The Metropolis

David Cameron, former employee of company that sold opium to China, will lecture same on human rights

Darren Atwater | Tuesday 9 November, 2010 10:21

●

During his gap year in 1985, a young Dave Cameron took a position, for three months, in Hong Kong with one of that city’s most infamous firms, Jardine Matheson. Infamous because Jardine Matheson gained its initial wealth from selling opium to China and for calling in British gunboats when the Chinese government banned the trade. It’s a fun fact that will surely be enjoyed by Chinese officials when Cameron informs them of the importance of human rights. They’ll surely appreciate the UK’s innovative use of control orders, too.

Filed in:

Snipe Highlights

Some popular articles from past years

  1. Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
  2. The best church names in London, and where they come from
  3. 9 poems about London: one for each of your moods
  4. Punk brewery just as sexist and homophobic as the industry they rail against
  5. The five spookiest abandoned London hospitals
  6. Nice map of London's fruit trees shows you where to pick free food
  7. Nice Interactive timeline lets you follow Londoners' historic fight against racism
  8. A unique collection of photos of Edwardian Londoners
  9. Silencing the Brick Lane curry touts could be fatal for the city's self-esteem
  10. An interview with Desiree Akhavan