Here is london, home of the brash, outrageous and free

[alexsarll]

"Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has welcomed today’s announcement that London has gained Approved Destination Status from China as a major step forward in encouraging more Chinese visitors to the capital."
So we've just been designated Approved by a dictatorship, and this is good? Personally, I'd want every non-free state on Earth to have my city on its Not On Your Fvcking Life, Matey list. I'd want the very name of my city to have the dictators soiling their underwear because we were just so terrifyingly free. But hey, London's always happy racking up the pool balls with Pinochet and Stalin these days, isn't it?

Lunchtime pint confirmed that I'm not feeling particularly social today. A quiet night in with the Dodgeball DVD beckons.

Comments

[gregjames.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with China. They only execute people if they steal more than 2'500 yuan.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

Be sure to go balls deep.

-x-

We're better than you, and we know it

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I always do, David. I always do.

[jamesward.livejournal.com]

Tourism could play a big part in spreading the values of freedom though, because people can come here see what it's like then go home and think "China is a bit sh!t"

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

In theory, yes. But if we're Approved, then doesn't that indicate that their leaders don't fear that? Is our public transport really *that* bad?

[jamesward.livejournal.com]

I don't really know what Approved Destination Status is, but I'd imagine that you get it if you're a country quite a lot of people want to go to and the Chinese government want to save on Admin.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I just don't like the idea of being Approved. I mean, for starters it makes me think of Approved Schools, and there 'approved' is not dissimilar to 'special'.

[kennedybak.livejournal.com]

The values of economic freedom have already come to China, and you probably aren't going to see much representative democracy in action while holidaying here, so I'm not sure how well that argument stands up.

[euphoricstimuli.livejournal.com]

I dunno, my dad teaches chinese kids doing ecconomics for a kind of foundation programme for warwick uni.
Most of them seem fairly unaware of political diferences, & dad takes great pleasure in converting them to capitalism.
If you cant read a broadsheet newspaper or watch the news properly in english, you wouldnt have a clue how britain works unless someone told you deliberately how it was different.

[violentbec.livejournal.com]

boo @ ken.

my brane has officially died. that is all i can muster in response.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Ken has killed our branes so that we do not think too much and thus scare off the Chinese politburo...

The GLA mailing list has been great for LJ material this week, though, so he has some uses.

[violentbec.livejournal.com]

i *almost* got a job as ken's PA you know.
i decided after the interview i did NOT want to work for him.
but then they never phoned me back anyroad.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I still think he's basically a good mayor. Just a little too keen on the international stage when he should be keeping his focus tightly on Londinium.

[violentbec.livejournal.com]

hmmm he can be a bit of a w@nker and i definitely wouldn't want to work for him.

still he should get an award for congestion charge. car driving b@st@ards!

[rentaghost31.livejournal.com]

Rubber stamped by China. Marvellous. Lets send Ken to Beijing so they can put him under house arrest.

[johnnybrolly.livejournal.com]

A technical question, which shouldn't be taken in as a sign of anything other than curiosity: Is China really a dictatorship? What I mean is, China has a leader, who is (at the end of the day) in solely charge of the place, but that leader is appointed (how? I can't tell!). So, it's not democracy (even though the Chinese claim it is), but is it dictatorship?

Chinese Constitution

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

That could be classed as an oligarchy, but it's a fairly minor distinction.

[wardytron.livejournal.com]

Cor, I hadn't realised that Livingstone had called Qaradawi a "progressive". Qaradawi supports suicide bombers, the death penalty for gays, and husbands' right to beat their wives. He also believed the Asian tsunami was punishment from Allah. A progressive compared to Bin Laden and Hitler, possibly.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Perhaps he's 'progressive' because he supports the use of up-to-date explosives by suicide bombers?

[kennedybak.livejournal.com]

I think he meant 'progressive' in relation to other jihad-advocating clerics. Not that I'm defending the statement.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Yes but that's one of those fields where however far ahead you are, you're behind the crowd. A bit like the Special Olympics.

[thermaland.livejournal.com]

Today I read in a paper that over 6,000 coal miners died in China this year. The authorities said their target is to reduce this figure by 7% this year. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I didn't think you would be. And let's not even go near their transfusion/AIDS cover-up scandal.

[thermaland.livejournal.com]

To clarify, more than 6,000 coal miners died in China this year *in mining accidents*. Before some pedant takes me to task....