Wretched, Perfidious Albion
Well, that's Great Britain for you. Not so great in many ways. Let us count the ways; principles, morals, ethics, hypocrisy, prevarications, lies and more damn lies.
The once-great empire that dominated much of the world as an imperial powerhouse, one that ruled the high seas, was a force to be reckoned with. In its colonial past, while it raped much of the undeveloped world of their natural resources, it also left a heritage of social and political and judicial and bureaucratic excellence.
More latterly, Britain is a country that has itself become colonized by its former colonies. Which have inextricably wrought a deep and dense social, political, religious and cultural indentation in the country's original social, cultural and historical realization. Values, always readily corrupted for the right cause, are even more vulnerable to exploitation by the country's ruling class in a newly classless society.
The greatest value Britain ever recognized to its future and its socio-economic-political well-being was always trade. Trade and enrichment was what always propelled it, as well as Spain, Portugal and France into the unknown byways of seafaring opportunities to land in foreign and exotic countries and to despoil them of their riches. From Egypt to India, Afghanistan to Iran, Britain was there, and dominant.
Britain has never experienced too much of a social-psychological upheaval making pacts with the devil. And Britain's devil has always been hegemonic trade. More latterly, the highest institution in the country is not necessarily its Parliament, but rather its colossus of fossil fuel energy availment formerly identified as British Petroleum.
Britain saw fit to coerce the government of Scotland into releasing the unreconstructed Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi under false pretenses of humanitarian concerns for the man's purported descending state of health, nigh unto death. For this would ingratiate the government with Colonel Qaddafi and cement trade relations, as political manoeuvring demands.
That 270 innocent people died in the Lockerbie crash, including 3 Canadians and 189 Americans was unfortunate. That $1-billion in BP investment in Libyan oil extraction might be imperilled without consent to liberate the Lockerbie bomber from a Scottish prison was, however, catastrophic and could not conceivably be countenanced.
The once-great empire that dominated much of the world as an imperial powerhouse, one that ruled the high seas, was a force to be reckoned with. In its colonial past, while it raped much of the undeveloped world of their natural resources, it also left a heritage of social and political and judicial and bureaucratic excellence.
More latterly, Britain is a country that has itself become colonized by its former colonies. Which have inextricably wrought a deep and dense social, political, religious and cultural indentation in the country's original social, cultural and historical realization. Values, always readily corrupted for the right cause, are even more vulnerable to exploitation by the country's ruling class in a newly classless society.
The greatest value Britain ever recognized to its future and its socio-economic-political well-being was always trade. Trade and enrichment was what always propelled it, as well as Spain, Portugal and France into the unknown byways of seafaring opportunities to land in foreign and exotic countries and to despoil them of their riches. From Egypt to India, Afghanistan to Iran, Britain was there, and dominant.
Britain has never experienced too much of a social-psychological upheaval making pacts with the devil. And Britain's devil has always been hegemonic trade. More latterly, the highest institution in the country is not necessarily its Parliament, but rather its colossus of fossil fuel energy availment formerly identified as British Petroleum.
Britain saw fit to coerce the government of Scotland into releasing the unreconstructed Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi under false pretenses of humanitarian concerns for the man's purported descending state of health, nigh unto death. For this would ingratiate the government with Colonel Qaddafi and cement trade relations, as political manoeuvring demands.
That 270 innocent people died in the Lockerbie crash, including 3 Canadians and 189 Americans was unfortunate. That $1-billion in BP investment in Libyan oil extraction might be imperilled without consent to liberate the Lockerbie bomber from a Scottish prison was, however, catastrophic and could not conceivably be countenanced.
"The U.K. communicated to the Scottish government that there were significant national interests in expanding trade relations with Libya." U.S. Senate investigation.
Labels: Britain, Economy, Human Fallibility, Politics of Convenience
posted by Pieface | 7:55 PM
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