Chances of our government doing anything other than make reassuring noises is pretty limited:

http://blogs.ft.com/david-allen-green/2015/10/12/hidden-agreements-on-justice-and-policing-uks-appeasement-of-saudi-arabia/%5B/url%5D

And so it does not matter what Saudi Arabia does to its own people, or what it does over here; the UK has to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. The prime minister in that interview even used the euphemism “punishment procedures” for the crucifixions and beheading and floggings and torture that go on. That is how bad things have got: two and two no longer equal four.

There is a word for doing things out of fear of what a country with power will do if it is displeased with you: appeasement. There is now nothing the Saudi state can do that the UK will say is too much: the appeasement of Saudi Arabia will always be more important.

If you don’t want to do the time and lashes, don’t do the crime in a barbaric country.

He’s lived in the country for quite sometime. He chose to ignore the rules and got caught.

The disgraceful irony is that Saudi Arabia is the biggest export market in the world for Johnny Walker. Are we surprised?

350 lashes does seem excessive. It must have been a really poor quality wine.

‘what you doing this week grandad?’

‘Getting lashed’

Yeah I’m guessing he pissed off a Saudi whilst working as an oil exec and this is his payback.

All in one go or several sessions, I believe the choice to be yours.
Ever remember when one of your mates caught you with the snap of a damp towel after swimming.
It’s gonna come keen however he takes it…

The Saudi’s spend billions on British arms, properties in London, gold plated Rolls Royces etc. They’re also portrayed themselves (however ridiculously, as we know) as a last bastion against the rise of the Islamists in the region (though they’re actually the cause of most of it).

Basically, they can do wherever the **** they like! And they know it!

And as the region descends further into chaos, the justification for their medieval brutality becomes more justified in their eyes, and easier to excuse in the eyes of western governments.

They’re winning all ways up at the moment

Living in Saudi and Alcohol[/url]

makes interesting reading. Reading between the lines its against the law but lots of people self brew. Transporting is risky and him being a foreigner got caught with his pants down. I guess he must of pished somebody off by taking these liberties.

HArd to defend Saudi but also he knew the rules and took the risk

Given they lash almost anyone for anything i am not sure why we are only meant to give a shit when it happens to an ex pat

We really should not be treating this nation as a friend though

This is a tough one having worked recently in Saudi.

Quite frankly he’s been unlucky/made a stupid mistake. The reason being is that the general consensus is to leave western expats to have some freedom when it comes to alcohol. Many compounds have bars in them and alcohol is brewed and drank freely. Don’t do it in public, don’t be drunk in public, don’t flaunt it (Facebook, etc). Out of sight, out of mind.

His mistake was to stick it in his car as car checkpoints are common. He will know this. Most of the time having a white face means you’re just waved through. They don’t usually search your car, but large containers easily seen in the boot/backseat are going to be looked at for obvious reasons. Then with 20 other police officers milling around, it’s very hard for Saudi PC Plod to show leniency.

A big issue, with locals and immigrants, is the huge hypocrisy when it comes to drinking, especially from the House of Saud.

There also may be other factors which is why he’s being treated how he is. Spouting off on social media, crossed the wrong person, etc. Also, his behaviour on arrest is a big thing, as is the outlook of the police captain he ended up in front of. I’m honestly not casting aspersions, but other things can come into play, and this case stands out. It’s a strange place – the truth is often hard to come by.

350 lashes with what? a whip? like indiana jones’s? jesus, that’s gonna draw blood and then some.

It might well be, but that link doesn’t prove your point.

Ahhhh, Saudi Arabia. The only place in the world that no-one in our company wants to visit.

Exactly the same here – Our Service techs work regularly in Dubai, Oman + Bahrain, but if we ever got a job in Saudi I don’t think any of them would go.

As for this guy – he’s lived there for 25 years so knows the rules – however the house of Saud are a backward, medieval regime, which behave appallingly. I’m not sure they are morally any better than IS.

There appears to be little difference between Saudi Arabia and Isis in morality and justice Saudi Arabia just has some history, is run be a family who are friends with important players in the UK and America and access to legitimate markets for their oil . Cameron has no claim to any form of ethical foreign policy given his support for and dealings with them and goes beyond satire when he backs them to lead the UN Human Rights council (Blair and New Labour were as bad.)

On the point though the guy has lived there for years chosen to make a shed load of money out of that regime and therefor directly profited from the culture and its exploitation of others including the virtual slavery of foreign workers from less well regarded countries, so my sympathy for him when the culture and regime turns round and bites him is somewhat blunted.

I was listening to a Tory MP defending the sentence on the radio this morning

But then I suppose 350 lashes is the kind of thing he’d have to pay damn good money for

Isn’t alcohol linked with gout?