Friday 18 September 2015

Listen to Caroline Lucus and not Ann Clwyd on the Arms Trade.


The UK should stop selling military equipment to "despotic regimes" a Welsh MP has told a Westminster debate.

Cynon Valley Labour MP Ann Clwyd said it was "not possible to promote human rights at the same time as promoting arms exports".

She was speaking as London was hosting the world's biggest arms fair.

Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood said:

"We aim to operate one of the most robust and vigorous and transparent systems" of arms exports.
Mrs Clwyd said that after the 2011 uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East more than 150 licences for arms exports were revoked.
"Revocation of licences can only be of limited effect - for the simple reason that revocation is of no use whatsoever for exports that have already been shipped. 
"These arms can never be recovered."
 Does Ann Clwyd accept any responsibility to the whole mess in the Middle East in a role as Tony Blair Bag carrier . Many of these weapons  have fallen into the arms of Isis through Blair's (and her's) folhardy intervention.

For a decade she has been promising us that "The Green Roots of Democracy" are appearing in Iran and Afghanistan when there is only a wasteland.

Her former Boss Tony Blair has gone on to make his fortune  with the corrupt and despotic Saudi Royal Family. who treatment of Women is as almost as bad as the Taliban and who persecute those who do not share their shade of Islam. 


A previously secret contract with a Saudi oil company headed by a member of the country’s royal family has been leaked showing Mr Blair charging £41,000 a month and 2 per cent commission on any of the multi-million-pound deals he helped broker.
The emergence of the Saudi deal led to new criticism of Mr Blair’s role as a Middle East envoy, but he strongly denied there is a conflict of interest.

 Ms Clwyd does not seem to have benefited from her Middle East Folly at least.

Nor does she include the Saudis in her list of "despotic regimes" or are absolute monarchies   like Saudia Arabia and Bahrain exempt?

I have no doubt that  Ms Clwyd is sincere  but she holds some responsibility for the disastrous state of affairs i the Middle East  particularly in her selective approach to what constitutes despotism.

This looks like a statement intended to catch the eye of the new Labour leader  Jeremy Corbyn perhaps  so she can get a further role in the Middle East.

 But if Mr Corbyn wants to listen to anyone  it should not be Ms Clwyd .
 Indeed he would be better to pay attention to the words of , Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion,  who last week asked David Cameron a somewhat troubling question in light of the refugee crisis.

At prime minister's questions, she asked:
The ongoing harrowing refugee crisis is fuelled by conflict, which in turn is powered in part by the global arms trade.
The UK has supplied the weapons being used in many areas from which people are now fleeing, including Yemen and Libya.
In the week that London will once again host the largest arms fair in the world, is it not time for the Government to recognise the link between arms sales and the terrible tragedy that we see unfolding around us?

Although a supporter of another Party I have no problem  with  listing to the voice of members of other parties and backing them when I agree with them, and I agree with both Ms Clwyd and Ms Lucus but the latter is clearly untainted like the former and it is she who we should pay attention not a failed Labour Politician who has blood on her hands.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Glyn's usually 'right on the money' when he posts, and this piece is no exception. Rivalling a certain GD for the mantle of best left wing blog in Wales ;)