Despite the king's regime's regrettable propensity for killing and torturing its own people it seems he is a great friend of the royal family of these islands, and of the current incumbent of Downing Street.
William invited the king to his wedding; an invitation which was turned down (perhaps because old kingy had some peasants to torture), saving him some embarrassment. It had been made clear that protesters would try to ruin the man's visit (with the inevitable additional consequence of spoiling Willy's day).
Additionally Edward and his unpleasant wife, in a singularly inappropriate trip, went out to Bahrain to visit the king at the end of 2011. Sophie was given a lavish range of jewellery, which as it was an official visit should now be the property of all of us. She has been urged to return the gifts.
Apparently every crowned head in the world is to be invited to lunch at Windsor on May 18. (Just as well we are rich...can you imagine how much this is all going to cost?) The Queen thinks it would be impolite to leave anyone out. She obviously doesn't think it particularly impolite of the king to allow the killing of his countrymen, or the imprisoning and torture not just of those who protested against his despotic rule, but those doctors who went to their aid.
Now I know that to call this British government, and the last one, and many before, two faced, would be an undeserved compliment... but I distinctly remember that smarmy git Cameron saying that the reason we had to go to war with Libya was not because Mr Obama told us to, nor because Sarko was going to do it and Cameron didn't want him to steel a match with the boss. No no no, it was rather that we simply couldn't have a dictator killing his own people.
Now I don't buy that in any way shape or form. There are dictators all over the world who kill their own people. (Indeed I'm not in the least certain that London doesn't do it.) And we deal with most of them.
But what is the difference between Bahrain's semi human monster of a dictator and the Libyan one... after all they both have (or had) oil (unlike the poor Syrian people who can forget it, as there is nothing to be gained for BP and its likes)?
Well, there are two differences: Firstly Gadaffi was a common little man, whereas the king is royal; and secondly, he's a very close friend of the king of Saudi Arabia.
I trust that old Hamad will be made as welcome as he would have been at Willy's nuptials. Sorry to spoil your lunch Liz, but if you will invite that kind of scum...what do you expect.
And don't forget we sent our top policeman " Yates of the Yard" over to Bahrain last year to sort out the pesky shia's who insist on equal rights and freedoms as enjoyed by the tiny sunni ruling class.
ReplyDeleteMore death and torture under Yate's watch.
tris
ReplyDeleteWell if Her majesty has to invite The First Fat Man of Scotland the Lard of Holyrood.....
Alex Salmond....salamander gerrymander of Referendums.
A self declared enemy of the UK state and intent(with the same level of fanaticism shown by Islamic terrorists) on separating the Peoples of the British isles by any means necessary.
A man who routinely avoids public scrutiny of his possible unethical and potentially illegal meetings and actions.
A man who with a mere 25% of voters support who attempts to rule like any tin pot third rate dictator.
THEN why not the the King of Bahrain they will have many many things in common not least the fact they both have a vast amount of their peoples who hate them.
And a very happy and Christian easter to you
True Monty. I had forgotten about the lovely Yates of the Yard. His policing methods might have been just what his majesty was looking for.
ReplyDeleteI trust the Queen won't be inviting him to the déjeuner, although he could be there as a bodyguard.
Ah Niko, pet. Thank you for your good wishes.
ReplyDeleteJust one question... what other kind of Easter is there, apart from the Christian ones?
Alack and alas, Scotland won't be represented at the luncheon given by her majesty at HUGE expense. It is a closed affair for crowned heads from all over the world. Ours is already there. She lives in England.
...as in so many things.
The UK loves dictators who they can bribe and then 'willy' wave saying aren't we clever dicks.
ReplyDeleteA dirty deal: Uzbek dictator 'has UK over a barrel'
There are probably two major reasons why the, "Bahrain Spring", has got the cold shoulder from the West.
ReplyDelete1. The uprising is mainly by Shias against a Sunni Government. A Shia state on the West of the Gulf with close ties to Iran gives the US nightmares.
2. The US has a major naval base in Bahrain. "...the U.S. Navy has turned a minor naval station in the Persian Gulf, into one of its most crucial bases for the war on terrorism." A Shia state on the West of the Gulf with close ties to Iran containing a major US base gives....the US nightmares.
Since the UK Government is essentially a US satrapy then Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain is going to get the red carpet here.
Doug..I'd add a 3rd ...Just across the causeway there's the Shia dominated oil rich Eastern Provence of Saudi Arabia. A Shia Bahrain would be the worst nightmare for the sunni Saudi Kingdom. Hence we saw tanks and troops roll in from Saudi into Bahrain. Ditto Qatari and Kuwaiti sunni troops.
ReplyDeleteOh nooooooo, CH. Someone a important as Mr Cameron, a close puppet of the American president...sorry, did I say puppet? I meant, of course, ally. Anyway, imagine someone that important and superior having to go to Uzbekistan. How terrible. Doesn't Andy Air Miles go there often, and doesn't he have erm, relations, or whatever they call it in diplomatic circles, with the Karimova female?
ReplyDeleteCameron could send him, or I mean crave his royal highness's indulgence to undertake a visit on behalf of the UK government. It doesn't much matter to anyone if he gets boiled alive... Come to that I can't seriously imagine that anyone much would be heartbroken if Cameron was boiled alive. I know I wouldn't.
Yes, Doug. Sensible analysis. We must not upset the Saudis. They buy vast amounts of weaponry from America and Cameron would be in serious sh*t with Obama if he upset that particular apple cart.
ReplyDeleteAnd Camerfool wouldn't want that, would he? No more Teddy Bears for him!!!!
It was amazing, Monty, how the rebels in some countries were good, and in other countries were bad, in the eyes of the CIA, erm sorry, I mean of course, the British Foreign and Commonwealth office.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't want anyone to think that Wee Willie can't think for himself, and requires Mrs Clinton to do that particular job for him, would we?
So the chiselling Wessex’s went out there and accepted an obscene amount of bling. That of course is why we NEED a royal family because they are such good legitamisers for odious foreign despots. Just because they are royal should make absolutely no difference because at the end of the day all that means is that their ancestors were better thieves and murderers than everybody else and they ended up holding the most when the music stopped, just err... like our own dear royal family who come from a long and proud tradition of thievery, why the Queen can traces her ancestors, in a rather convoluted and twisted way, all the way back to William the conqueror and he nicked the whole of England!
ReplyDeleteJust imagine our illustrious prime minister going out there and having to meet Karimov or his repulsive harpie of a daughter! That would never do. After all they are only Johnnie-come-latelys to the thievery, murder and power grab game, why our dear Queen’s ancestors were much more original than simply boiling someone alive. Queen Elizabeth burned catholics and Queen Mary burned protestants and if you upset Henry VIII boiling alive would be see as foreplay.
ReplyDeleteAye Munguin, Sophie was hoovering them up left right and centre, and of course it wouldn't be polite to give them back... and as poor old Sophie is like the poor man's royal, her only being a countess, married to the wimp,and frequently mistaken for a servant, she don't get much in the way of bling in the normal course of things.
ReplyDeleteAnd as you say, it was stolen goods anyway. Maybe old Soph will be lifted for receiving????
Sophie the Fence?
You know, Munguin, there's been a rash of people telling us that we are traditionally a Christian country, old Camergoon, and Mr O'Brien and uncle Tom Cobley and all.
ReplyDeleteBut it's no wonder that it's more or less died out, what with Mary burning one lot and Liz burning the other lot, at least England, of which they were queens, must have precious few of them left!
"It is a closed affair for crowned heads from all over the world."
ReplyDeleteHerrumphh! Herrumph I say, from "the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Support for American interests in Bahrain notwithstanding, I would just suggest to Her Majesty that there are only so many royal insults that the American president will endure. (And it's not good to be on his bad side.)
First he was not invited to the royal wedding. And now he doesn't get an invitation to the big Jubilee party. What's the next POTUS snub that the royals are planning? ;-)
PS: Of course I doubt that he would have found time in his schedule for a palace luncheon. But there's always the satisfaction of sending one's regrets. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDanny: I'm afraid he'll have to declare himself King of somewhere. But it has to be a serious thing. Monsieur Sarkozy is, by dint of being le président de la République Française, also co-prince of the small independent Catalan state of the Principat de les Valls d'Andorra. (His co-prince is the Bishop of Urgell in Spanish Catalonia.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the guest list, but I'm betting that neither of them has been invited.
Mr Obama's best bet would be to declare himself King of Hawaii and give up the presidency of America.
His only other bet is to tell Camertoff to make his invitation happen or Frau Merkel has suddenly become his new bestest friend and he's going to let her FLY Air Force One, not just travel in it.
That will that will send a shiver looking for Camermug's spine.
Ha ha, then he can send a note saying that His Majesty regrets....
ReplyDeleteLOL @Tris:
ReplyDeleteTwo excellent suggestions! It hadn't occurred to me that he might try to leverage his airplane diplomacy.
But the Hawaiian monarchy might be even better. The weather is nice, and there IS a royal palace in Honolulu.
Queen Emma, the Queen Consort of King Kamehameha IV was a widow when she visited Victoria at the palace. They got along famously I understand.
Oh...and known affectionately as Emma, her official name was Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonalani Na'ea Rooke of Hawaii. Wonder how the palace got all that on an invitation.
ReplyDeleteHer grandfather was British born, which probably accounts for the "Emma" part.
Who knows, Danny. maybe if Mr Obama only had Hawaii to worry about he would be able to find the time to go to England for lunch !!!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes...if you got something everyone wants, like Air Force One, you can certainly use it as a bargaining stick. I think Mr Obama might find Angela a wee bit harder to deal with than Camerfool.
She got where she got by being clever rather than well born.
Ha ha... That's what my granny would call a "hum dinger" of a name!!!
ReplyDeleteDanny... I bet that people were happy that they could just call her Ma'am!!!!
ReplyDeleteTris....I'm amazed at your Granny using the term "hum dinger." I thought that was purely a Midwestern USA idiom. Very familiar term here!
ReplyDeleteInteresting Danny, I wonder whether it was Scottish and was taken out there...or American and was brought over to Scotland...
ReplyDeleteIt's a humdinger of a word, but I don't think anyone much uses it any more here.
Tris...It's a slang word here, and you do hear it some. I see that various sources say it's American slang from just after 1900. Some references give the source as "unknown." But then I saw this article in the Times about tracing some American slang to Irish Gaelic. It mentions the word "humdinger" in passing, but doesn't give the suggested Irish etymology. Interesting!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/nyregion/08irish.html
Very interesting article, Danny. As Irish and Scots Gaelic have many similarities it's possible that it came into the local vocabulary from our own Gaelic... or indeed in the same way that it did in America, from the immigrant Irish workers who came to our area for the work in the jute mills.
ReplyDeleteWhat's Niko doing shaking hands with Cameron outside No 10-----Oh, I forgot, Labour and Tory are now best friends.
ReplyDeleteWhat Niko doing...full stop...
ReplyDeleteTris,
ReplyDeleteLord knows, in this instance, Foulkes, I suspect.
Get some binos its no his hand he's shaking!
ReplyDeleteI hope that is an OLD picture or this early xmas thing is getting right out of hand...
ReplyDeleteKing of Baa theyreonlysheeple meets Her maaajestery why not her family have killed enough of us he is only a beginner at it, probably has to kill at least 100,000 to get his feet properly under the demonic royal round table...
Wrm, I do hope not CH... It's not that sort of blog.
ReplyDeleteYeah Nom...probably an from their December meeting so don't worry, you're not going to be told that there's only 200 shopping days to Christmas so you'd better spend now before Gideon takes it all away from you.
ReplyDelete