In response to a motion at Wednesday’s Full Council meeting Sheffield Green Councillors have criticised the Lib Dems’ narrow understanding of the defence of the UK.
Cllr Alexi Dimond said
“A Lib Dem motion made a number of references to “defence industries” and “defence related opportunities”. What they are really referring to is not defence at all but the production of weapons for sale.
“Without an ethical foreign policy, the production and sale of armaments can actually work against our national interests and adversely affect the security of the UK.
“Most people will agree that producing weapons to secure the defence of the UK or to help countries resist the crime of aggression is a good use of armaments produced in the UK but that is not the whole story for the UK armaments industry. UK Arms sales to the United Arab Emirates are linked to widespread killing of civilians in Sudan. Other countries where there are serious concerns regarding human rights and targeting of civilians include Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel.
“The UK is a signatory to the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty which
“prohibits arms transfers where there is a clear risk that the weapons would be used to commit serious breaches of international humanitarian law or human rights law (United Nations, 2013).”
“The UK is arguably in breach of the obligations of this treaty. This affects our standing in the world as a country that says it supports human rights yet we are exporting arms to countries that may be regarded as oppressive. This in turn can have a knock on impact on our security and put UK citizens at risk from those who see us as supporting authoritarian and aggressive regimes.
“The Lib Dems have a very narrow view of defence when our national security is about a wide number of things, not just manufacturing and selling weapons. Our nation’s defence relies on diplomacy, intelligence gathering, using aid to support vulnerable countries, ensuring the UK has secure food, water and energy supplies and so much more.”
“Furthermore the Lib Dem motion completely ignores the most serious threats to our national security – namely the climate, nature and biodiversity emergencies; the impacts of which were presented in the national security assessment on global biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse which the government attempted to bury.”
References
Green Party amendment to Lib Dem motion “Securing the Steel Cities Future”
Amendment to be moved by Councillor Alexi Dimond, seconded by Councillor
Paul Turpin
That the Motion now submitted be amended by:-
1. the addition (under the section “notes that”) of new paragraphs (a) to (c) as follows and the re-lettering of the original paragraphs (a) to (o) as new paragraphs (d) to (r):-
(a) 80% of UK steel exports are to the EU which will imminently impose a 50% tariff on steel imports above quota;
(b) UK governments from 2013 through to 2016, including the coalition government, blocked attempts by the EU to impose tariffs on steel when China was dumping stock;
(c) sacrifices have been made by people born in Sheffield and all around the globe in supporting Sheffield’s steel industry, and also notes the suffering of those harmed by weapons produced by
some of those industries;
2. the addition (under the section “believes that”) of new paragraphs (s) to (w) as follows:-
(s) our armed forces do need investment to effectively defend the people of the UK, uphold international law and human rights, play an effective part in peacekeeping operations and must be
capable of operating independently of the US;
(t) the export of weapons for profit to enable war crimes and the killing of civilians undermines human rights, the rule of law and creates a far less stable world;
(u) the “defence industry” should not be used as a euphemism for private arms sales;
(v) present (and future) wars are fought with software as much as steel;
(w) Sheffield’s steel, advanced manufacturing sector, technology, innovation and higher education sector can be used to support sustainability, build homes and infrastructure, address climate
change, heal global wounds, promote peace, knowledge and understanding; and make us all safer;
3. the deletion, in new paragraph (o) [the original paragraph (l)], of the words “and the defence”;
4. the deletion, in new paragraph (q) [the original paragraph (n)], of the word “defence”; and
5. the re-lettering of the original paragraphs (p) to (s) as new paragraphs (x) to (aa).
