(no subject)

[mrph]

As some people will already be aware, there's a certain concern about Dubai Ports World taking control of six U.S. ports.

"From our point of view, we don't want foreigners controlling our ports" - Thomas Kean

Fair enough. But the only reason that DP World is in this position is that they've just bought P&O - who already had control of those ports. And P&O was based in London, not American...

Comments

[jambon-gris.livejournal.com]

Dubai, you mean that close friend of the US that our George was going to bomb the crap out of? Coincidence perhaps or perhaps not.

[diffrentcolours]

I believe that part of the concern arises from the fact that P&O was a private company and hence the kind of cynical greedy organisation that people are used to, whereas DP World is owned (and presumably controlled) by a foreign government.

[redandfiery.livejournal.com]

I suspect it's more likely that concern arises from the fact that DP World is mostly owned by brown people who speak a funny language. They didn't mind P&O so much because it's mostly owned by white people who speak English as their first language.

But I really don't have a high opinion of the people running America at the moment, so maybe I'm biassed.

[diffrentcolours]

I'm sure that some people are concerned over the nationalities involved, but the reasoning I've seen coming from Government-level critics is that the new owners are a foreign government rather than a foreign corporation.

[odubtaig.livejournal.com]

I thought Britain was the 51st state and therefore not foreign?

[livingarmchair.livejournal.com]

And Tony Blair is George's Bush's Monica Lewinsky. I hear he does a great rim job as well.

[odubtaig.livejournal.com]

Really, much more than I could ever wish to know.

[ninshubur.livejournal.com]

You live by the sword, you die by the sword...

It's a pity that the majority of 'merkins probably won't get the irony of this situation.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

I think in this context, foreigners means 'those goddamn Ay-rabs'. Just as in the UK, 'immigrants' means darkskinned people who don't speak very good English, not the thousands of Australians and white South Africans who come here to live and work every year,