Last night’s program looked at a young Albanian hip-hop musician who raps in Albanian and Greek. He’s a great kid, looks a bit like John Turturro. He told how he came to Greece for the first time - he’d damaged his eye in an explosion in Albania, needed an operation fast, crossed the mountains with his father; the Greek soldiers who caught them ended up helping them get to a hospital, even gave them a little money, the operation was a success. Then later he got his lights punched out by some Greek policemen and lost the eye for good. Arban tells the whole story without bitterness, it’s just the way things happen sometimes. His rap lyrics also describe hardship and loss, country and πατρίδα with no trace of self-pity.

The second half of the program focussed on Yorgos, a Greek who immigrated to Germany and eventually Belgium in the late 50s. He worked a lot of crummy jobs for years, and is now a high-ranking official in one of the EU’s social policy departments.

Neither of the stories are rags-to-riches, they don’t have a tidy arc. The characters aren’t pushing their political agendas, if they have any. And there’s a lot more that could have been said about these characters if the director had put in a narration track - instead, everything is told by the characters themselves. I think it’s more honest that way too.

Clarifying what I said earlier - the director believes that if there is such a thing as the ‘immigrant experience’, it can only be described through individual stories.

His work is not especially political, it’s more in the tradition of documentary storytelling. He believes all immigrants’ stories are individual - that there is no generalized ‘immigrant experience.’ It’s a fascinating point of view.

Please watch it!

MISSED ALL TH FUN I SEE,

GOD DAMN CHOLESTOROL (FROM EASTER SUNDAYS LAMB).

GIVING ME A HARD TIME,,

SEE THAT YOURE HAVING HARD TIMES

WITH EX SPANISH ARISTOCRATS

NO WORRY,

IM POLISHING UP ,,,, … THE GUILLOTINE.!

SORRY I MISSED HIM THE FIRST TIME

COULDVE HAD TAKEN NECK MEASUREMENTS.

BUT YOURE TARGET PRACTICE
WITH THE DLETE BLASTER WEAPON
IS GOING WELL I SEE.
CONGRATULATIONS ,
KEEP IT UP, YOULL FEEL BETTER
AT THE END OF THE DAY.

==== Z ====

Anyone who's interested in "What the Troll said" and wishes to respond, head over to http://numptiesnest.blogspot.c.....-time.html

I agree with David, I find the same with the loonies who visit me the grammar, syntax and spelling are simply stupendous (stupendously awful that is).

(1) governments don’t all respect the law - I’ll leave others to comment on Greece’s recognition rates for UN Convention refugees and those asking for humanitarian protection - or consider the law outdated and unworkable.

(2) people don’t respect the law either - because they want a better life/more money. I might do the same in their shoes though I’d like to imagine I’d stay and fight to improve the situation in my own country.

It’s always struck me as bizarre that when friends emigrate from Europe to, say Australia or the US, we pat them on the back, encourage them, visit them, envy them, admire them, but we find it difficult when the boot is on the other foot and people seeking the same betterment come to Europe.

I haven’t got a pat answer. I’d rather see workable laws properly enforced which would mean quick transparent decisions on status even if that involved a limited period of detention in a processing centre (with access to lawyers, interpretors, health care and education) and which would include effective forced repatriation of those who break the laws. Waiting for a decision is killing.

Not even a titter from me I’m afraid. He has already stated (this could be fantasy) that he is in politics. I find that threatening and I am not an immigrant. I am English and I am free to live anywhere in Europe I choose. Thankfully. Imagine how I would feel if I WAS an immigrant? He is against me because of what I look like (non-European? non-Mediterranean? non-white?) not what I am. And that really sucks.

Countries ARE allowed to set their laws and rules as they see fit. All I ask, all I have ever asked, is that you make it clear. If European laws that you have signed up for, says that people have a legitimate right to seek work, asylum, refugee status here then that’s their right under the law. If you want to change that, change it. Change it legally and make it clear that that’s the new law. Otherwise, get over it. Immigrants are here legally and properly and you are just going to have to get used to it.

What worries me about people like the troll above is that his tabloid comments are becoming more and more common and that the BNP and other nationalist parties are benefitting.

It’s really not funny.

No, seriously, it is funny, isn’t it, or is it just me? That some inadequate angry red-faced, screwed up, immature little person would need to spend so long trying to get his message across on your blog is not just funny, it’s hysterical.

I could be more provocative and say that he does have a point, though. Nations can only accommodate so many outsiders - few would advocate a complete Open Doors policy. It is a pity he put his views in such an extreme manner rather than encouraging a real debate about immigration - who should be allowed in and in what numbers? Every country has to decide those questions, keeping the majority on board, and reactions like that of Mr Indignant should make those in government wonder whether they’ve drawn the line at the right place. At least, that is what is happening in the UK right now with fears of BNP benefitting from disillusionment with Labour party policies resulting in Tony Blair’s immediate attempt to claw back hearts and minds.

Fake name… in the guidelines I asked you to read I wrote:

“Please give yourself a name. Use a fake one. I don’t care. I really get tired talking to anonymous and the discussion gets confusing when there are so many about.”

Seeing as you already gave yourself a name why make up another one?

Deleting begins from now.