WHY on earth has Britain got involved in a civil war in Libya?
The excuse for taking sides is because Gaddafi – who until recently was our new best friend – was killing his civilian population.
If this reason should be taken as a yardstick for interference, how come we didn’t get involved in Zimbabwe when Mugabe was killing people left, right and centre? Oh sorry. Was it because Zimbabwe had no oil?
How come we didn’t take action when Bahrain declared martial law and invited in troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to repress its population? This is a land where King Hamad, friend of America, rules. He is a Sunni Muslim as are 30% of the population. It is the other 70%, who are Shiite Muslims, who are demanding reform.
Oh sorry. Interference is unlikely because the US 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain and all Obama wants is the status quo maintained.
There are any number of other dictators around the world who have needed removing. But the West (ie America with Britain wagging her tail behind) stay well away for reasons of expediency. The cynicism is breathtaking.
Our leaders have operated a dubious morality to intervene in Libya at great expense when the country is financially on its knees and ordinary men and women are so fearful for the future that half a million of them marched through London at the weekend.
Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the UK £20 billion. The annual cost in Afghanistan is said to be £2.5 billion. Libya is costing millions a day.
Isn’t it time our Prime Minister acknowledged that Britain has no moral right to attempt to impose spurious democracy in foreign lands? The age of the gunboat is past. Besides, we can’t afford them anymore.
