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Comments
Its busines, its not their place to make the rules, thats the governments fault.
http://www.dsei.org
Whether or not thats a good thing or not is really not the issue, its the system we have and if the other systems are anything to go by its the best there is.
The business of business is business, the government should set down the rules and then they should follow them.
Either a business should abide by moral guidlines or it should be smashed. By your logic the companies which supplied poison gas to Nazi concentration camps were just doing business!:mad:
http://www.dsei.org
Apparently the arms trade accounts for about 2% of the UK export market.
The arms trade is heavily subsidised, and contributes to the worlds refugee problem, which is a very expensive business.
I don't think there is a strong economic case for selling arms to tyrants.
And if Blair aint going to do anything about the Arms Trade, isn't that where we the people come in?
Is anyone really in favour of selling arms to countires like Israel, Syria and Turkey??
If so, why??
My point is that unless you change the legal enviroment in which companies operate nothing will change. And that legal structure is set by the government.
http://www.dsei.org
NO of course they wont, because they know that most of you will NOT vote, same as they knew that they could ignore the protest in Hyde Park because most of the people there wont vote.
Its votes that keep them in power so if you dont vote it will be nigh on impossible to make ANY difference.
If you dont like any of the candidates then vote for them all on the paper, its counted as a misvote.
Just remind me which party has an anti-arms trade policy and a realistic chance of winning.
If I spoil my vote will that clinch it?
Are you sure this issue can be changed by voting?
Marching around is going to make NO difference what so ever, and yes I do think this issue could be changed by voting IF the majority of people want it changed.
The government couldnt give a flying fuck about people who dont vote, why should they?
All you marching isnt going to change that, I'm sorry but I'm sure you think your making a difference but your not.
Anti-globalisation demos have drawn much more attention to inequalities between the G8 and the Third World than all the letters to MPs and newspapers in the world. They have not stopped globalisation- nothing will- but they have certainly put the G8 in the spot, so much so that G8 leaders have been forced to announce they were to give extra help to Third World countries at previous meetings. This extra aid would have not materialised without the massive demos and the headlines they grabbed.
The anti-war demos might have not stopped the war itself- again, nothing would have short of wiping out the entire US and British cabinets- but they have started the biggest citizen revolt against a government campaign ever seen. The spirit of Feb.15- the biggest demo in the history of the United Kingdom- has much to do with it, and it is very likely that if there had been no protests we would have no questions asked today, no Hutton enquiry, and a government that would be telling everyone the war on Iraq went well and was the right thing to do with no-one daring to disagree.
Tony Blair might yet fall because of this, and chances are that even if he limps through the next election he won't be Labour's candidate for PM. I am proud that I'm one of the millions who took to the streets and might have helped make this happen.
So I say well done to those demonstrating against the arms fair. They DO make a difference, even if it is not visible straight away.
As for free trade aggreements, I really dont think any of the possible changes coming out of Cancun are because of protest, they are because of the cost of the subsidies.
Farming is the key issue and the cost of farming to the EU is massive, overall costing tax payers something in the region of 300bn euros a year.
Both Germany and Britian cant or dont want to pay this anymore and with the expansion of the EU eastwards the cost would go up even more. Thats why its changing.
They are moving subsidies from Pillar I to Pillar II support, partly because of what they aggreed with the WTO a while ago but mainly because they cant afford not to in the longer term.
:rolleyes:
surely all people bringing those guns and things into London for the trade fair are a far more appropriate target for these laws
Of course, the system is open to abuse with police officers claiming they believed terrorists might have been hiding amonst the crowds or something. :rolleyes:
All in all, yet another little bite at freedom in the name of security and "the war on terror".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3093412.stm
*salutes google*
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorism/govprotect/legislation/index.html
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000011.htm
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2001/20010024.htm
this section (Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001) is possibly the one in question
96 Power to stop and search in anticipation of violence
In the Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 (S.I. 1987/463 (N.I. 7)), after Article 23A (which is inserted by section 95) insert-
"23B Powers to stop and search in anticipation of violence
(1) If a police officer of or above the rank of inspector reasonably believes-
(a) that incidents involving serious violence may take place in any locality, and that it is expedient to give an authorisation under this Article to prevent or control their occurrence, or
(b) that persons are carrying dangerous instruments or offensive weapons in any locality without good reason,
he may give an authorisation that the powers conferred by this Article are to be exercisable at any place within that locality for a specified period not exceeding twenty-four hours.
(2) This Article confers power on any constable in uniform-
(a) to stop any pedestrian and search him or anything carried by him for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments;
(b) to stop any vehicle and search the vehicle, its driver and any passenger for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments;
and a constable may in the exercise of those powers stop any person or vehicle and make any search he thinks fit whether or not he has any grounds for suspecting that the person or vehicle is carrying weapons or dangerous instruments.
(3) If it appears to an officer of or above the rank of superintendent that it is expedient to do so, having regard to offences which-
(a) have been committed in connection with the activities in respect of which the authorisation was given, or
(b) are reasonably suspected to have been so committed,
he may direct that the authorisation shall continue in force for a further twenty-four hours.
(4) If an officer below the rank of superintendent gives an authorisation under paragraph () he must, as soon as it is practicable to do so, cause an officer of or above that rank to be informed.
(5) If in the course of a search under this Article a constable discovers a dangerous instrument or an article which he has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be an offensive weapon, he may seize it.
(6) This Article applies (with the necessary modifications) to ships, aircraft and hovercraft as it applies to vehicles.
(7) A person who fails to stop or (as the case may be) fails to stop a vehicle when required to do so by a constable in the exercise of his powers under this Article shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale or both.
(8) Any authorisation under this Article-
(a) shall be in writing and signed by the officer giving it; and
(b) shall specify-
(i) the grounds on which it is given;
(ii) the locality in which the powers conferred by this Article are exercisable;
(iii) the period during which those powers are exercisable;
and a direction under paragraph () shall also be given in writing or, where that is not practicable, recorded in writing as soon as it is practicable to do so.
(9) Where a vehicle is stopped by a constable under this Article the driver shall be entitled to obtain a written statement that the vehicle was stopped under the powers conferred by this Article if he applies for such a statement not later than the end of the period of 12 months from the day on which the vehicle was stopped.
(10) A person who is searched by a constable under this Article shall be entitled to obtain a written statement that he was searched under the powers conferred by this Article if he applies for such a statement not later than the end of the period of 12 months from the day on which he was searched.
(11) The powers conferred by this Article are in addition to, and not in derogation of, any power otherwise conferred.
(12) For the purposes of this Article, a person carries a dangerous instrument or an offensive weapon if he has it in his possession.
(13) In this Article-
"caravan" has the meaning given by section 25(1) of the Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 1963 (N.I. c. 17);
"dangerous instrument" means an instrument which has a blade or is sharply pointed;
"offensive weapon" has the meaning given by Article 22(1);
"vehicle" includes a caravan."
My local police chief sent me a copy of it at one point while I was hassling him about an illegal stop and search, it makes interesting if slightly scary reading.
Still messing around with these English BBs, I see. And still talking guns.