Stop the Arms Trade.
13/9/11 15:03![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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talkpoliticsCaroline Lucas has called for Britain to stop selling arms to repressive regimes.
http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl/media/stop-arms-sales-to-repressive-regimes-says-pavilion-mp.html
Ok, I know a lot of fellow Brits are not gonna like me for saying this, but one of the biggest selling exports we have is armaments.
Yeah, I know that the minute you paint a Land Rover green and shove a radio in the dash, it becomes a "military export" , but the fact is that Britain has been selling guns and ammo to some of the nastiest people on the planet. And that includes Galtieri, Pinochet, Saddam Hussain , even
Gaddaffi himself.
People talk about 'principles', well a principle is not a principle unless it costs you something, it 's just an idea. And for too long the UK has led the world in selling arms to dictators.
I think the argument can be made that we have to supply our own armed forces, and that we can therefore legitimately help our own allies- but are we serious about believing in Democracy? if so, we ought to seriously rethink the circumstances under which we will allow people to buy armaments from us.
It may mean a loss in British jobs - but can't we retrain those involved to make other, more useful items? it may be a sad fact that we have such a market for weapons in the world, but we are part of the problem , and not the answer if we don't face up to the moral implications.
Kudos ought to be given to Ms Lucas for putting forward an item that Labour would ~like#, but no longer has the nerve to suggest. this isn't going to do her Party and good in constituencies where armaments are the only form of industry, but I still think she has done the right thing.
http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl/media/stop-arms-sales-to-repressive-regimes-says-pavilion-mp.html
Ok, I know a lot of fellow Brits are not gonna like me for saying this, but one of the biggest selling exports we have is armaments.
Yeah, I know that the minute you paint a Land Rover green and shove a radio in the dash, it becomes a "military export" , but the fact is that Britain has been selling guns and ammo to some of the nastiest people on the planet. And that includes Galtieri, Pinochet, Saddam Hussain , even
Gaddaffi himself.
People talk about 'principles', well a principle is not a principle unless it costs you something, it 's just an idea. And for too long the UK has led the world in selling arms to dictators.
I think the argument can be made that we have to supply our own armed forces, and that we can therefore legitimately help our own allies- but are we serious about believing in Democracy? if so, we ought to seriously rethink the circumstances under which we will allow people to buy armaments from us.
It may mean a loss in British jobs - but can't we retrain those involved to make other, more useful items? it may be a sad fact that we have such a market for weapons in the world, but we are part of the problem , and not the answer if we don't face up to the moral implications.
Kudos ought to be given to Ms Lucas for putting forward an item that Labour would ~like#, but no longer has the nerve to suggest. this isn't going to do her Party and good in constituencies where armaments are the only form of industry, but I still think she has done the right thing.
