Arms sales to Saudi Arabia

[Spijed]

They are to blame for many of the problems so why keep selling arms to them?

If it wasn't for oil....

[evensteadiereddie]

Ssssh, you're not allowed to question such issues - it's far too much of an uncomfortable truth. Better to pretend.

[Imploding Turtle]

They are to blame for many of the problems so why keep selling arms to them?

If it wasn't for oil....

Imagine keeping a report from the public about this?

And imagine silencing a speaker talking about Saudi arms sales.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEcMW6R ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Sidney1st]

Big money and would harm the economy basically.

The Saudis will buy the weapons from somewhere and so will terror groups.
However I always thought the Kalashnikov was the weapon of choice for the sand dwellers?

[Imploding Turtle]

Big money and would harm the economy basically.

The Saudis will buy the weapons from somewhere and so will terror groups.
However I always thought the Kalashnikov was the weapon of choice for the sand dwellers?

If i'm paid big money to build a bomb for a terrorist is that okay? I mean, they'll only pay someone else to build it.

[Sidney1st]

I'm not justifying it, I was merely commenting.

[Spiral]

Innocent people being murdered just an operating cost for UKplc, then? That hustings video is disgraceful. It is possible to limit the spread of radical Islamism and mitigate the damage it causes but the West is allowing it the space and resources to flourish by turning a blind eye to its roots.

[Sidney1st]

The financial sectors are helping too, because when Isis was selling Oil the money had to go somewhere.

[JohnMcGreal]

Big money and would harm the economy basically.

Very true. But as a nation, we appear to be in the mood for harming the economy, so this would be a good place to start.

Unlike nearly every other act of economic self-harm, this will actually make it more difficult for terrorist groups to get hold of weapons. Which can only be a good thing.

[Sidney1st]

Ah but big business or Unions control the governments.

If big business lose money they then cut jobs.

Unions complain and big businesses also complain.

Vicious circle that no government has the balls to stop.

[Spiral]

Ah but big business or Unions control the governments.

If big business lose money they then cut jobs.

Unions complain and big businesses also complain.

Vicious circle that no government has the balls to stop.

A review of "all training and equipment contracts with repressive regimes, to ensure that Britain never colludes in the mistreatment of civilians" is literally Labour policy. Page 118 of the manifesto.

I'm curious to see how far you're actually willing to move the goalposts.

[Sidney1st]

I'm not moving any goal posts, Labour didn't stop sales during their last tenure in charge did they?

Shutting the gate after the horse has bolted now isn't it?

[Woodleyclaret]

Because they sell us cheap oil .and their weapons purchases keep thousands in work.
This is the reality of dealing with a bunch of highly dubious Arabs.

[Spiral]

I'm not moving any goal posts, Labour didn't stop sales during their last tenure in charge did they?

Shutting the gate after the horse has bolted now isn't it?

Hmm. I wonder what could possible have happened to the Labour party since they were last in power? I wonder...

Good thing is, the message seems to be spreading. The gotv can only sweep this under the carpet for so long.

[Tw@]

What weapons do the Coptic Christians in Egypt supply to Saudi Arabia?

[JohnMac]

They are to blame for many of the problems so why keep selling arms to them?

If it wasn't for oil....

I doubt many of these nut jobs know anything about arms sales to Saudi, or Oil.

[Spijed]

I doubt many of these nut jobs know anything about arms sales to Saudi, or Oil.

But haven't the Saudi's been arming many of those who are involved in terrorism?

[JohnMac]

But haven't the Saudi's been arming many of those who are involved in terrorism?

I'm talking about the local nutjobs who are committing atrocities in our country Mark.

The Saudis may be selling Arms but how come you never see any terrorists using them? It still tends to be Eastern Bloc and China mass produced weapons on show, eg the AK/RPG range.

[Spijed]

I'm talking about the local nutjobs who are committing atrocities in our country Mark.

The Saudis may be selling Arms but how come you never see any terrorists using them? It still tends to be Eastern Bloc and China mass produced weapons on show, eg the AK/RPG range.

I know what you're saying.

[Hipper]

In the real world we have to deal with some unpleasant people, both as individuals and as countries.

There's no question that the Saudi's (as a country) are not nice people but they have things we want - oil, money - and also influence in a valuable but highly volatile region. They were threatened by the unpredictability of Hussien in Iraq but took a big risk with Gulf War 1 when they allowed bases on their soil for us to attack Iraq. This lead to Al Qaeda's anti-US stance when previously we had supported them. Whilst Bin Laden was a Saudi he was now anti the Saudi regime, hence the Saudi's and the West are on the same side.

Because the Saudi's have this oil, money and influence we want to be friends with them. If we unilaterally throw that away because of principles, we may sleep easier in our beds but the world may actually become a worse place, and Great Britain certainly would be.

[CombatClaret]

While there is a lot wrong with our dealing with SA and the like I think it's worth noting we sell them fighter jets and missile systems. Not vans & kitchen knives.

Most of the small arms you see in the middle east are ones we sent them to help fight the soviets and the ones they left behind in retreat.

[Chester Perry]

Don't forget the Saudis own huge swathes of London especially the commercial buildings - is it in their interests to see that vast investment down the drain - though without them Wahhabism would likely be a very fringe strain of Islamic practice

[mdd2]

Not sure how supplying fighter jets and armoured vehicles to anyone leads to knives being used in London. If you are suggesting the Wahabis of Saudi are causing all this hatred then I can see where you are coming from but as of now the arms we sell have not to my knowledge been used against us.

[Sidney1st]

The Saudis use our weapons in Yeman don't they?

[Claret-On-A-T-Rex]

[Sidney1st]

Ah because the police would stop these wouldn't they?

Or is it the intelligence services job to let the police know in advance?
Which is difficult to do when its small groups doing it...

[JohnMac]

The Saudis use our weapons in Yeman don't they?

Yemen, hardly a British friendly place, was a hotbed of fundamentalism that threatens amongst others that hotbed of fundamentalism, Saudi Arabia.

It's a mad, mad world.

[Claret-On-A-T-Rex]

[bfcjg]

Hmmmm JerIRAmy wants to hammer tax payers above 80 k the arms industry such as BAS systems who pay good money so close Warton and Salmesbury down the chattering classes cheer and applaud and there's a chick chink of fair trade glasses in Kensington as butler IT almost bursts a load but then the question is how now do we raise the money for increase in benefits for the people who don't want to work ? In the mean time Saudi buy from France America Russia etc. Get real IT and your pathetic views and altered egos.

[Clockwork Claret]

Pretext for blaming ourselves and being a terrorist sympathiser.

[Pstotto]

The answer is to sell them duds and then nuke them.... Oh and everyone buy a big American 60's V8 car and use up all the oil as quickly as possible.

[Chester Perry]

They don't need the armaments in the near future - think about it all those electric driverless cars, properly hacked you could be part of a hundred mile plus car crash on the motorway - and the person responsible doesn't have to even be in the country - how insurers are falling for this is beyond me,

[Vegas Claret]

slightly off topic, Bin Laden had a private jet, sold to him by the UK and built in Chester, nowt like due diligence

[KRBFC]

But haven't the Saudi's been arming many of those who are involved in terrorism?

No, the Saudi's haven't financially helped ISIS. Not that we are any better, we're helping Saudis by providing arms while knowing full well thousands of civilians are being killed in Yemen. The US stopped selling to the Saudis because of it. No wonder the Muslim countries hate us when innocent Muslims are being killed on a daily basis on a much larger scale than what happened in Manchester/London. Innocent people on both sides caught in the crossfire because of the power hungry greedy assholes at the top. Its such a shame the ones who suffer the most are the innocent ones like the Children in Manchester.

[Claret-On-A-T-Rex]

The US stopped selling to the Saudis because of it

No they didn't.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/20/us-saudi ... visit.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JohnMac]

Saudi Arabia are taking violent action against a group that has ousted it's own government and actively encourages terrorism.

At least they aren't standing back and waiting for the 'West' to do the dirty work.

Any time you drop a bomb there is a likelihood innocents will die. Everytime a terrorist detonates a bomb innocents do die.

[AndrewJB]

What price ethics? According to some on here not much.

[Hipper]

What price ethics? According to some on here not much.

Ethics is one of those things that needs to be affordable.

[bluelabrador16]

5 facts you need to know about Yemen and its conflicts

"One of the poorest and most violent countries in the Middle East, Yemen is also an area of strategic importance for regional players – and some of the world’s most dangerous terror groups. RT explains the underlying reasons behind the nation's conflicts....

https://www.rt.com/news/244325-facts-ab ... en-crisis/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;