Keir Starmer is itching to get his Chagos giveaway done (Image: PA)
Our intrepid PM, Two-Tier Free-Gear No-Fear, is cracking on with his effort to sign away the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. His misguided sense of urgency is apparently motivated by an all-consuming wish to get this done and dusted before Donald J Trump is sworn in as the 47 th Prez of the US of A.
Now, perhaps there are large numbers in our Possum ranks who might not be aware of either what the Chagos Islands are or even where they are located. Ergo these folks are unlikely to care much one way or ‘tother. Fair enough, your opinion is your right.
But it’s honestly, as with most things in life these days, not quite that simple. You see the Chagos Islands are of significant strategic value to the “western alliance” () and in particular to the United States and, you would have thought, to us as well.
Diego Garcia is what’s important, and that’s what this is really all about. Diego Garcia is the location of one of the most strategically important military facilities in the world. It’s vital to western alliance and NATO defence capabilities.
The Chagos were part of Mauritius prior to independence and were excised from Mauritius in 1965 to become part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Just a little footnote to this; the Brits purchased the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, from the then self-governing colony of Mauritius for three million quid thus creating the BIOT.
After a lot of wheeling and dealing the British then entered into agreement with the US that eventually led to Diego Garcia becoming American aviation and naval military assets as they exist today. The US airbase at Diego Garcia accommodates long range bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, whilst the naval facilities can handle the largest vessels afloat.
Throwing a wobbly in the works, the ICJ in The Hague ruled in February 2019 that the United Kingdom must transfer the islands to Mauritius as they were not legally separated in 1965. This was subsequently re-affirmed by the UN general assembly later in the same year.
Having stumped up three million back in the day, our government chose to adopt the position as not accepting that judgement as being legally binding. Fast forward to 2024 and Two-Tier Free-Gear No-Fear donned his veteran head of the CPS hat to perform an effective U-turn with a hasty decision to surrender sovereignty to Mauritius.
The PM in all his morose glory on occasions such as these, sycophantically assisted by his buffoon of a Foreign Secretary, has doubled down in the hope he can vigorously complete the process in advance of the Donald’s return to the Oval Office next year.
The list of bones of contention between this country and the incoming administration is growing alarmingly, which common sense tells you is unwise.
Why all the hoo-ha? Well, doesn’t think handing sovereignty of the Chagos to Mauritius is a good idea. This position aligns with that maintained by many present and former officials in government here, who know full well President elect Trump will not be shy in letting his opinion be known, nor in his policy response either.
This PM continues to lurch from one disaster after another, seemingly blinded by his his continued covetousness for the office he now holds. Drunk on the aphrodisiac stimulating his heightened sense of all-inclusive power, Two-Tier doesn’t apparently appreciate the extreme vulnerability of his position.
Indeed, a few past residents at Number 10 Downing Street could tell you what that’s all about if you’re interested. Two-Tier clearly isn’t!
So, while our feckless PM indulges himself in pure fantasy, along with his cabinet minions, this country stands potentially imperilled. Autocratic bad actors resident at the Kremlin in Moscow, Zhongnanhai in Beijing, the House of Leadership in Tehran, and the Doughboy Dugout in Pyongyang are a clear and present danger to our way of life.
Oh, did I forget to mention that Mauritius is a very close ally of the People’s Republic of , Possums? Silly me! Well then, as you can see with this being the case it places us on a very sticky wicket, and more importantly the US is drawn into it, yet heartily endorsed our PM’s “bold” decision as a triumph of diplomacy in the interests of all sides.
Mauritius have agreed to give us a 99-year lease on the Chagos that will allow for continued use of Diego Garcia as an American military facility. With territorial sovereignty any nation can decide what takes place, when, and with whom. This will include the right to revoke, suspend or otherwise frustrate any bilateral or unilateral treaty or commitment they have made or wish to make. Handing this capability over could potentially embolden a de facto adversary (China) and is a monumentally stupid thing to do!
Trump recognizes this as do many other leaders in the nominally free world. Yet Two-Tier carries on regardless. Mauritius’ legal claims are demonstrably unsound, but with a complicit UN I guess anything is possible. Hell, China got itself onto the committee of the UN human rights council where it’s engaged in increasingly proactive subversion of human rights in benefit of its agenda.
How does a country with such an abominable human rights and territorial abuse record get to do this? Quite easily, apparently. Let’s have a conversation about the Chagos and let’s consider what this all means for our future wellbeing in the shark-infested world of geopolitics. And let’s hold Two-Tier to account along with his entire cabinet for signing off on something that is without doubt not in our national interest, nor that of our staunchest ally.
Charles Dickens got it right with Mr. Bumble from Oliver Twist saying, “The law is an ass, Sir!” He had rendered his opinion whence learning Victorian law held him responsible for his wife’s actions.
The ICJ and the UN general assembly are likewise both an “ass” for the fiasco over the Chagos sovereignty issue for very good and valid reasons all around!