Comments on: Nick Clegg: Halt arms exports to Israel

By: persephone

persephone — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:54:46 +0000

Chairwoman @ 15

Like SE I will make an equally unvalidated assertion based upon SE’s comments:

I think SE is a seagull. SE has hovered over this site, pooped over it & vanishes leaving others (i.e. site admin) to clean up afterwards

By: sofia

sofia — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:26:12 +0000

I can’t remember the name of the democrat that was interviewed on Al Jazeera, but he’s written to condoleeza to ask for there to be an investigation into how american sold arms are being used….pretty much a lone voice i’d say..

I don’t think there will be any halt to Israel…i mean we’re talking about a lucrative arms trade that brings in a hell of a lot of money and jobs (recession or no recession)…we don’t care when we’re supplying saudi, or when we were supplying iraq…so israel isn’t going to be any different.

By: soru

soru — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:41:34 +0000

The remarkable thing is, as far as I know, we don’t sell arms to Hamas.

As Freedland says in the Guardian, of Hamas:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/07/gaza-palestine-israel

It lacks the resources of Hezbollah, with its open border and supply lines to Syria. Hamas is in tiny, sealed-off Gaza. True, it is backed by Iran – which partly explains the strength of support for Cast Lead from an Israeli public long fearful of an Iranian proxy on its southern border – but relying on smuggled kit is not the same as having a powerful patron across the border.

Sounds like a captive market to me…

Of course, that’s what this conflict is about: the Hamas leadership are betting they can aggravate israel enough they commit some atrocity that will cause the arms embargo on them to be unenforceable. Some Israeli leaders seem to think they can use the valid excuse of the arms embargo as a cover for atrocities.

This Lib Dem policy is just another tiny battle in that war, another small defeat for a peaceful solution, another small way of stoking the insecurity of the Israeli side and the hope of long term military victory on the Hamas one.

By: Cold Beer

Cold Beer — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:21:25 +0000

Applying this argument to the Iraq war, shouldn’t Britain stop selling weapons to itself?

… and what I really want to know is, who is the charwoman of the BNP? I have some itching powder for them.

By: chairwoman

chairwoman — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:28:37 +0000

Persephone – can we assume that SE is a bloke?

By: persephone

persephone — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:23:07 +0000

I’m also the chairwoman of the BNP as I too believe the arms export revenue will be retained

this is getting a bit like that film scene in Spartacus where all the revolting slaves admit to being spartacus

By: Refresh

Refresh — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:15:44 +0000

‘Sonia – does that make you also chairwoman of the BNP?’

I think you mean Sonia of the BNP.

By: chairwoman

chairwoman — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:09:38 +0000

Sonia – does that make you also chairwoman of the BNP?

By: sonia

sonia — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:19 +0000

heh highly unlikely. apparently the arms sales are practically what’s left of britain’s ‘exports’ given the financial sector’s gone bust so i don’t think calls for this are about to happen, unless we want to restructure the economy along some other lines.

By: chairwoman

chairwoman — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:38:15 +0000

SE – excuse me, that’s somewhat uncalled for, I made a realistic comment on what the Government is likely to do. Since Margaret Thatcher all but destroyed the British manufacturing base, and turned the UK into a service industry dependent on the finance and banking sector (great choice BTW), arms are among our largest exports.

It’s easy for Nick Clegg to make his speech when he doesn’t have to make a decision that will affect the livelihoods of people here, but I can’t imagine a Government acceding.

Where does that make me a BNP supporter?

By: Refresh

Refresh — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:31:29 +0000

‘Are you chairwoman of the BNP? Sure as hell seems like it’

Of course she is not. Make your point without being silly.

By: Refresh

Refresh — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:33:21 +0000

He should have gone further and pushed for banning UK citizens from serving in the IDF. Naturally it would apply to serving in any foreign army.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:22:01 +0000

“It is an economic superpower in the region, but for too long has acted like a political pygmy. ”

Interesting. So you’re in favor of economic imperialism?

By: Sunny

Sunny — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:12:03 +0000

possibly… possibly.

By: chairwoman

chairwoman — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:06:17 +0000

Sunny – in the current economic climate, the possibility of halting the exporting of anything to anyone, anywhere, is highly unlikely.

By: marvin

marvin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:02:20 +0000

And this is why the Liberal Democrats will never be in power in this country. Head in the clouds.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:56:47 +0000

Not really, because the US would continue to supply it anyway. Besides, I would definitely couple that with halting arms sales to Saudi, Iran (which we don’t anyway) and other Middle Eastern countries.

By: kardinal birkutski

kardinal birkutski — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:34:28 +0000

As you well know, this would mean the end of Israel. If you do not accept the right of Israel as a stat to exist then that is fine. Otherwise it is illogical: Israel is surrounded on all sides by those who wish its destruction. Halting arms sales would inevitably mean that that would happen.

By: grumpy old man

grumpy old man — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:30:41 +0000

1. Salvatore Mundi couldn’t lead a dog to it’s bowl at feeding time.
2. What ideas do you have to stop Iran, Hamas’ puppet master, from supplying training, munitions and money to Hamas?
Have you contacted the President of Iran to get him to retract the islamic fundamentalist “Clause 4″ – the destruction of the nation and people of Israel?