You had me at ‘hello’
Nick Robinson on why this table-thumping from Margaret Beckett over the Americans using Prestwick Airport to transport bunker busters to Israel is bollocks:
The key question in this affair is: “Would the British government have said yes if the Americans had asked?”
The answer, I’m told, is “yes”.
It’ll be the same if/when the extraordinary rendition hits the fan.
Update: Ha. Of course. As Kitty Killer points out in the comments, it was only yesterday that the Guardian led with ‘Stand up to US, voters tell Blair‘. So to show we’re not Bush’s poodle we gave him a bollocking about not filing the paperwork for a weapons transfer we’re happy to let him make anyway. That’ll learn him. Don’t mess, George.
Posted on July 27th, 2006 at 2:06pm under T.W.A.T., UK politics
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• 5 Comments |
I wonder if this is more to do with Labour playing to the “base” (does it still have one)?
Opinion polls show that the majority of Brits want the government to stand up against the US. Beckett is being seen to do *something*, even if it isn’t substantial, essentially about paperwork and, by accounts of how many weapons we sell to the Israelis, hypocritical.
The ordure will NOT hit the aircon. Simply, the rendered “suspects”, almost always “captured” without any form of internationally recognised ID, were provided with US State Department Diplomatic Identities – Series 600 – both as documents and micro-chipped plastic credit card sized ID cards.After all they have to have some form of paperwork to track where they all are.
As such, in a US plane staffed by US Diplomatic staff there is no way that anybody in the UK would ;
1. Get on Board – because a 300 lb CIA gorilla, would explain politely that this was US sovereign territory and they should contact Mr Joe Doe at the US Embassy for further help.
2. Get to see anybody, anything on board. see above.
It is highly likely that Mrs B will find the same sort of claims made for the 5,000 lb Bunker Busters – despite regulations covering import / translocation of weapons of war. materials for, etc., etc.,
…which will be put down as an “oversight” , “paperwork problem”, “clerical error” i.e they had been booked down as “Humanitarian supplies” e.g cockroach poison.
If the US Embassy in London will continue to refuse to pay £0.5 Mn. of London congestion charge under the Internationally agreed rules of the diplomatic trade , then a few bombs won’t raise many eyebrows – although it may raise a few roofs on the Beirut Corniche.
Shirley somewhere in this septic isle the USAF have squirreled away a few nuclear bombs, whose location etc., is known only to the US authorities.
It would not be unreasonable to assume that any Plod, Customs officer, Airport security zealot etc., who decided to enforce rules aggressively, would soon find themselves directing traffic on a remote Hebridean Island on a wet winter Sunday afternoon – or the unique opportunity career enhancing opportunity to re-tabulate all the files of shipments through Prestwick airport since 1946 in an unheated warehouse in Milnagavie.
..and remember at the end of the day, Mr Tony Blair (Prop. UK Gubment) has a “personal Envoy” to the Middle East , midget karaoke star, Lord Levy of the Tennis Court, who has a large and well outfitted office immediately adjacent to Ms. Beckett’s in Charles Street, who might just pop by to explain to her, certain features of the relationship of US.UK.Bombs.Israel and the urgent need to consider how best to combine those interests to the disadvantage of the Israel’s foes … no doubt reminding her of the dangers of the French road system in the summer and the not infrequent accidents that can happen in August when Frere Jacques takes his aged charabanc to Marseilles and the attendant dangers to 70 year old caravanners, and their lissome, charming spouses, whilst driving on le wrong side de la route)
Whilst this last may appear faintly ridiculous, consider well, the fate of senior Scottish Labour politicians on their holidays, whilst walking in the bracing and highly unpopulated Scottish countryside.
If breach of HSE regulations can lead to 7 dum dum bullets penetrating the head of a Brazilian electrician, think what the failure to make a proper risk assesment may result in – low tyre pressures, faulty brake connections, tow bar fractures ….. on the road to the azure sea one can never be too careful.
Let’s all wish Mr Howell a very happy and well earned rest this summer after prducing such a stunning and novel view of the military endeavours of plucky Israel.
There you go. BBC Radio 4 News at 5.30 pm BST Alan Snow White House Press spokesman …”It’s a paperwork problem…we’ll get it sorted”.
Thanx Ziz, that has eased my spleen a little. I hope the Scum tv guide follows her on her holidays and ruins it for her, the useless cow.
No wonder Blair won’t stop the US arms shipments to Israel. (And perhaps no wonder he postponed his flight to his summer holiday.)
In 1980 apparently the Portuguese Prime Minister stopped illegal shipments of US arms through his country to Iran. The arms shipments continued immediately after his plane was blown up. See http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jan2005/port-j10.shtml