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Written by Medina Green
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Wednesday, 20 December 2006 |
Riyadh told London to cease and desist from their nasty investigation into arms deals done 20 or so years ago, and a fetid tale developed of government connivance in perpetuating the military-industrial complex
"The Director of the Serious Fraud Office has decided to discontinue the investigation into the affairs of BAe Systems plc as far as they relate to the Al-Yamamah defence contract... This decision has been taken following representations that have been made both to the Attorney General and the Director concerning the need to safeguard national and international security.
...It has been necessary to balance the need to maintain the rule of law against the wider public interest... No weight has been given to commercial interests or to the national economic interest."
SFO, 14 December
A spineless organ ever since its inception, the Spurious Fraud Office called off the investigation, allowing the latest Eurofighter deal to go through. In Solicitor-General Mike O'Brien's related announcement, we were told that Blair, Browne and Beckett among others expressed "the clear view that continuation of the investigation would cause serious damage to UK/Saudi security, intelligence and diplomatic co-operation".
With prominent clouds of economic and security concerns hiding the real picture of Saudi demands, the government slipped the main announcement in at the end of the day on Thursday 14 December, after most members had gone back to their constituencies, especially the odious slaves who exaggerated the extent of job losses and called on any disingenuity or xenophobic slur to oppose the SFO's continued investigation (see on). Blair tried to justify that odd timing, claiming "market sensitivity" in addition to the other justifications for the predictable caving in to Saudi interests. Tony really is taking the piss. It's almost vindictive in the way that many prominent politicians become when they've been seen through and accurately criticised by sections of the press for so long.
Even before that, BAE's share price started rising on Tuesday 12 December when 'rumours' circulated in the city that the government were going to stop the SFO from proceeding with their investigation, so this claim of 'market sensitivity' is excruciating bullshit. Oh, and Attorney-General Goldsmith's opinions are now facts, apparently. Yes, it's a fact that he had the opinion that the SFO's investigations would not have led to a successful prosecution, but this is still conjecture, no matter how pragmatic or sophistic, so cannot be a fact. And even if there were to be a predictable outcome, to have the investigation run its course would have still been enlightening about the dodgy culture of militray procurement.
Beyond the timing, the justifications behind the suspension stand up
only like a pissed Saudi royal having been fed BAE-supplied gak and
glug on an all-night binge at a chintzy hotel. "National security" -
what? Ours? That's some tweak of the truth nipples. We sell loads of
offensive kit, which if used will inherently make the UK even more of a
target. Blair went on to expand on this principle in that noble emirate
Dubai, saying we (ie, him) should stop blaming ourselves for our
policy, and if anything, we should go one louder, making it even worse.
Then there's the economic angle - we couldn't afford to lose this
contract, we were told. If the Wharton plant loses business and there's
a knock-on effect for companies like Rolls-Royce, the whole of our
fragile economy will founder. Again, utter tosh. BAE should have made
good on their stated policy to use their profits for R&D into
non-destructive technologies. Employees will not be bothered either way
if they make precision missiles or solar panels. It's work. Granted,
there'll be a few patriotic knobbers who get turned on by renegade
hardware and materiel, but leave these to stew with their Sky
documentaries and Daily Mails.
Larry Elliot, The Guardian, 20 December
As far as it relates to international politics, this episode has been
special. Not to say the ‘French' (or the ‘Yanks' for that matter)
wouldn't do the same thing, but the side order of Francophobia is
another nauseous ingredient in this deeply cynical tale.
Cull would never like to suggest that an open debate was had about this
in Westminster. In Questions on 11 December, government's New Lab
lickspittles waved away queries from recalcitrant backbenchers like
David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire - Lab/Co-op): "Despite our
Government's stated intent not to sell arms in conflict zones, to
regimes that abuse human rights, or to the poorest countries on the
planet, the Defence Export Services Organisation is still dealing with
Sri Lanka and Uganda in the first category, Israel and Indonesia in the
second, and Nigeria and Pakistan in the third. Does the Minister agree
that we should launch a coup against DESO and install the Export
Control Organisation in the Ministry of Defence so that we can start to
build, at last, an ethical defence and foreign policy?"
Thus the lackeys lined up to defend the Saudi defence sales programmes,
preparing the ground for the announcement. Chorley MP Lindsey Hoyle,
for example, employed some nice doublespeak: "I am sure that my right
hon. Friend shares my concerns that, with tens of thousands of jobs at
risk from Bristol to Lancashire, whether at Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems or
Thornycroft, the bottom line is that we have to ensure that the SFO
completes its investigations. After two and a half years, we need early
completion to ensure that those jobs are not lost or put at risk. Will
my right hon. Friend give some support to British industry and ensure
that, while we recognise export credit controls, British interests are
kept alive?"
The convention is for the house speaker to call members of the opposite
party to that of the original questioner but the overfed Spunker
Michael Martin did the government proud, as usual, by allowing Hoyle
and another loyalist, Kevan Jones (North Durham - Lab), to lick the
government's policy ring: "Although not everyone supports arms exports,
does my right hon. Friend agree that they secure many highly skilled
jobs in the UK, and that as a result of the Export Control Act 2002,
introduced by the Labour Government, we have one of the most
comprehensive export control systems anywhere in the world?"
Armed Forces Minister and East Kilbride MP Adam Ingram also responded reassuringly for the government to Defence Questions: "I
think that we can hold our heads high in respect of the way we approach
this matter. It is correct that what we do is always under scrutiny on
a case-by-case basis within Departments and we have to take into the
balance the impact on employment and this country's manufacturing base.
These are not easy judgments to make and there are occasions on which
applications are refused. We try to help the industry by providing an
early answer. We will continue to apply the rigorous provisions that I
set out earlier."
As long as you think things have been done in the right way, then
that's ok. All of which leaves the lapsed Sunni Wahabbist mitherers in
the Saudi royal family with even more political clout and a freer hand
to do what it likes - they gave us an ultimatum and we jumped. That's
how important the policy of heat death via burning off all the world's
hydrocarbons resources is. Do despotic tyrants need that many fighter
planes? Of course they do. They'll take anything they can get,
especially when it enables them to exercise and underline their
considerable influence over the economies of other countries like the
UK that like to pleasure themselves with the ephemeral dildo of
democracy.
It's just a pity they won't get their spanking new tornadoes and typhoons in time to start a war with Iran in defence of their Iraqi brothers.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 December 2006 )
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