Now That’s What I Call UN Meddling 94

Advice from citizens of one country directed at another country is one of those concepts that is only acceptable to the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre providing that it is Brits telling foreigners what to do. Thus it is fine for us to tell leaders of any Middle Eastern country – but not Israel – how to sort themselves out, and likewise any African or South American country.

What's f***ing wrong with kicking foreigners, c***?!?

It’s even OK for us to tell other EU member states where they’re going wrong. But woe betide anyone from another country – except perhaps the USA – telling us that something in the UK is not right. That’s our job, or, rather, it’s the job of the Fourth Estate to sell more papers by kicking politicians. And all those who talk foreign can butt out, on pain of being hatcheted by the Daily Mail.

This one-way relationship has not been sufficiently appreciated by those at the United Nations (UN). First came Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik, whose criticism of Government policy on housing brought forth a barrage of insults: “loopy”, “trougher”, “hypocrite”, a “dabbler in witchcraft”. There was even in intervention from Grant “Spiv” Shapps, just to give everyone a good laugh.

So when the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) was less than complimentary recently, the Mail was indignant: “Now U.N. meddlers lecture Britain on migrants: Millions in peril in Syria, yet refugee chief finds time to condemn Cameron's reforms”. Yeah, shove off and visit Syria and Southern Sudan and don’t stick your bugle in on our patch!

The Mail’s indignation was heightened by the UNHCR being someone who talks foreign, and so António Guterres has been denounced by Priti Patel, Douglas “Kamikaze” Carswell, Peter Bone, and probably Mrs Bone as well. Such was the heinous crime that had been perpetrated that there had to be a Daily Mail Comment item in support, and this was particularly nasty.

Guterres is dismissed as “an obscure Portuguese politician and academic”. He was Prime Minister for six and a half years, and had been active in the country’s politics since the 1974 Revolution. Yes, he had been a university professor at a young age – but then, so had one John Enoch Powell, and in his case that was not something to sniff at, but for Simon Heffer to admire.

“Isn’t it about time these people focused firmly on their day jobs and stopped meddling in matters where they have absolutely no remit?” thunders the Mail. But Guterres’ business is refugees, he was talking about asylum seekers, and they are refugees. So this is his day job, his remit does run to these matters, and so it is not medding, however much Paul Dacre fumes about it.

But there are papers to sell and MPs’ careers to promote, so that’s all right, then.