What were the real motives for the government to drop the SFO investigation into the Saudi arms deal?

Question

No one seems to be making a fuss about this, surely it is more important than the "pounds for peerages" nonsense?

Answer 1

There are £26 billion worth of motives, I would say. If the Saudis were investigated, they would pull their order for some jet fighter or other that we have agreed to build for them and half of Britain would be unemployed.

Answer 2

Because New Labour which once boasted about an "ethical foreign policy" loves the rich and powerful and doesn't care how they make their money. Selling weapons to states that sponsor terror? fine by Blair & co. Flogging torture equipment? BAE did this through a company called Royal Ordinance to Saudi Arabia and through them to other vile regimes. No one should make a living this way so the excuse that offending corrupt torturers is bad for business is besides the point. If you can't see what is wrong with selling cluster bombs which blow the arms and legs off children you deserve to be jobless at the very least. If you think its OK to deal in electroshock batons which are ramed up the bodily orifaces of political opponents in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uzbekistan and elsewhere you don't deserve to live in a civilised country let alone work in one.

Answer 3

Blair told us what the motive was. There was some bribery. It goes on all the time in England but in Saudi it is a way of life and totally acceptable. By investigating the activities of our English people obtaining the contract we are also pointing the finger of corruption at the Saudi purchasers but they don't see it as corruption and by doing so we could upset them so much they go to the french instead of us thus, as much as we don't like that type of thing, the investigation could cost us more than we gain in loss of revenue and jobs for the workers in the aircraft industry. So the decision had to be made and Tony had to make it. I am not a labour supporter but I think it was a brave and sensible decision

Answer 4

This is a classic case of government by deception.

It is a crooked, a morally decrepit method of conducting the affairs of State and it's economic logic is surely the worst official sanction of bribery and corruption that the UK government has ever dregged up from its sleazy relationship with the Sheiks.

It sends a clear signal to all would be bribers and corruptors. 'Hey, cite the case of Foreign Policy in court as your defence and tell the judge , if the UK government sanctions it than so should you!'.

The idea that a sprawling aero industry survives on a back hander between low lifes makes us real proud to be British.

Answer 5

It has been dropped to save British jobs, several thousand in the aerospace industry. Ask the people who depend on those jobs in e.g. Lancashire, and elsewhere - they are mightily relieved.
The "bribery" is by way of "commissions" that the Saudis regard as a normal part of international business, and such "commissions" are paid out routinely by our foreign competitors without their equivalents of the SFO even blinking an eye.
I dislike Blair intensely, but have to concede him a point in this matter alone.

Answer 6

There was a brief reference in one newspaper to the bosses of BAE being re-paid part of the bribe...OK, we're much more honest than some countries, but how long is it going to take the electorate of the UK to realise that the investigation was stopped because too many British people would be implicated...

Answer 7

Money - pure and simple.

Answer 8

Money - get real

Answer 9

It was dropped because much of Labour is involved in serious crime already so it's pot calling the kettle black. Some examples: (1) SEX CRIMES: Labour Councillor (Newton Aycliffe) Martin Locklyn - Convicted and jailed for 15 years for sexually abusing 3 14-year-old boys. Labour Councillor (North Lincolnshire) David Spooner - Convicted and jailed for 1 year for masturbating in front of 2 young boys. Labour Mayor (Westhoughton/Lancashire) Nicholas Green - Convicted and jailed for 10 years for 3 rapes and 13 counts of indecent assault against little girls between the age of 6 and 10. He raped one woman on her wedding day. Labour Mayor (Todmordon) John Winstanley - Convicted and jailed for rape and threats to kill. After raping and threatening to kill his terrified victim, Winstanley then ordered the woman to go on all fours before urinating on her. Prominent Labour Party activist Mark Tann (who has met Tony & Cherie at Party functions) recently got a 15-year sentence for raping a 4-year old girl on 2 separate occasions.Labour's current Parliamentary Candidate (Reading East) Tony Page - Has 2 Convictions for Acts of Gross Indecency` in public toilets. Labour Mayor (Burnley) Mark Swainston - Convicted of sex offences in public toilet. Entire Labour Party conspired to conceal the activities of Labour Party activist and serial child-molester Mark Trotter, who died from AIDS before he could be convicted. Labour Councillor (North Yorkshire) Raymond Coats - Court appearance for indecently assaulting a woman. Labour MP (Rhonda Valley) Chris Bryant poses in his pants on the Internet to advertise himself for casual gay sex encounters. Describes himself as "Horny as buggery" and says, "I'd love a good long fcuk". Labour Councillor (Manchester), George Harding - Charged with indecent assault on a girl of 12. Labour MP Ron Davies was mugged by a Rasta on Clapham Common while cruising for gay sex. He was photographed again by the media recently, engaged in some `man-on-man` action in a field off a motorway. "I was only looking for badgers" he said. Labour Councillor (Durham), Derrick Payne - Arrested by Police following a sex attack. Labour MP, Joe Ashton - Caught up in a Police raid while frequenting a brothel. Tried to lie his way out of the scandal. Labour Councillor (Shropshire), Derek Woodvine - Arrested by Police in anti-porn operation. Labour Councillor (Basildon), Tony Wright - Forced to resign after being caught using his council computer to download porn. Labour MP (Sheffield), Clive Betts - Suspended from Parliament for 7 days after being caught forging immigration papers to extend the stay of his Brazilian rent-boy gay lover. According to media reports, the names of 2 former Labour Cabinet Ministers said to be `Household names` appear on the `Operation Ore ` list of subscribers to hard-core child pornography. The same FBI investigation, which led to the arrest of rock star Pete Townshend. So who are they Mr Blair? Robert Eccles, Labour councillor on Gloucestershire County Council caught filming women in Trafalgar Square, fined £500. Bow St Magistrates heard how Mr Eccles, 60, trained his camcorder on the 'legs and personal areas' of unsuspecting women during warm weather in September 2005. Corby Labour Councillor Willie Smith charged of possessing one indecent image of a minor and five further counts of making indecent images of children. (2) VIOLENCE: Labour Councillor (Kirkby, Merseyside) Charlie Preston - Convicted and jailed for 5 years in 1982 for assault and burglary. Preston broke into the home of a 64 year old man, and beat him up in his bed as he slept before robbing the house. The judge described the case as "As bad a matter of burglary as I can remember" Preston also holds the position on the Council of `Deputy Cabinet Member for Youth, Citizenship, and Community Safety`. Labour Councillor ( Wales ) Denis Jones - Convicted and jailed for unlawful wounding after attacking a neighbour with a sledgehammer. Labour Councillor ( Wales ) Ken Brookman - Bit off a mans ear in a dispute over a seat on a train! Labour Councillor and former Mayor (Stockton), Keith Dobinson - Investigated by Police for alleged assault on an OAP, which left the old man of 79, hospitalised. Labour MP, Tommy Graham - Expelled from Party for his part in driving a person to suicide. Labour Councillors (Ilfracombe), Brian Cotton and Tony Cooper - Investigated by Police following serious allegations of Harassment. East Staffordshire Borough Council Labour councillor Doug Haw jailed for nine months, after pleading guilty at Stafford Crown Court to assaulting his 83-year-old neighbour. The assault took place on 30 June 2005, following arguments over parking between the 36-year-old Labour councillor and Mrs Winifred West. Labour Brus ward Councillor Trevor Rogan arrested after his Ukrainian wife phoned Hartlepool Police claiming her husband had assaulted her