We Return To Maes Howe...
by Bernie Bell - 09:08 on 21 October 2024
We Return To Maes Howe…..
We used to ‘haunt’ Maes Howe – visited many times, including one very particular time..
https://theorkneynews.scot/2017/08/20/what-the-architecture-tells-us/
In 2013 my back ‘went’ – no more stooping to go down Neolithic passageways – Newgrange was OK as, being a short person, I strolled down the passageway.
Since receiving Reiki Healing from Sam Grey my back is a lot better - still not what could be called soople – but better.
Thinking about the Key- Holders …
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=17057
….set me thinking I’d try Maes Howe again. So we did.
We hadn’t been to the Visitor Centre since it moved to Stenness, and were impressed.
There’s a shop with site-related merchandise…
…..and a good selection of books – including the aforementioned ‘What The Architecture Tells Us‘….
On the wall there’s a basic but informative plan of the Neolithic Heart of Orkney which is available folded up and FOR FREE…
But what impressed me most was the exhibition of reproduction artefacts…
…including a groovy bit of grooved ware
….my old friend, the Cuween dog…
https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/10/20/cuween-cairn-wideford-hill/
…..and something I have a mild obsession with - Neolithic carved stone balls…
https://theorkneynews.scot/?s=Carved+Stone+Balls+Bernie+Bell
And so – to the Cairn itself, and a lively, informative talk given by Tour Guide Rob. No pics allowed inside – but there are lots & lots on-line and in books, and information too, better than anything I’d write here. This is mainly about the ‘new’ Visitor Centre and our return to Maes Howe.
From ‘Free Tibet’…..
“David Lammy travels to China, his first trip there as Foreign Secretary and the first visit by this new Labour government. We have to confess that we are concerned.
According to the Foreign Office's press release, he plans "to discuss how our economic links with China support growth in the UK", while media reports have predicted that Lammy will lead a "reset" of UK relations with China, prioritising trade, job creation and investment.
Human rights in Tibet, or a resolution to China's 70-year occupation, have not been mentioned and the omens are not good. Only yesterday came the news that Labour will backtrack on its plans to formally recognise the treatment of the Uyghur people as a genocide.
There are worrying echoes from the recent past here, specifically the so-called "Golden Era" of relations in which David Cameron's government hoped that a softer, more diplomatic approach with China, paired with increased trade, would suit both countries.
They certainly suited the Chinese Communist Party, which took the closer relations in its stride as the human rights situation in Tibet hit a nadir. Xi Jinping's administration introduced a raft of measures to expand security and surveillance, impose greater controls on Tibet's language, religion and way of life and also oversaw the forced displacement of rural Tibetans from their lands.
We cannot go back to this.
That is why we have spent this week sending a clear message to the Foreign Secretary: Do not sell out human rights in Tibet for trade.
Our specific demands are laid out in an open letter to the Foreign Secretary, who has heard from Free Tibet several times since the UK election this summer, but has yet to offer a response.
In order to get his attention, we organised a vigil at the Foreign Office with the Tibetan community on Sunday and days later, sent a digi-van around the streets of London, broadcasting our key messages to David Lammy. Among them are that he raise Tibetan political prisoners and the colonial boarding schools system in Tibet, which has seen around a million children separated from their families.
The van was seen by thousands as it travelled from the Chinese Embassy to Parliament, via landmarks like Piccadilly Circus. Among those who witnessed it were a group of Tibetans in Trafalgar Square who saw the van from afar and told the team that they were thrilled to see it and proud of those involved. MPs sympathetic to Tibet have also shared it, upping the pressure on the UK government.
In 2022, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that “the so-called ‘Golden Era’ is over, along with the naive idea that trade would lead to social and political reform”. While Free Tibet is hesitant to praise any recent UK government's efforts on Tibet, we do note that the UK raised human rights in Tibet at the United Nations, urging China in January "to end its persecution and arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and Tibetans and to allow genuine freedom of religion or belief and cultural expression".
David Lammy and Labour must build on this work, rather than relearning old lessons and repeating old mistakes. Labour in particular owes it to Tibet not to return to revert to failed policies of the past. Tibetans still remember that it was the last Labour Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, who in 2008 stated that it was the official policy of the UK government that Tibet was part of China, throwing away decades of UK policy. During this visit, nothing less than a clear stand for Tibet and the human rights of its people will satisfy us.
Labour promised in its manifesto that its policy towards the Chinese government is to cooperate where it can, compete where it needs to, and challenge where it must. Supporters who have written to their MPs may be familiar with these three Cs, which also feature in the press release about Lammy's visit.
Tibet is one area where the Foreign Secretary and the UK government must challenge Beijing. As our open letter concludes:
“Should you return to the UK with promises of jobs and investment but without taking a stand for Tibet, you will have sold out Tibetans and their human rights including those who are UK citizens.
“On the other hand, should you be bold, and seize the moment to speak out on Tibet and challenge China over its human rights abuses, it will show that this new Labour government can be a positive force for change and an example for other governments to follow.”
We, and thousands of Tibetans in the UK, will be hoping that David Lammy makes the bold choice. And we will be watching.
Thank you for your continued support.
John Jones
Head of Campaigns, Policy, and Research
P.S. Have you seen the latest news on the Free Tibet website? Be sure to check in regularly for updates from Tibet and on Free Tibet's work.
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