‘If we restrict it to countries with ECHR-level standards of human rights, we’re not going to do many trade deals’ – says now-Justice Secretary
Now-former – since yesterday – Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been exposed telling officials to ignore the human rights records of potential trading partners, in a leaked call.
Raab told his underlings that if the UK only looks at countries with human rights levels in accordance with the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights, they weren’t going to get many deals ‘with the growth markets of the future’:
Such countries are, of course, in many cases those with the worst human rights records as governments and armies torture, murder and oppress their way to riches.
Raab’s comments have been widely condemned by human rights organisations as shocking but not remotely surprising for a Tory minister. The Tories are desperate for deals to shore up their image, but would happily do such deals even in the absence of political urgency – and indeed are planning a crackdown on human rights in the UK through their Police, Crime and Sentencing bill – which they have admitted is racist but claim is justified – to impose draconian sentences on protesters and on Gypsy Roma Traveller people.
Since yesterday, Raab is now Justice Secretary. Bodes well for the human rights of people in this country, then.
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Seems pretty much standard tory speak mixed in with the usual contempt for human rights.Doesn’t seemed to have ever bothered the British public if you study how many wins the tory party has over the years.This is why our human rights lawyer the knight plays follow my leader in virtualy every issue.and thats why we have a Tory government making hay whilst the sun shines and asset stripping the country.We need a new message to break down the nature of the public around election time and its not more of the same from the tory tribute act but a little bit more like a fully costed manifesto by a real Opposition party.
‘Tory Tribute Act’ Brilliant
Another of the dire consequenses of Brexit. As is the nuclear sub deal with the USA which has put us into even more hock with them. Brexit’s not going too well is it!!
It’s got nothing to do with brexit you maniac. It’s a deal between the 5 eyes which France wanted.
https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/world/europe/france-australia-uk-us-submarines.amp.html?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16318171598168&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F09%2F16%2Fworld%2Feurope%2Ffrance-australia-uk-us-submarines.html
France had its own deal with Australia, reached in 2016, to provide it with conventional, less technologically sophisticated submarines. That $66 billion deal has now collapsed.
Lundiel you demonstrate perfectly why Brexstremists are so called. You cannot make a point without throwing insults around.
Raab’s comments and the new nuclear deal have EVERYTHING to do with Brexit but you were so committed to Brexit that you cannot admit it was a mistake and refuse to accept that it’s because we now have to grub around for trade deals that we have to suck up to the USA and others. Frost, our chief negotiator who cannot sort out the NI Brexit fiasco said in the Lords today he intends to dismantle the GDPR data protection regime and a wide range of other EU protections.
You’ve probably seen the notice posted by staff on the London Underground:-
“Have you been involved in a car crash which wasn’t your fault? – Yes, Brexit”
Let me know when you can tell me anything that has come out of Brexit to benefit Britain!
@lundiel
You scoffed when I spoke about Europe pivoting to Asia, still dismissing the idea?
@Jack
Brexit is working well. If we were still in the EU, it’s doubtful we’d see this slip of the mask. Much more difficult to shaft your trade and political partner. It’s gonna be unpleasant for us, but it’s going to be unpleasant regardless of Brexit. War is coming, amongst other things.
The Australian government is dropping Aus$30 billion a year to defend their trade routes between China and themselves, from China…
Kissinger said something along the lines of being an enemy of the USA is dangerous, being an ally is deadly.
NVLA I didn’t scoff. That is always an outside possibility, though extremely unlikely given Germany’s geopolitical alignment with America.
Jack t. You are mental. Brexit is neither here nor there. Europe isn’t separate from America, it’s intrinsically linked through NATO. We have committed ourselves to American foreign policy. In this particular instance, Australia was offered a better deal by America than France, though in reality neither deal all was/is in any way beneficial but Australia is very racist towards China, so open to exploitation by America and Europe.
NVLA,”Much more difficult to shaft your trade and political partner.”
How true, which is why the right wing wanted to break free from the EU and not be bound by normal rules of trade and decency. They hark for the colonial era when we took what we wanted from other nations and then skidaddled with the loot. Even now they are trying to renage on a deal to which they agreed and was ‘oven ready’.
Lundiel, “Brexit is neither here nor there”. Not in your scenario it isn’t because you are narrowing your focus on one particular aspect of our relationship with the US and Australia.
Why the heck are subs with nuclear weapons ‘better’ than conventional subs, unless of course you are the one who is going to be paid to build them – grow up!
They aren’t ‘subs with nuclear weapons’, they are nuclear subs. You’ve got to understand this was beneficial to Australia. They get to build them and operate them, through in reality they’re just a no other part of America’s navy, just like our subs and carriers are. There is no European navy, there is only NATO. Europe isn’t an economic or military independent power, It’s part of western globalist power structure fighting for supremacy between corporates and technocrats. Both of which end in facsism.
Lundiel “They get to build them and operate them” But only with help from the UK and the US and do you think we are going to do it for nothing? This is a massive defence contract for Britain.
“They aren’t ‘subs with nuclear weapons’” Australia has made commitment not to DEVELOPE nuclear weapons but how long will it be before the excuse is made – ‘what good is it to have nuclear subs without nulear weapons?’
@lundiel
Australia was offered a better deal in the gangster sense of thinking.
There’s no reason why they would take the UKUS reactors. They run on highly enriched fuel. Very difficult to get. Also, very complex and requires very skilled operators. The French version was a non nuclear version of the Barracuda class. This would allow a much simpler transition to nuclear fuel as the French reactor uses low enriched fuel. Which is simple to obtain in comparison. The Australian navy will only get 8 boats instead of 12, which means they can only have 2-3 subs at sea at any one time whereas they currently run 4 at a time.
Maybe scoff was a bit strong, I apologise. Is disbelief better? The yanks hacked Mama’s phone, and no doubt have done other things we haven’t heard about. Nordstream is another example. The German business machine got what it wanted, the Russians got what they wanted (no more Ukrainian shenanigans) and the yanks backed down.
Doesn’t seem to have bothered the English, not British, people. Scotland hasn’t voted Tory since 1955.
Latest polls show the SNP taking all 59 Westminster seats
We cannot do business with anyone like China, all of Africa, the Middle East, Far East, South America and some E. European countries then. How are we going to trade out of our financial mess?
@Plain Citizen
Put simply, we aren’t. The only way out of the mess is to pivot towards Russia or China. And that’s not going to happen. Continental Europe may pivot. (Recently announced AUKUS submarine shenanigans for example. France has been shafted, and that’s only going to happen so many times before they look elsewhere).
The next five to ten years are going to be unpleasant. It’s very possible that the west (five eyes etc) will experience massive recession/depression whilst the rest of the world prospers.
There are issues such as the possibility of hot war due to the above.
Klaus Schwab has told us that by 2030 you will have nothing, and be happy.
Why? Cos you survived?
Very prescient and well expressed. As that Chinese saying to your enemies goes “May you live in interesting times”!
ECHR is yet another politically compromised body that designates the world’s worst offender (America) as a beacon of hope and condemns China over the fake Uyghurs ‘concentration camp’ stories.
Trade deals are not always good, most involve limits to government intervention and allow foreign access to key areas like transport and competition rules. They also come with immigration quotas. The worst blocks to have trade agreements with are Europe and America, most other countries don’t demand that we totally follow their rules. However, eventually it’ll end up with join or be locked out. The future looks like it’s going to be corporate fascism or technocratic fascism.
Sadly no surprise.
Interesting how the West bigs up potential ‘enemies’ re news today (BBC,15/9/21) and UK, US and Australia “To work together to counter China.”
Is probably more to do with maintaining their military industrial complexes as well of course for playing politics.
Creating ‘enemies’ is good for business!
We should just talk to other countries, and although we may have some issues with some governments, diverse working people of no countries are our enemies.
The UK Ministry of Defence is now researching the creation of half human, half robot soldiers (Human Augmentation). They justify it by suggesting that we need to be doing this first in case our enemies (unstated, unspecified obviously) steal a march on us.
Oh and Imperialist Moron Starmer today in Parliament (16/9/21) jumps on the Anti-China bandwagon.
Why it’s even on Labour List!
Labour list is a one woman right wing publication and although clever enough not to be too obvious is without doubt poison.
Human Rights are a pretty worthless veneer of public statements, regardless. It all depends on your connections, who you are and how deep are your pockets.
My dad’s family are gypsies from Ireland, so don’t pretend the ‘progressive left’ gives a damn about gypsies & their human rights. Labour councils, including my own (Sefton MBC) have actively aggressive policies to be rid of the gypsy menace. Gypsies are the most persecuted minority group in history but little of this is recorded through a combination of prejudice; persecution & lack of written language. No crocodile tears please from ‘woke’ lefties. No gypsy history; culture; language; nothing but contempt from the hypocrites who scream racism at every available opportunity.
Yes Steve and the Tory Lib Dem Coalition as part of Austerity cut the National Gypsy & Travellers Sites Fund by £26m in 2010 so that’s £286m since and the Tories then blame their victims plus yes too Right Wing Labour Councils can be as bad.
If the US and the Coalition fleet is thinking of an attack in the S.China sea or overland from Korea after the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan released troops for a land war from the North then think again.The natives this time are far superior with armys of millions of well armed forces with hitech weapons and even more so if the coalition fleet make the wrong decisions and attack the Chinese fleet now patroling the S. China sea. The hitech capabilities of the Chinese has been underestimated with both lazer and magnetic weapons that can paralyze the capabilities of the US seventh fleet and the coalition fleet then little can be gained from the intrusion into Chinese territorial waters.or overland for a land war.from Korea.So why would a inferior force play games like this on the other side of the world.?We don’t know because its definitely not freedoms or democracy.The reasons given do not stand up so we need to look and follow the money trail with the USA being relegated to second place by a massive margin in the manufacturing sector and even the financial sector with the threat to the US Doller now by the expansion of S.East Asia in all fields of commerce.its finally becoming clear what the reason is to create a nuclear confrontation in this region.and sanctions against China as a rogue state and that will become clearer as the drama plays out in a dangerous game of Russian roulette with no coming back.The USA and the Coalition are prepared to risk millons of lives to be top dog in the neo liberal alliance against the world.and against civilisation. Fairy tales or lodgic you be the judge?sitting here watching this played out just off the coast has severely damaged my playing hide away from life in the jungle.and the peace and quiet of my retirement from life as we know it.
The wagons are circling China and, with Russia already under doorstep control, a big piece of jigsaw now includes Australia’s nuclear contribution. Can’t feel sorry for the billionaires who have invested in bomb shelters in New Zealand who must really pissed off and poorer with that news. US lucky(?) timing to get out of the Afghan pit.
Another potential problem for just about any country attacking China could be the large Chinese communities in every major city of importance within their borders, as well as many lesser ones (it was how Howard Marks [Mr Nice] moved large sums of money around the world undetected). While they might not all be sympathetic to the system of government in China, when push comes to shove they are nonetheless Chinese and could very well constitute a 5th column within.
Selective criticism of human rights is a UK speciality. Look at the blind eye turned to Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, Bahrain’s and Egypt’s treatment of pro-democracy activists. Saudi Arabia’s ‘Bone-Saw’ approach to dissidents, to name but a few.
MPs who’ll talk passionately and at at length about rights abuses in Russia or China are strangely silent about these more obvious examples.
Agree Andy. But wonder why the incarceration of black people in the US isn’t seen as a shameful disgrace – is that what democracy and freedom means in the most Christian country in the world? Maybe they should look at themselves before the Uyghurs get to be poster boys of oppression.
Charming 64let me correct you and its important,The most evangelical fundamental Country in the World “with the emphasis on mental.?There are full Churches every Sunday and even traffic jams every Sunday outside the Churches p in the South were bible bashing and end of times ideology is central to life on there earth especially the upcoming apocalypse in Jerusalem which they pray for..When dealing with the US we must learn that there is a hardcore of off the wall loony tunes that have more in common with the lunatic Orange and D UP fundamental flat earth society than anyone in modern day Britain and the majority diverse population of the USA ..We have these powerful lunatics inside every major city in the UK with Orange lodges re opening after years of neglect especially in the old mill towns like Bolton and Burnley with the reopening of the victoria lodge two years ago and orange marches in Lancashire not seen for over half a century parading.in town centres..The problem with these people is that they are naturally right wing and hate foreigner s of colour and Catholics of any colour which we have seen recently in unionist areas of Ireland.were EU citizens have been assaulted and houses firebombed.with a new variation on the old Catholic cleansing so popular with the former founder of the DUP and queens head of the privey council the departed REV ian paisley.who was tutored at the Bob jones university in Alabama.and returned just in time to burn out Catholic residents of water street and others in Belfast were union jacks proudly proclaim inside the peace walls “No Surrender” to this day….You may find that the legacy of British colonial rule in both of these old British colonys may just see the end of all of us in a nuclear Armageddon planned by these enemys within.ouoting selectively from the Bible….Amen and god save your queen.??
Kleenex is a sound investment
Yes but some of us prefer to blow it all out in a warm shower….but its now looking that my warm water shower is going to end up piping Hot.God bless the queen….and the knights of the of ??
And re the US, UK & Australia countering the ‘threat’ of China perhaps their Right Wing politicians need to grow up.
Jeremy Corbyn would have been an honest broker in international affairs including the Middle East which is probably why from the perspective of the rich and powerful and their Right Wing Tory, Lib Dem and Right Wing Labour puppets, he had to go.
See how the political morons rev up tensions probably for their own political gain.
Diverse working people in every country deserve better. Yours in peace.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-09-17-nothing-to-hide-here-inside-the-worlds-largest-arms-fair-in-the-heart-of-london/
Only a vile piece of scum would ever want to buy anything from a country that fails to respect human rights, so a tory would buy as much as possible!