PM MAY has just visited Jordan and is visiting Saudi Arabia to emphasise that the UK is, once again, trying to restore past glories and be a major power East of Suez.
Her visit marks the second anniversary of the terrible bombardment by Saudi forces that has led to the destruction of Yemeni towns and villages, killing over tens of thousands and inflicting starvation on hundreds of thousands of Yemeni men, women and children.
She received a heroine’s welcome in Saudi Arabia because the UK has sold Saudi Arabia the arms that have destroyed the Yemen, with over £3 billion worth of military equipment being licensed for export to the Saudi regime since the bombardment began.
British jets, artillery and drones, plus military experts have reaped a grim harvest with 17 million people being left without food and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. UNICEF reckons that the scale of the British achievement can be measured by the fact that a child is dying of preventable causes every 10 minutes.
However, this is just the start – with May expected to clinch a number of major arms deals that will see Saudi Arabia being tooled up for the coming Anglo-American-Israeli war against Iran. Last December May flew out to Bahrain for the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, in which she pledged Britain’s friendship to the notorious Gulf dictatorships, who see the UK as their armourer, protector and inspirer.
In fact, Britain intends to send the two giant aircraft carriers now under construction into the Gulf where a special enlarged dock is being built in Bahrain as part of a huge British base to house them.
The Gulf is now the UK ruling class’s home from home, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox making whistle stop tours of the region visiting Oman, Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait.
The Gulf despots are much admired by the Tories since they tolerate no opposition, and use ex-British officers to impart their special knowledge for that purpose.
The cynicism of the May government knows no bounds. It is arguing that the closer and closer relationship with the despots will allow the UK to teach their Gulf partners democracy! However, the UK is a go-slow compared to the USA now led by President Trump. The United States military claims that it has launched 20 airstrikes against ‘terrorist positions’ in war ravaged Yemen since February 28.
The Pentagon vowed last Monday to continue the fight, as the impoverished country continued to be hit by the massive aerial aggression from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, backed by a number of African and Persian Gulf Arab states.
Saudi Arabia is so pleased with the situation that it has increased its air force pilots’ salaries by up to 60 per cent to celebrate its bombing campaign as it enters its third year. According to the Saudi Press Agency on Monday, the kingdom’s cabinet amended regulations pertaining to a 35 per cent increase in basic salaries of all air force pilots and weapons operators. It added that officers who fly fighter jets or operate their weapons systems will be receiving a 60 per cent pay increase.
These wage rises are taking place despite Riyadh struggling with a budget deficit of nearly $100 billion caused by a sharp slump in oil prices as well as Riyadh’s rising army expenditure.
However, despite the vast but declining oil wealth, the writing is on the wall for the Saudi and Gulf despots.
All of their money and all of the mercenaries that they were able to buy for the use of their campaign to remove Assad in Syria brought defeat not victory. In fact Syria, Iran and Hezbollah have emerged out of the struggle since 2012 to defend Syria stronger than when they entered it. It is the US, UK and Israel that have been confounded by the strength of the Arab revolution.
The British ruling class’s return to war East of Suez will see its navy sunk in the Gulf and its army defeated by the Arab and Iranian revolution. Such defeat will only encourage the very hard pressed workers of the UK and the US to rise up and over throw their ruling classes with socialist revolutions!
