What a difference one war makes


It is a truism that is easily checked and corroborated that most movements of refugees in the world today are as a result of war.  This is just as true of the refugees who risk their lives and those of their children crossing the channel in small boats as it is of Ukrainians forced to flee Nato’s proxy war in their country.  It is also just as easily checked that if those wars are looked into either Nato or members of Nato are to be found as either the initiating participants or the main instigators of those wars using puppet governments.  So, the situation in Ukraine seems both unique and also nothing new at the same time.

Nato, having built up its forces around Russia at the behest of the leading player in Nato, i.e., US imperialism, has insisted that its bought and paid for fascists who run Ukraine for them continue to fight the proxy war down to the last Ukrainian blithely careless of the destruction that such a doomed struggle is bound to cause to Ukrainian cities and infrastructure and to its economy generally.

The result has been a massive exodus of Ukrainians, most of whom never supported the fascists the CIA put in place, and, indeed, voted for the Zelensky government because it was claiming to be pro-Russian.  5 million people are estimated to have fled – and that number would have been higher had men of working age been allowed to leave by the Ukrainian government, which they were not, as they were kept for use as cannon fodder.

Both the British and US governments, usually 110% anti-refugee, have set in motion plans to accept thousands of Ukrainians, and in Britain, a country in which we are always being lectured there is no room, people are being offered £350.00 per month to put up a single Ukrainian refugee! 

According to government websites: “Applications from refugees with a Ukrainian passport can be made online, with biometric information provided after arrival in the UK.

As of 7 April, the UK had issued 28,500 visas under this scheme from 36,300 applications. However, only 10,800 have arrived in the UK under this scheme so far.

The scheme to house these refugees was launched on 14 March, and more than 100,000 people and organisations signed up within the first day. Under this scheme, people are asked to offer Ukrainians a rent-free space in their home or a separate residence for at least six months. “They will not be expected to provide food and living expenses but can choose to do so.”

Each household housing a refugee will be offered £350 a month, tax-free, for up to 12 months. Local authorities will also receive £10,500 in extra funding per refugee for support services, with more for children of school age.”

“Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Morrisons are among UK retailers who have offered to employ Ukrainian refugees.”

“Refugees fleeing Ukraine can bring pets with them when coming to the UK”.

“The government has streamlined the quarantine process for these animals and will cover the costs involved.”

How come such bountiful generosity is not extended to the desperate men, women and children who arrive at our shores in small boats?

Nevertheless, Priti Patel has found herself having to apologise for the fact that, despite all the visas issued (about 42,000), as at the beginning of April only some 12,000 asylum seekers had arrived, overwhelmingly people who already had family in the UK, while other European countries had taken in hundreds of thousands.  The warm welcome is beginning to look more like a propaganda exercise to establish the saintliness of the warmongering Nato countries than any real help to civilian victims.

Moving away from Ukrainian refugees let us look at the refugees from every other part of the world fleeing armed conflict!  Just think of all the countries that have been attacked, invaded, and occupied by US, UK and EU imperialism in the name of humanitarianism! When Yugoslavia was smashed to pieces by NATO, when Iraq was invaded and occupied, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, all in recent times and all causing a massive refugee crisis each time, not only due to the imperialist bombs falling from the skies but also in the cases of Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, due to the extremely violent tactics of the ISIS, Zionist or oil rich Wahhabi proxy troops of imperialism.  Or perhaps you may care to think of the African nations such as Zimbabwe that have been forced into poverty despite their obvious wealth because they didn’t want to be tools of imperialism?

Where were the open homes for these refugees?  Where were the jobs waiting for these refugees?  Where was the welcome for their pets?

It no doubt helps that Ukrainians have a different skin colour and are of European origin.  This may well be in the collective mind of many of those offering homes to Ukrainian refugees, along with the financial incentives, but as far as our ruling class is concerned, Ukrainian refugees are useful at the moment in getting their narrative accepted and fixed in the minds of British people.  When that usefulness to imperialism is over, they will find themselves flying back to Ukraine.  Hopefully they will find their land cleansed of Nazis and the NATO terrorists care of the Russian military forces when they do.