Like most people, including the BNP and most of its followers, I have no issue with the extension of the right to reside in Britain to ex-Gurkha soldiers and their immediate families.The Gurkhas are brave soldiers who have fought bravely for Britain. Although I would personally favour an arrangement whereby retired soldiers conditions in their own homeland were improved at tax payers' expense to the point where they would wish to remain there. I am in full agreement with BNP Chairman Nick Griffin when he said he would happily exchange an equivalent number of militant Muslims for those Gurkha soldiers and their families who choose to move here.
However, I have to confess to a feeling of some unease at the level of hero-worship being afforded to actress and national icon, Joanna Lumley on her current triumphal visit to Nepal. Lumley, who as you will remember successfully lead a devastatingly effective campaign aimed at forcing the government to extend residency rights to all ex-Gurkha soldiers and their immediate families, is being welcomed by huge and effusive crowds carrying placards declaring the stunningly well preserved Ms. Lumley everything from a Goddess to "The greatest person on Earth".
Whereas I can understand that the soldiers themselves, and their nearest and dearest may feel indebted to Joanna, the crowds cheering her today seemed to include a considerable number of people who do not appear to fall into that category. Officially the victory won my Ms. Lumley and her campaign effected a maximum of 100,000 people, of whom we are assured only a small percentage will seek to take advantage of their new win rights. However, from the scenes today in Nepal, the entire population of Kathmandu (1.08 million people) seem to be very grateful to their new Goddess. Surely they don't all plan to move here.
