While refusing to apolagise for slavery while in Jamacia, Dave Cameron says he will pay for them to build a prison.

[StitchesBurstinBath]

Why is it so important to Tories to always take the piss?

[Misnomer]

Yes it wasn't much of a gesture, was it - We're paying for a prison so that we can send Jamaican prisoners home. Warms the cockles.

[MaudGonneMad]

Bit rich to tell the Jamaicans to STFU about slavery when he drones on about never forgetting every Remembrance Day.

[blaeberry]

I am not sure where I am on the slavery thing. It isn't just an apology they are after, it is reparations (money). I think it becomes very difficult to untangle history and it is not only slaves who suffered in the past, even the recent past. To pay money to someone because a great great great grandfather was a slave seems to open the door to all sorts of claims that I think it is better to let the past lie, and yet...

[TeaAddict235]

privilege check for Cameron et. al., they are unlikely to ever be behind bars for their many misdemeanours. They probably think that they are doing the Jamaican govt. a favour

If he'd decided to put his bits into a pig's head in the Caribbean, he would be in jail, that's what they're betting on by inviting him over there on holiday

[Isitmebut]

The UK has been trying to get Jamaica to take back hundreds of its own prisoners for more than a decade, especially as most were 'drug mules' etc and have no relatives/friends over in the UK.

Some prefer governments whether in a financial crisis of their own making, or anything else, don't just stand back with thumbs-up-bums and WAIT for something to happen when their wind changes direction.

For anyone interested in the facts;

PM announces £300 million fund for Caribbean infrastructure
www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-announces-300-million-fund-for-caribbean-infrastructure

The government is to invest £300 million in vital new infrastructure in the Caribbean such as roads, bridges and ports to help drive economic growth and development across the region.

The Prime Minister announced the new fund on Tuesday in Jamaica on the first leg of a 2-day visit focused on reinvigorating the relationship between the UK and the Caribbean countries. It will make the UK one of the largest bilateral donors to the region.

[cdtaylornats]

Interesting that because its a Tory idea people here seem to hate the humanitarian gesture of creating a way to repatriate Jamaican prisoners, no doubt to the considerable relief of their families.

If we didn't build a jail there we would have to build one here.

[StitchesBurstinBath]

yes but ultimately its about locking up black people! He could have invested in local education system or something without a chastising edge.

[squidzin]

No white banker has served time for his crimes.

[cdtaylornats]

First of all why did you assume all Jamaican criminals are black? A bit racially stereotyping there? Second - they are already locked up here far away from friends and family.

[CuttedUpPear]

cdtaylor do you have statistics that say otherwise?
I would have thought it obvious that native Jamaicans were black but willing to hear evidence to prove otherwise.

[BrandNewAndImproved]

There is the odd white or Chinease Jamaican (who wouldn't class themselves as Jamaican) but the overwhelming majority of Jamaicans are black. That's not a stereotype to assume that even the black on their flag is to represent their people.

China strangely invests huge amounts of money into the Caribbean. Airfields, football stadiums. Apparently it's a fuck you to America as they're so close.

[TweenageAngst]

Squid, have you heard of Bernie Madoff, Nick Leeson or Jerome Kerviel? All white bankers who have been in jail for financial crimes. Those are just 3 I can remember off the top of my head. Admittedly they are not huge in number but to assert that no white banker has been to jail is incorrect.
I agree with cdtaylor if Corbyn had suggested building a jail in Jamaica he would be hailed as a compassionate hero.

[squidzin]

Yes Teenageangst, I forgot there was a couple of scapegoats. They are all at it, though.

Corbyn wouldn't ever suggest building more jails. He would probably suggest something like more railways. Or more educational support for children in poverty.

[WhyDontYouProveIt]

Criminals should be in prison - I would rather that foreign ones were in prison in their own countries so we have the space to lock up our own. I would be charging foreign nations for the cost of incarcerating their criminal citizens, not building them a bloody prison but I see that this is a good way of getting rid!

I don't think Cameron should apologise for slavery - not his fault or his responsibility that slavery happened. Can I put in a claim for reparations because, as a woman, my female ancestors were oppressed? Paying compo for actions committed hundreds of years before any of us were born is a path to madness.

[cdtaylornats]

Cutted - indigenous Jamaicans certainly aren't black they are Arawack who are the same racial group as native Americans.

Currently black people make up 92% of the population.

However there are no available figures on prison population percentages.

[meditrina]

"yes but ultimately its about locking up black people!"

It's about locking up criminals. Of the British prison population of about 85,000, the Guardian says about 600 are Jamaican.

There are a number of agreements that prisoners convicted in one country can return to their home country to serve out their sentence (Brits incarcerated abroad may be returned to UK, irrespective of their colour).

This policy has been going on for ages, by all parties in Government, and parties which form governments in other countries.

Easing prison overcrowding in this country has been a policy priority for several successive administrations now.

Making it possible (by improving gaol capacity in certain countries where there is a fairly constant population of prisoners currently here) to return home has never been a controversial policy before.

Is this another case of 'if a party I like does it, it goes without comment, but if a party I don't does the same it's utterly terrible'?

[AnyoneButAndre]

The government has announced a 300MGBP Caribbean infrastructure find, plus 30MGBP for really vital work disaster-proofing Jamaican hospitals and 30MGBP for cross-Caribbean public services work. I don't know why the story is spun to be All About the 25MGBP for a Jamaican prison (also a perfectly good idea, nothing wrong with sending foreign criminals to do their sentence in their home country, subject to human rights concerns in individual cases, but we can't send people to the current Jamaican hellholes). I assume the spin comes from Cameron's office who have leapt on the ultimate UKIPer friendly story - combining Lock Them Up and Send Them Back.

[Aerfen]

Its not relevant what colour skin Jamaicans have.

Its a good thing that criminals are returned to their own countries to serve their sentences. Its not good that Britain is paying for a prison in Jamaica but apparently due to the effect of the HRA Britain was unable to return Jamaican criminals because their gaols were not five star!

So lesser of two evils to provide one.