Samuel J. Rosenfeld 🇺🇸 They Lied — I Document
@SamjLondon • 3,175 subscribers
I question power, expose wrongdoing and defend truth, holding governments accountable whenever secrecy threatens our freedom, democracy and justice.
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Silent Hero is about Colonel George Williams late of the British Army 🇬🇧's Intelligence Corps who was one of the victims of the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash. Copyright @ 2024 – SamJRosenfeld, all rights reserved. The Song is the Copyright of SamJRosenfeld I have no idea of the origin of the video and have been unable to locate the owners but no infringement is intended. Royal Army Chaplains’ Department Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧
Samuel J. Rosenfeld 🇺🇸 They Lied — I Document40,274 просмотров • 2 лет назад
In the corridors of Westminster, momentum is building for a decision that could reshape the Horn of Africa: the formal recognition of Somaliland as an independent state. A representative of His Majesty’s Government recently remarked in conversation that the issue is taking on renewed urgency. At least ten prominent British parliamentarians and peers—both past and present—have publicly expressed their support for #Somaliland in recent years. Political Heavyweights Leading the charge is Sir Sir Gavin Williamson CBE MP MP (Conservative), MP for Stone, Great Wyrley & Penkridge, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (#APPG) on Somaliland. Williamson’s advocacy has become the most visible symbol of Westminster’s growing awareness that #Somaliland deserves recognition. Joining him are figures such as Kim Johnson (The Labour Party Ireland), Co-Chair of the APPG and MP for Liverpool Riverside, and the ever-eminent Tom Tugendhat MP (Conservative), a respected voice on foreign affairs. The support extends into the House of Lords, with Lord (Edward) Julian Udny-Lister, a life peer and officer of the APPG, and David Howell of Guildford, who pressed the case during an October 2024 Lords debate. Former ministers and members of UK House of Commons have also added their weight: Zac Goldsmith, who openly called for recognition; Tim Loughton, who rallied a cross-party group of 15 MPs to push the Government; Stephen Doughty HC MP, who led delegations to Somaliland; and Paul Blomfield, the former The Labour Party MP who consistently raised Somaliland in #Commons debates until he stepped down in May 2024. This list represents more than isolated goodwill. It signals a cross-party consensus that Somaliland’s case is legitimate, long-standing, and increasingly unavoidable. The Race Against Time For many in #Westminster, the urgency is geopolitical. There is a real fear that #Britain could be outflanked by the United States if Donald J. Trump—moves first on recognition. This most exquisitely spoken Mandarin bluntly put it, “The UK cannot afford to be Trumped on Somaliland.” This sense of urgency is more than political maneuvering. It reflects Somaliland’s unique position: a functioning democracy in a region beset by instability, a partner on counterterrorism, and a former British protectorate whose independence was already once recognized. The Forgotten Independence of 1960 Somaliland’s story is not one of secession, but of interrupted sovereignty. On 26 June 1960, Somaliland achieved independence from Britain. Within days, more than 30 countries—including the UK, the US, Israel, Egypt, Ethiopia, and all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—formally recognized it. Crucially, #Somaliland was admitted to the United Nations as a full member on the very day of independence, under UN Resolution 141 (1960). Diplomatic notes were exchanged with the UK, and sovereign relations established. Five days later, in an ambitious but ill-fated experiment, Somaliland entered a union with the former Trust Territory of Somalia. But the union was never legally sound: Somaliland passed a “Union of Somaliland and Somalia Law” on 27 June 1960. Somalia passed a different “Act of Union” on 30 June. The two texts did not match and were never harmonized. Somaliland’s legislature never ratified the provisional Somali constitution. No valid treaty of union was ever deposited at the #UN, as required by Article 102 of the UN Charter. Yet, on 1 July 1960, Somalia presented itself to the world as the “continuation” of both states, effectively absorbing "impersonating," Somaliland’s independent UN membership. To many legal scholars, this amounted to a theft of sovereignty. Somaliland’s statehood was not legally dissolved, but politically sidelined. Impersonated at the UN What followed was decades of instability under the unified Republic of Somalia. The Somali state collapsed into civil war in 1991. From that moment, Somaliland quietly reasserted the independence it had briefly held in 1960. It built its own government, constitution, currency, judiciary, and armed forces. It has held multiple competitive elections judged free and fair by international observers. Unlike Mogadishu, which has struggled #terrorism, #piracy, and foreign interventions, #Somaliland has maintained relative peace and stability. It has acted as a de facto sovereign state for over three decades, yet remains unrecognized in the international system—a paradox born of a union that never legally existed. Why Recognition Matters Now Recognition is more than symbolism. It would unlock access to international financing, formalize Somaliland’s role as a regional security partner, and strengthen the UK’s diplomatic influence in the Horn of Africa. Critically, it would also correct a historical wrong. #Somaliland was recognized once already, its #UN membership unjustly erased without due process. Unlike other self-determination cases, #Somaliland is not seeking to break away from Somalia—it is seeking to restore its rightful, documented independence. A Time For Action In Westminster, the message is increasingly clear: the UK has a unique responsibility and a strategic opportunity. By moving first, #London would reaffirm historic ties, correct a legal injustice, and secure an ally in one of the world’s most volatile regions. As one 'parliamentarian told me: “Somaliland has done everything asked of it—peace, democracy, stability. It is time #Britain did the right thing. Recognition is not just an option; it is an obligation.” For #Somaliland, the wait has already lasted 64 years. The question is no longer whether recognition is deserved, but whether Britain will finally step forward—or allow history to repeat itself, with others leading the way. Somalilanders (video clip) "Last, week: It truly pained me to see that only one flag was missing among those of the Commonwealth countries hanging in Westminster, London — the flag of #Somaliland."
Samuel J. Rosenfeld 🇺🇸 They Lied — I Document12,075 просмотров • 11 месяцев назад
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