OK, ok, I probably need to be more specific. There are many grounds on which David Cameron could be described as a lying hypocrite.
Look at him in that photo, helping to launch the Royal British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal. Clearly he cares about lives and suffering. Clearly, he wants to bring wars to an end. Clearly, he's a man of peace.
In the words of the best pantomimes, "Oh no he's not!"
David Cameron's Government are currently supporting a proposal to allow, once more, the use of cluster bombs, overturning previous international agreements.
Yes, this weekend he'll be putting on crocodile tears while he lays a wreath at The Cenotaph to mark Remembrance Sunday: he's already made a big fuss about FIFA's ban on the poppy on football shirts (and scored points with various unpleasant extremist groups such as the EDL, BNP and UKIP);he's probably attending the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night and made a big deal about the two-minute silence and it's observance on Friday; but, while he pretends to care about deaths and injuries caused in war he wants to overturn an international agreement and allow cluster bombs to kill and maim.
The “Convention on Cluster Munitions” (which became a binding international law in August 2010) bans anyone from stockpiling, using or transferring; virtually all existing cluster bombs and outlines a plan to clear up the remaining unexploded bombs. 108 countries signed it but the likes of the USA, Israel, Russia, China, South Korea, India and Pakistan (all major manufacturers and users of cluster bombs) are have not. They are planning a "less restrictive treaty". Cameron sees this as a great opportunity for British trade - we can sell them cluster bombs, we can sell them death and suffering!
Cluster munitions explode into multiple smaller bomblets that rain down on an enemy, or, very often, on a civilian population. Often, some of the bomblets don’t explode and they are liable to detonate at any time like a landmine leaving civilians killed or maimed.
The photo below is an example of what cluster bombs can do - I guess he's lucky to still be alive. If David Cameron gets his way, there will be many more children ending up like this... or worse.
I guess a man who fulfilled a UN policy to protect the civilians in Libya by leading operations that killed thousands of those same civilians isn't high on any moral ladder.
So, while he sheds his crocodile tears, just remember that Cameron and his wealthy mates in the Arms Trade are trying to increase the amount of killing and maiming by allowing cluster bombs to be manufactured and used again.
Perhaps, more shockingly, is that most of the leading High Street Banks, all having been bailed out by the British taxpayer and some part-owned by the British taxpayer, have supplied funds to those companies who want to manufacture cluster bombs.
David Cameron is a lying hypocrite. I'd go further, David Cameron is evil - we mustn't let him get away with it any longer.
No comments:
Post a Comment