How I wish our PM thought of someone other than himself

Nearly all my comments in my 9:18 post were close-to-verbatim quotes from this and the other thread concerning Nazanin.

The comments on these threads contain a number of posts that are of the "oh, well, what can we do about it, its a lost cause" variety. And that lets the government off the hook.

So personally, what can most of us do? Very little. We can sign and share petitions, we can write to our MP. But if we start saying that its a lost cause, we can put it from out minds and blame the Iranians, then stop at that, we are absolving ourselves and the government from taking any action whatsoever.

I was not attempting to point score MazieD the post of mine which you have quoted was clearly in response to Alegrias. It was not in response to you.

Even though she is a bit darker than you, and was born elsewhere.

How can anyone say that on here when some of us may actually be "dark", born elsewhere, (or Jewish, or whatever)?
So racist.

Because we can do very little doesn’t mean that the FO is doing very little.
There is no question of absolving ( or need for it.)
We can however, entirely blame the Iranian regime.
The trouble with these sort of threads is that emotion is used as a tool as in ‘look how much kinder I am than you are’ style of things.

Josianne

^Even though she is a bit darker than you, and was born elsewhere.^

How can anyone say that on here when some of us may actually be "dark", born elsewhere, (or Jewish, or whatever)?
So racist.

How is it racist? Kali was suggesting a possible reason for some of the more 'uncaring' posts on this thread,

It would be racist if she'd said that we didn't need to do anything about Nazanin's plight because she isn't British, or she's 'foreign'...

I've done very little, other than signing the petition and sharing it on my Facebook page. But I'm not sitting here saying "oh well, what a shame, let's move on".

And I'll say this again. Radcliffe has been involved with this from the very start. He's been dignified and fair to the government, even Johnson. If there was any behind-the-scenes activity, do you not think the government would have told him about it? Do you not think they'd be asking him to keep a low profile for a while so they could get things moving with the Iranians?

But no, nothing is happening and that poor man is sitting on a cold London street in November, on hunger strike and separated from his daughter. If that's "emotion", then call me guilty.

lemongrove

Because we can do very little doesn’t mean that the FO is doing very little.
There is no question of absolving ( or need for it.)
We can however, entirely blame the Iranian regime.
The trouble with these sort of threads is that emotion is used as a tool as in ‘look how much kinder I am than you are’ style of things.

I agree with you Lemongrove we can all sign every petition going, but unfortunately it will not make an iota of difference.

As I said unthread, it is not as simple as giving Iran access to the money held in the U.K. , there is a much wider picture involving the current sanctions towards Iran.

Not one of us knows what is going on in the corridors of power to resolve this dreadful situation. There is one country to blame, one only and that is Iran, and frankly they don’t give a dam

MaizieD

Josianne

Even though she is a bit darker than you, and was born elsewhere.

How can anyone say that on here when some of us may actually be "dark", born elsewhere, (or Jewish, or whatever)?
So racist.

How is it racist? Kali was suggesting a possible reason for some of the more 'uncaring' posts on this thread,

It would be racist if she'd said that we didn't need to do anything about Nazanin's plight because she isn't British, or she's 'foreign'...

It's absolutely fine then Maizie for me to say Meghan is darker than the rest of the RF without Kali and co jumping on the comment. Sorted! It works both ways. Thank you.
The caring aspect is far more important anyways.

As I said unthread, it is not as simple as giving Iran access to the money held in the U.K. , there is a much wider picture involving the current sanctions towards Iran.

I'm sorry, but it was 'simple' enough to very nearly be satisfactorily concluded a couple of years ago.

Josianne

MaizieD

Josianne

Even though she is a bit darker than you, and was born elsewhere.

How can anyone say that on here when some of us may actually be "dark", born elsewhere, (or Jewish, or whatever)?
So racist.

How is it racist? Kali was suggesting a possible reason for some of the more 'uncaring' posts on this thread,

It would be racist if she'd said that we didn't need to do anything about Nazanin's plight because she isn't British, or she's 'foreign'...

It's absolutely fine then Maizie for me to say Meghan is darker than the rest of the RF without Kali and co jumping on the comment. Sorted! It works both ways. Thank you.
The caring aspect is far more important anyways.

It sounds to me as if I've intruded in a private quarrel.

As far as I'm concerned, stating a fact about someone's skin colour isn't racist. Using that fact to denigrate them in any way is racist. Kali was not using it to be derogatory about Nazanin. Do I need to point out to you why she said what she did?

MaizieD

^As I said unthread, it is not as simple as giving Iran access to the money held in the U.K. , there is a much wider picture involving the current sanctions towards Iran.^

I'm sorry, but it was 'simple' enough to very nearly be satisfactorily concluded a couple of years ago.

very early completed but it wasn’t and hasn’t.

I am not an expert in Internal Law, so I have no choice other than trust those who are and those who know far more about this than I do.

In the meantime I shall continue to sign every new petition on this and share details of Mr.Radcliffe’s hunger strike.

lemongrove

Because we can do very little doesn’t mean that the FO is doing very little.
There is no question of absolving ( or need for it.)
We can however, entirely blame the Iranian regime.
The trouble with these sort of threads is that emotion is used as a tool as in ‘look how much kinder I am than you are’ style of things.

You are right there lemon grove.

As far as I’m concerned, stating a fact about someone’s skin colour isn’t racist. Using that fact to denigrate them in any way is racist. Kali was not using that it to be derogatory about Nazanin.

Quite right, she wasn’t using it to be racist about Nazanin. She was using it to point the finger at, and smear other posters as racist.

maddyone

^As far as I’m concerned, stating a fact about someone’s skin colour isn’t racist. Using that fact to denigrate them in any way is racist. Kali was not using that it to be derogatory about Nazanin. ^

Quite right, she wasn’t using it to be racist about Nazanin. She was using it to point the finger at, and smear other posters as racist.

Her motive for using it 'might' have been that; I'm only interested in establishing the point that what she said abut Nazanin was not racist.

I'll leave you all to get on with your little feud..

Poor misguided man, it won’t make a scrap of difference what he is doing in influencing Iran.

Allsorts

Poor misguided man, it won’t make a scrap of difference what he is doing in influencing Iran.

I don't think it's Iran he trying to influence.

Lincslass

lemongrove

Because we can do very little doesn’t mean that the FO is doing very little.
There is no question of absolving ( or need for it.)
We can however, entirely blame the Iranian regime.
The trouble with these sort of threads is that emotion is used as a tool as in ‘look how much kinder I am than you are’ style of things.

You are right there lemon grove.

Agreed, Lemongrove there is always a battle for the moral high ground. ?

Does everything have to be minimised and personalised and turned into a battle between GNers? Instead of trying to score points off people who want to draw attention to this debacle, can you just try to understand the bigger picture? Just once?

That’s ironic Alegrias.....it’s what many posters have been attempting to do for quite a while....to understand the bigger picture regarding this case.
Obfuscation has been swirling around though, accusations of racism towards posters and of being ‘uncaring’.
The bigger picture consists of not knowing the true details of the case, or what the FO has tried to do and is still trying to do
And knowing just what the Iranian regime is like.

I give up.

JenniferEccles

I think it’s Nazanin’s husband.
He’s on his second hunger strike in an attempt to get his wife released.
Brave he might be but I don’t think the Iranian regime will take any notice whatsoever

Maybe if we paid them back the millions we owe them they might.

varian

Johnson's disgraceful allegation that Nazanin was in Iran to train journalists was the excuse for the Iranian government to detain her indefinitely. That was one of his worst failures as Foreign Secretary.

It is in Johnson's power as PM to direct payment of the debt which seems now to be the obstacle to her release. It is utterly shameful that he has turned his back on this British family.

And he wouldn't even admit what he'd done much less apologise. He's despicable.

maddyone

^As far as I’m concerned, stating a fact about someone’s skin colour isn’t racist. Using that fact to denigrate them in any way is racist. Kali was not using that it to be derogatory about Nazanin. ^

Quite right, she wasn’t using it to be racist about Nazanin. She was using it to point the finger at, and smear other posters as racist.

NO, posters here on GN were not mentionned, at all.

Well it’s not all been unproductive. Richard has finished his hunger strike after 21 days and there is to be a cross party parliamentary debate on Tuesday.

Then we all need to contact our MP’s even though I know it will be a waste of time with mine.