Saudi prince visit
 

Ok... Why are we not discussing this?

'Saudi Arabia has signed a provisional agreement with the British Government to buy 48 of the UK’s Typhoon fighter jets.

If finalised, the deal struck on the final day of the visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman would be a major boost for BAE Systems – which employs some 35,000 people in Britain.

But with the Saudi regime embroiled in a bloody bombing campaign in Yemen, which has killed large numbers of civilians and precipitated a humanitarian crisis, the deal will anger anti-war campaigners.'

Thoughts?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a8247971.html

Disgusting photo.....the handshake one.....

Well if you don't understand business I guess you will be disappointed but I guess you don't count?

Well you clearly don't. We have just given the Saudis a £100million aid deal before making a deal with them to buy something off us for £10million. Do the maths!

I thought the deal target was 65billion altogether.

Valuable allies who have prevented several terror attacks in the UK

Yep, good business

What about the humanitarian side. Does that matter to you guys or do you think mass famine and the bombing of civilians is worth it if it makes our economy stronger?

And that's the crux of it really, if no white people die ethically you're clean as a whistle?

ok

Dr... As horrifying as this figure is; Typhoons cost upwards of £100 million EACH. 45 of them would sell for at least £4.5 Billion.

What has race got to do with the Yemini civil war?

Everything, that's where this 'business angle' comes from, should the guy be wanting to buy arms to attack say Denmark or Canada... Would the reaction be the same?

Well they are not 'attacking' Yemen, they are supporting the government there

ok

Apparently beheadings have gone up under this guy too.
But tbh,If we refused to do deals with any shady characters around the world we probably wouldn’t do any deals at all.Nobody’s whiter than white.Plus it pays to keep your allies sweet incase you ever need them.

..there is no one who is saying ‘mass famine and the bombing of civilians is worth it’ though, DR...that’s a very strawman thing to throw out there and quite unfair and unnecessary...sadly as unsavoury as it may feel at times with things like this, ‘foreign relations’ are necessary though for any country and all countries and their ‘national interests’ as deemed by their governments...sometimes trade deals like this have to be done, it’s a sad reality of life because the world is not and will never be ‘ideal’ ...or anywhere near really...people have just expressed an understanding of that, the necessity of that...not any type of ‘satisfaction of...oh, that’s worth it then...

Why does Colour - especially 'WHITE' - and Race have to be brought into this topic?

The Left-Wing ethos is sooooo confusing.

Everyone working (below Managerial level anyway, it seems) should be paid 'Top Dollar'

Everyone on benefits (scammers inclusive) should be paid 'Top dollar'

Everyone in the UK should own and live in a beautiful cottage with a white-picket fence and roses growing around the front porch.

Everyone in the UK (AND anyone from outside it) should get 'Top Dollar' treatment on the NHS - buckshee.

Of course, this 'Shangri La' would have to be paid for.

And THAT entails Businesses, Corporations and Government MAKING money.

And when it comes to making money when EVERY company, EVERY Corporation, and EVERY Government on this Globe are competing against each other, OUR Businesses, OUR Corporations and OUR Government should be guided by Brech

“First comes food then morality”

I said 'guided' - not slavishly and blindly followed, because it is obviously cretinous for, say, a local hardware store to sell bomb-making equipment to a one-eyed, scar-faced, Middle-Eastern-looking gent in full camouflage gear as much as it would be for our Government to sell fighter jets to terrorist regimes.

But the Saudis are NOT a 'Terrorist Regime. As Matt says - they are supporting the legitimate government in Yemen.

And just WHERE does all this Left-Wing, P.C. B.S. end?

Let's stop all sales of carving knives in case some psycho uses one for stabbing someone.

Stop all sales of rope in case some abductor uses a length to bind his victim.

Stop all sales of cars/trucks/buses in case some terrorist nut-job uses one to plough into innocent pedestrians.

It is ALL B.S.

Let everyone and anyone into the UK on P.C./Humanitarian grounds, then moan and whine;

that our already creaking services - cannot cope and are failing.

You get the idea.

This Saudi deal SHOULD be applauded.

And is being by this member.

No it isn't... It's entirely relevant and part of the bigger picture. It's just that the bigger picture i so heinous many can't bring themselves to acknowledge it exists.

Effectively what is being said is they have money, we need money, we'll turn a blind eye?

Because is is specifically relevant to MY point in MY post, it is not a left wing ethos.

I too believe we should be guided by Brecht in particular 'Zweckpropaganda'

I'm not sure what your intention was when posting 'first the grub, then the morality' (correct translation) it was however written to show the hypocrisy of the church siding with the establishment of the day while all around people died of poverty and starvation.... How cyclic history can be.

They may not be a terrorist regime to us that's correct, and in his own country there may have been some concession on the strict laws governing the rights of women, however to the people of Yemen...

My PC BS will NEVER end., your knives and rope analogy reminds me of the thread in which the republican asks 'should we ban homework?' when the kids asked for revised gun laws, it's the same hysterical nonsensical response.

Oh I doubt we will be accepting any more refugees from anywhere, least of all the Yemen no matter how much blood we have on our hands.

What would be achieved by cutting ties with the Saudis?
- we'd lose out on a lot of money
- we'd be in the bad books of a powerful islamic nation, who could easily send terrorists our way
- we would possibly lose out on a lot of oil
- they would get their weapons from elsewhere anyway.

We should only cut them off when we have sustainable renewable energy, and if we were willing to control our borders and properly and fully vet people coming from the Middle East.

"Strawman" an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument.

"Strawman" a person regarded as having no substance or integrity.

What a very odd use of a word when what I said has everything to do with the reasons people, not just me, are campaigning against arms sales to the Saudis.
I agree that foreign relations are necessary but not if it means we have to get blood on our hands. Like Kizzy said, "would we sell arms to a country that wanted to bomb Denmark or Canada"? Why is the suffering in Yemen less serious than other countries we would staunchly protect? fcuk keeping good relations with a country that publicly beheads women that secretly date a man of their choosing.

And what I said has everything to do with the topic. We were asked for thoughts and that's what I gave. I didn't give thoughts about picking up dog siht, I gave thoughts on the topic so get off your high horse and just for a moment, think about why I said what I said.

It was the West that put the Saudi Royals in place and it will be the West who destroy the Saudis if they ever close their door to the West. From our history of wars in the Middle East, I suspect its the Saudi's that are more wary of us than we are of them.

You form bonds of trust and friendship by mutually beneficial trade. By creating those bonds of trust and friendship, you increase your influence and lessen the chances of future conflict. It's not hard to understand

The now ex president of Yemen did littles to stop the al-Qaeda, a separatist movement and that's why Shia and Sunni's alike decided to overthrow their government. We know that al-Qaeda are offshoots of Wahhabism and that Wahhabism is a Saudi ideology. We also know that ISIS are offshoots of al-Qaeda. Since the Saudis intervened al-Qaeda have taken back swathes of the country. To support the Saudi's in this war is to support al-Qaeda.

If we weren’t selling them aircraft and weapons and offering expertise then they’d only be using less accurate unguided Russian bombs with more civilian casualties and Russia reaping the benefits.Of course it would be great if military weapons weren’t used or needed but If There’s arms to be sold then it may aswell be us selling them and creating the jobs for our people whilst gaining the financial benefits.Along with having an ally in the Middle East.