You could hardly have missed the wave of revolutionary protests against despotic regimes currently sweeping through North Africa and parts of the Middle East. Hopefully, you’ve been avoiding myopic mainstream news coverage which has increasingly focussed on the evacuation of British citizens ‘stranded’ in Libya – and instead been following via the much more credible radio 4 – or even via social networking sites The latest tweets can be found on this interactive map – although some of them have nothing to do with the protests!
The common theme in these protests is one of ordinary people collectively organizing to overthrow decades old dictatorships or monarchies that have used military force, threatened, actual, or both, to keep themselves in power. What the people want, at long last, is an end to terror, what they hope for is freedom and democracy.
The most violent confrontations have been witnessed in Libya — and after days of struggle, Gaddafi’s days now seem numbered, and pretty much everyone except for the man himself and his cronies, seems to think this is a good thing. However, over the past 4 years the UK government has played a role in propping him up.
I’m sure you’ve all seen the video reruns of Tony Bliare pawing Gaddafers back in 2007. What you may not realise is just how much UK companies have profited since 2007 through supplying arms to Gaddafi.
According to the Daily Mail official figures show the UK Government approved at least 75 arms export licences to Libya since 2008, the year after Bliare hugged Gaddafers, licenses worth between £75million and £100million.
According to The Guardian – Between July and September last year alone the UK government granted or amended licences worth up to £182m to sell products to Libya, including “crowd control ammunition”, “teargas/irritant ammunition” and training in teargas/irritant ammunition. Since the election, British firms have sold crowd sniper rifles, tear gas and ammunition to Gaddafi regime.
Another thing you probably don’t know, British citizens, is that your own government, you know, the one you probably didn’t vote for, is extremely active in supporting the business interests of the arms trade in the Middle East.
David Cameron’s recent tour of the region, incorporating Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman, highlights this close relationship between the government and British arms companies. The formal purpose of Cameron’s Middle East tour was to boost British business, strengthen security ties and promote political reform, but the fact that Cameron took eight representatives of the arms industry with him – including reps from the companies Rolls-Royce and BAe Systems, clearly shows that he supports the rights of British companies to make a profit over the democratic rights of the protectors fighting for their lives in Libya.
ADS, the body that represents UK arms companies, estimates that UK defence exports are worth £7.2bn a year, half of which are sold to the Middle East.
But British complicity in Oppression in the Middle East goes far deeper…
Cameron’s Middle East tour coincided with ‘Idex 2011’, the Middle East’s biggest arms fair in Abu Dhabi. Cameron didn’t attend this in person, instead the British defence minister Gerald Howarth lead the British delegation
The show of arms was choreographed for the benefit of thousands of arms dealers in dark suits and sunglasses, who marvelled at how it was all synchronised to a booming hip-hop soundtrack. Saudi Arabia’s purchase of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the British company BAe Systems is the largest deal to be made.
Selling arms to the largely undemocratic Middle East is huge business – altogether, the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait — along with Jordan are set to spend US$68 billion (49.6 billion euros) on defense in 2011, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan. Their spending is expected to reach nearly US$80 billion in 2015.
According to Schnews, the UK government is really gung- ho about getting behind the arms industry –
‘”The Government’s arms promotion unit, UK Trade & Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) will be exhibiting at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), The UK arms industry body Aerospace|Defence|Security (A|D|S) claims that 10% of exhibitors will be from the UK and says “our sizable presence at IDEX 2011 shows that we mean business.”
One obvious question that springs to mind is this – should our elected representatives be so vocal in supporting the arms industry when there is such an obvious link between the arms industry and political repression?
The answer is just obviously – a resounding NO! These recent events clearly demonstrate where the Torie’s real interests lie –they are clearly not interested in peace or social justice – they are interested in helping big business make even huger profits – even if this means trampling on democratic progress.
What makes me really angry about all of this is the layers of hypocrisy David Cameron is demonstrating – he claims to support the protests in Libya and yet his government has agreed millions of pounds worth of arms sales to Libya, and he claims that government should be reduced in size – and then invests time and our tax money in supporting the arms trade.
An excellent site for more info on the extent of the British Arms Trade is CAAT – or Campaign Against the Arms Trade. You can sign their petition stating that you think it is not OK for British companies to sell tear gas etc. to despotic regimes.
To end with – a quick list of comments against the arms trade from the CATT website – all of which I agree with –
“Why should we put up with losing jobs, money and educational opportunity when you are still propping up our arms export industry?”
“What really saddens me is siphoning off so much of our best scientific brainpower into the overblown activity of the arms industry.”
“Selling arms to dubious regimes is not just immoral; it’s idiotic. Actions that destabilise any region make the world a more dangerous place for us all and undo any progress made through our humanitarian efforts.”
“The barbaric practice of producing and trading ever more lethal weapons makes a mockery of this country’s claim to being a humane advanced society
Sarah Waldron Campaigns Coordinator at CAAT said:
“It is astounding that the government is still insisting it has a responsible arms export policy while, in the same breath, admitting that it was happy to supply authoritarian regimes with the means to crush dissent. Far from seeking to restrain arms sales, the UK government actively promotes them . While this policy stands there is no prospect of meaningful arms control
These Tories really are the worst kind of scum.
