Tuesday 29 November 2016

UK shouldn`t throw too many stones

Of course, Paddy McGuffin has every right to ridicule the "certifiable psychopath, racist, liar and fraud" that is Donald Trump (Morning Star,26/11/16).  The world needs to know the truth about the next president, who will undoubtedly disregard human rights at home and abroad. The trouble is that his glaringly obvious failings obscure less obvious ones at home; for example, how many are aware that Britain, as the United Nations Disability Committee`s report showed, is guilty of violations of disabled people`s human rights here, including an adequate standard of living and social protection?      
    Furthermore, as a result of Britain licensing £3.3 billion worth of arms to the fundamentalist dictatorship of Saudi Arabia, 83% of the Yemeni population are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to Amnesty International, and two and a half million people have been internally displaced as a result of the bombing. The government`s defence of its policy, that if we didn`t sell the Saudis weapons, someone else will, simply will not wash. Since 2010 Britain has sold arms to 22 of the 30 countries on the UK`s own human rights watch list!
   The fact that there are members of May`s cabinet urging the prime minister to embrace Nigel Farage as a de facto ambassador to the US displays a level of ignorance that is particularly worrying. 

  Then there is the appalling history of the British empire, so embarrassing 2.1million files are kept hidden from historians, and the existence both of tax havens galore on British territory, and politicians, who lie to the people, getting promotion rather than the sack. Add all these together and we have a Britain that may not exactly be a glasshouse, but it certainly has too many windows to justify too many stones being thrown!

No comments:

Post a Comment