New Labour – Old Corruption…

So Blair and the Labour government have stopped an SFO (Serious Fraud Office) investigation into an alleged bribe to Saudi officials paid by BAE Systems in order to secure a lucrative arms contract.

That would, of course, be the same BAE Systems who are massively subsidised by the UK taxpayer and the same BAE Systems who are part of an arms industry that is also massively subsidised by the UK taxpayer.

And that would be the same SFO whose investigation was also funded over two years by the UK taxpayer and the same SFO who had secured new and damaging information about what went on and who paid whom.

In short BAE were busted and Blair and chums saved their bacon by interfering with a due legal process.

Sadly the level of complicity between Labour and big business will not be a surprise to anyone who’s read any Mark Curtis or Nick Cohen, or to anyone who has watched or read Mark Thomas, or to those who have followed the work of groups such as Amnesty International or CAAT (Campaign Against the Arms Trade).

But even though I qualify on all the above points I must admit I am a little surprised at the blatant chutzpah and obvious political expediency of this decision, by the fact that they clearly don’t care if people add two and two and make a very reasonable four.

It is a startling demonstration of the arrogance of power – and it’s quite disgusting.

Fortunately the CAAT and Cornerhouse (a civil rights group) are legally challenging the decision to halt the SFO inquiry so there is still hope BAE will be properly exposed.

Whatever the outcome, though, Blair must go – and take his legacy of corruption, war and illegally empowering big business with him. This is corruption the end of the Major government would have been proud of...