I live in Dubai, ask me anything

Let's not be disillusioned by something as trivial as slavery, quite right. Jesus 🙄

In the UK 30% of homes have turned their front gardens into parking. Not most.

(data from RAC)

Not majority though. 70% haven’t

You said most. 30% is not most.

Most/majority what is the difference?

What is MN ? Not social media ?

Can I just clarify that you’re not in favour of a free press? I worked as a freelance journalist when I lived in Dubai. Most of what I did for UAE papers was for The National. And most of the stories I proposed got shut down, not surprisingly, by my editor, whose visa, like everyone else’s depended on his employer. Who in this case was Sheikh Mansour, the vice-president of the UAE and member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family (and who owns Man City).

Hence why the only coverage of the kidnapped princesses was press releases denying the ‘false allegations’ and photographs showing Mary Robinson meeting Latifa (a meeting MR later admitted she was duped by).

Or have a look at differences between how open sources and overseas media covered the Iranian strikes on Dubai versus how the UAE media covered them, while arresting those who posted material implicitly contradicting the official line.

https://martinplaut.com/2026/04/05/censorship-how-the-uae-rewrites-the-story-of-iranian-strikes/

One of the stories I started investigating on my own was what happened to all the child camel jockeys after, as part of the campaign to look ‘progressive’, the UAE banned child jockeys and replaced them with robots in 2005, after significant international pressure drew attention to the trafficking of children, some as young as two or three, from Sudan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries, who were forced to work in cruel and dangerous conditions, beaten and often starved to keep their weight under 20 kg. Some were seriously injured or killed in races.

Supposedly the UAE authorities returned all these children to their homes and in some cases paid compensation, but according to Amnesty, there are over 2000 children unaccounted for.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2009/5/22/i-was-so-scared-they-beat-us

Do you not think, @britindubai, that the UAE media should be allowed to investigate such flagrant human rights abuses, as part of the media’s job to hold governments accountable to the people they represent? Only of course, the people of the UAE have never been able to choose their leaders.

Yes there is censorship, I don’t mention any keywords or phrases that would draw any attention

So are you OK with this level of control and worry?
People may slag off the UK but at least we have free speech.

There's a quote from Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton in To The Manor Born.

"If you want to know what God thinks of money look at the people he gives it to."

Google the playgroup and the men's toilets at the mall on Beach Road a few years ago.
Google about the Swiss boy Alexandre Robert.

A free press allows for criticism of government.
Something you seem very keen on when it suits you.

As I said before you seem to be exceedingly naive about Dubai. You can't imagine ?

So just to be clear you object to a free press and agree with censorship of criticism of the government? To add to the fact you hope your children aren't gay. I can see why you get on well in Dubai.

I have no idea what mental health ratio is high means.

I'm intrigued by the hypocrisy of you thinking a law against criticising a government is a good thing while also handing out very heavy criticism of other place's governments. This is why it's coming off that you are working for Dubai tourism or something.

Edited to add - could you clarify whether you think it would be better if it was illegal for you to say that children get snatched from the streets in the UK and that the NHS is failing?

Exactly!
Can you say your Government is full of knobbers on here and not be able to criticise them in any way?
(I actually like our Gov at the moment, so not my actual thoughts 😁)
If they were though, I think it's important that we are able to hold them to account or criticise them.

This thread now exists in a world where the meaning of words doesn't matter and making things up for effect is 'generalising'.

A thread where opinions (even God's ) are dismissed purely because they are opinions and it's possible to be "getting into pedantics."

Britain has not lost its sharpest knife.

I'm not sure if I agree with that assessment as a fake poster.

But I am now imagining the hoards of child snatchers that roam Alderley Edge looking for the children of millionaires to snatch off the streets which we all need to be vigilant. Given the OP who definitely didn't read about this risk in the Daily Mail or GB news who lie I'm really left wondering which reputable sources she heard it from.

Along with the idea of environmentally unfriendly completely paved over concrete driveways across the entire Home Counties, Lake District and other places outside London.

All whilst pushing the Sales Pitch of the Infallible Perfect Dubai Dream.

And completely glossing over the falling drones because they happen in other civilian areas and potentially hit other people's kids so don't matter. Afterall Iranian Drones and Missiles much less of a worry than Child Snatchers in Britain because Dubai is wonderful and the reporting in the British Media is all lies... Even though it's the Middle Eastern press leading these stories due to Middle Eastern leaders actively warning their citizens about them in acts of self harm.

American has Trump supporters who believe in this type of cognitive dissonant nonsense. I don't believe there is a lack of Brits who have such conflicting views.