<
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/31/dubai-influencers-expats-denial-middle-east-crisis>
"For people living in close proximity to a war zone, the lack of sympathy for
Australian and British expats and influencers in Dubai has been, on the face of
it, curious.
Since their adopted home was bombed in the initial days of the war, they have
faced mostly ridicule and contempt in their home countries.
In the UK, the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, called out “tax exiles and
washed-up old footballers” in Dubai who “mock ordinary Brits” but now expect
the UK military to rescue them.
On
Good Morning Britain, presenter Susanna Reid asked: if Brits moved to
Dubai to avoid paying tax, shouldn’t they pay for their own evacuation?
Shona Sibary, a British writer for the
Daily Mail who divides her time
between England and Dubai, captured the almost
Zoolander vibe of the city
when she wrote a piece titled “I’m trapped and under attack in Dubai – while
back home in Chichester my daughters are furious, the labradoodles are sick
and, worst of all, I left my Mounjaro pen in the fridge”.
And Australian influencer Louise Starkey was widely mocked for her Instagram
video after the bombs started falling. “It’s not meant to be happening here,”
she said on her balcony in Dubai, clearly afraid, as missiles sounded in the
background.
There is a lot to unpack in that one line. “Here” – where “it” is not meant to
happen – is Dubai, a city where you can play mini golf, shop at Marks & Spencer
and have all-day champagne brunches at luxury hotels.
And “it”? War. Violence. Missiles. Airports being attacked. No flights out.
Having to flee across the desert to Egypt or Oman. Living in fear of a drone
attack and your family being injured or killed.
The broadening of the theatre of war has simply made the wider tableaux in the
Middle East visible."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
