Meanwhile a country already faced with desperate problems of famine, disease and civil war has seen its major source of pharmaceuticals destroyed by cruise missiles. Baby food and enriched powded milk are blockaded along with vital hospital equipment like stethoscopes, X-ray machines, medical swabs, scanners and water purifiers. The people of Iraq are punished because the West say Saddam Hussein is a terrorist. Or the 'un-people' of East Timor, where a third of the population have perished since it was invaded by Indonesia in 1975. But the government of Indonesia aren't labelled terrorists so its ok to do business, as Hawk jets, armoured tanks, water cannons etc. are sold to them by the West.
Business is business.
Economic sanctions might be lifted soon if the Libyan leader Gaddafi, once described as the worlds most dangerous perpetrator of state terrorism, agrees to hand over the people accused of being involved in the Lockerbie. British Aerospace has already admitted holding secret talks with Libya, with an eye on juicy contracts. Meanwhile, nearer to home and we have the imminent return of the infamous Diplock docks, where a judge sitting alone would be able to put someone behind bars for seven years on the word of a single police officer that the accused was a member of a banned organisation. Internment by any other name, and one which flies in the face of international agreements on human rights that Britain has signed. Given the history of the RUC it would be an act of extreme folly to give that force additional repressive powers.