Ethical mess for UK’s arms trade

ONE would hope there is no link between Sri Lanka and Scotland, in that the Tamil north was in pursuit of independence as is Scotland in the north of Britain. One would also hope that such things have not preoccupied the mind of British PM David Cameron, who some are accusing of 
being high on rhetoric but low on action regarding alleged abuses of the Tamil population by the Sri Lanka government. There are also reports that Britain is a considerable arms trader with the Indian Ocean island government.

One, again, wonders how this links up with the topic of Westminster intimating refusal to engage in military trade with an independent Scotland. Likewise we now know, from an MPs’ committee investigation, that Britain exports arms to several governments that Westminster otherwise speaks ill of – including Iran, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Argentina and even Syria, where it appears that British arms suppliers are selling to both sides in the conflict there.

What an ethical dog’s breakfast. Can we expect Nato member states to be holding their next strategic meeting in the North Korea capital, Pyongyang?

Ian Johnstone, Peterhead