UK if that is what they want.
The UK government should properly compensate them for what happened as well.

It won't happen.
It does make all our claims to be concerned about Ukraine, Taiwan and other places seem a bit hollow. Everyone else except us and our allies have to follow the rules. 

I had a good friend who was probably the last indigenous person to be born on Diego Garcia. He was a babe in arms when his family were forcibly removed. His passport states place of birth Diego Garcia.

I see Putin is the latest person to try and save BJ.

He had a learning disability and I was his support worker. I'm now retired and moved to a different town. Still send a Christmas card to him.

Sheep's on a roll today.

Impressive if that really is your first ever mistake. I do not want to be cynical, but I do have a few doubts about the claim.

Afternoon all.

TVblog: Community, Meow Meow Beans.
I just love the way the slightest tweak to the social order results in complete upheaval on the campus.

Filmblog: Master & Commander.
Long we've tossed on the rolling main, now we're safe ashore, Jack.
Don't forget yer old shipmate, faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-eye-doe!

Dinnerblog: the Co-op chilli again.

OTTM: I imbibed too much red wine and ate too much sliced chorizo while watching the film last night. I had quite the headache this morning.

No, it's true. Apart from line 3 in today's Wordle I've been practically flawless all my life. It's only other people who thought I've been wrong on occasion.