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Arms Industry

15:36 / 29.04.02

Did anyone see that programme on BBC2 last night with Will Self investigating the Arms Industry?

It was really good.

They've always been the notional no.1 on my equally notional 'enemies' list, but I never really bothered to find out much about them beyond 'bah, they sell guns for profit and the guns kill people, bastards.'

The show was biased as hell toward the liberal/pacifist view, obviously, but here's some stuff you missed if you didn't see it:

*The head of a company that makes & sells tank tracks saying he wouldn't feel guilty if he saw his products crushing civilians in a news report, because it's "not his responsibility" to decide which countries/organisations it's advisable to sell arms to.

*A government official basically saying exactly the same thing in reverse.

*A PR cheerfully admitting that the Rocket Launcher she was pushing was "The must easy to use on the market, a 5 year old could use it, it's like a video game".

*A noted economist arguing that, even in purely economic terms, arms trading is unnecessory.

*A National Audit Office press officer saying he was going to 'look for' a repressed report into '80s arms deals with Saudi Arabia, then refusing to come down again until the camera crew went away.

*A poster at an Arms Fair in India (a few months ago, when they were on the verge of war over Kashmir) featuring a model draped over a missle and a slogan along the lines of "Hist the RIGHT target EVERY time".

Almost like satire, but .. strangely not funny.

discuss, if you will.

solid~liquid onwards

15:51 / 29.04.02

*rolls around laughing*

19:05 / 29.04.02

what most people appear to either forget or not to notice, is that arms dealing is not merely restricted to capitalist corporations out to make a 'quick buck' (parndon the americanism, but an eastern atlantic equivalent eludes me at this point in time). Indeed, if we take a look at some of the most prolific british arms dealers of the last 20 years, the names "Robin Cook", "Jack Straw" and even "Mark Thatcher" will appear near the top of the list. While the government may officially deny choosing which countries to sell to, and which to avoid, i think you'll see it's clear that their motives in this game are as dodgy as those of the americans in their funding of both the taliban during the soviet occupation of russia and teh rampantly vicious south korean army when they were attempting to eliminate communism. in my own, humble opinion, this all goes to prove that western governments are all bastards, and we should replace them with someone who knows absolutely nothing about politics, like Graham Norton, or possibly Iain Duncan Smith. hmmmm. a balding closet homosexual, or a small irishman. your choice.........

19:48 / 29.04.02

I didn't see it (don't watch much telly) but I did read the review. It sounded like there was a good thing going on comparing arms sales to drug addiction... the denial, the secrecy...

19:26 / 02.05.02

While we're on this subject, did anyone happen to watch the Mark Thomas Product on C4 last night?? i meant to watch it, but fell asleep first. i think it was about the arms industry, but i'm not entirely sure. Normally i do watch his show, mainly because he is one of the most vocal socialists on regualar TV right now. It's a pity the people in office aren't a bit more like him.....................