Today DSEI, one of the world’s largest arms fairs opens in London:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhCatmIspr8[/video]

How much influence does the defence lobby (Arms manufacturers/Private Military Contractors (mercs)/Strategic Think Tanks etc) have on government and foreign policy?

There was an investigation into corruption at BAe Systems years ago which Tony Blair promptly shut down “as a matter of national security”.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6193703.stm

corruption at BAe Systems

Im going to go out on a spindly limb here….

The “corruption” wasnt so much at BAe as at the Saudi end. Within the bid-awarding country it was/is(?) a matter of course that some payments get kicked back to various powerful people. It’s ugly, but an absolute part of the process. Or you just dont bid. Morally of course you choose the last. But in doing so you massively reduce the capacity of one of our stronger industries*

It was shut down so as not to

No-one at BAe or it’s sub-contractors will have benefited from the “kick backs”. They were not “corrupted”. It was saudi money, returned to saudi money men.

* yes, yes, you might not like it as an industry but that’s not changing any time soon, so suck it up.

last year they invited Rosboronexport, the Russian national arms supplier , who keeps Assad ticking over in tanks bombs n shit! Whilst the PM was trying to get a vote to bomb Assad and supply arms to the Rebels?

I imagine the Saudis will be there with their huuuge chequebooks
they need to replenish those bombs they are dropping on Yemeni civillians creating a whole new wave of IS recruits

Its nice to know that our lovely subsidised arms industry is helping to create ‘a humanitarian catastrophe’. and that it will most definitely not come back to bite us in the ass
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34019475
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34011187

No-one at BAe or it’s sub-contractors will have benefited from the “kick backs”.

Except in the basic point that BAe got the contract to sell the Saudis lots of stuff that goes bang.

No-one at BAe or it’s sub-contractors individually

The BAE corruption is known as the Al-Yamamah Arms Deal

Bit more here:

http://www.theguardian.com/baefiles/page/0,,2095831,00.html

It’s highly significant in global history, not least because it involves this man, Bandar Bin Sultan

There are so many avenues to pursue, from his long friendship with the Bush Family and Prince Charles (dating back to the 70s), to his involvement in Operation Cyclone and Iran Contra…

Above all of these is the fact that his wife, Princess Haifa (who happens to be the sister of his cousin, Turki bin Faisal, who is a known associate of Osama Bin Laden) used the CIA linked Riggs Bank, at the time run by George HW Bush’s Brother, to make payments which reached Omar Al Bayoumi, who helped settle some of the 9/11 hijackers, after regular contact with Fahad al Thumairy from the Saudi consulate in LA. Bandar Bin Sultan also used Riggs Bank to launder money from the Al Yamamah deal.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0B0LFd5oPQ[/video]

Tony Blair shut down the serious fraud office investigation into the financial trail.

Prince Andrew also got involved

There are allegations that money from the Al Yamamah deal was funneled into supporting Al-Qaeda in the run up to 9/11

Nice to know that Banksy is on the case:

Those Ad Space Hack Packs seem like a good idea…

No-one at BAe or it’s sub-contractors will have benefited from the “kick backs”. They were not “corrupted”. It was saudi money, returned to saudi money men.

Of course they did. They got their salary and bonuses.

And the government received corporation tax from BAe and since you are a citizen of the UK you too have been corrupted by the deal. ZOMGWTF!????Lizards everywhere! 😯

and since you are a citizen of the UK you too have been corrupted by the deal

Yep, and I am embarrassed by such actions.

and the arms we sold to saudi were given to the FSA who got whooped by ISIS, who took their guns and are now using them to drive refugees into Europe that we are paying for

but its OK because the shareholders of state subsidised BAE got a nice return

And of course you’re effectively subsidising it all through export credit guarantees

Hurray for an ethical foreign policy!

Seems that all you need to hack into Bus Stop Ads is a 4 way utility key and a T40 Torx bit

You can get the Utility keys for £1 on ebay

Being as much of the media is owned by the same interests who have heavy investment in the arms industry and associated ventures, perhaps such guerilla action to raise awareness is the key to change.

Look at how the recent tragic images of Aylan Kurdi helped swing public opinion from the vitriol of Katie Hopkins (and David Cameron). I only hope it isn’t part of a larger strategy to justify military action (and improve arms sales).

Hurray for an ethical foreign policy!

It isn’t as if weapons sold to say Saudi could ever be used to suppress a democracy movement in say Bahrain, because that would make British foreign policy sound a little like bullshit.

Seemingly well researched book on the arms trade: The Shadow World.

I am amazed that anyone can defend the exporting of weapons. Hopefully Corbyn will have the balls to ask CMD about it

It isn’t as if weapons sold to say Saudi could ever be used to suppress a democracy movement in say Bahrain, because that would make British foreign policy sound a little like bullshit.

This film will tell you everything you need to know about British foreign policy. I don’t think Mark Thomas could believe it himself to what this guy was fessing up too. Being at an Arms Fair in London, he obviously thought he was among people who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at him saying he was busy bombing his on civilian population

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bItVG0HeJw0[/video]

EDIT – new post window open too long. Binners posted it in the meantime..!