THE UK GOVERNMENT IS INVOLVED IN THIS...

WARNING: SOME OF THESE PICTURES ARE HEARTBREAKING. DON'T READ ON IF YOU FIND IMAGES OF DEAD CHILDREN TOO DISTURBING

Her parents killed and her house blown up, so she sleeps on the street.

A couple of days ago on the Today Programme on Radio 4, Sarah Montague asked David Cameron about the war in Yemen.

She pointed out the enormous quantity of British arms that were being sold to Saudi to use in their war, that British advisers were training their military and that British personnel were in the control rooms advising as missiles were launched at targets in Yemen.

She also mentioned that among the buildings bombed was a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital.

Well done, you morons, you blew up an aid lorry.

Cameron didn't answer the question, of course. He never does, but he doesn't have to. He waffled for a while about the need to protect the democratically elected legitimate government of that country. Because of course Saudi likes its neighbours to have democratically elected governments!

Of course, as the most important country in the world, bar none, it is Britain's job to ensure democracy is upheld everywhere on Earth except, strangely, in Britain, where no mention had been made in parliament of their troops' involvement in this war. That's a bit odd in a democracy, isn't it?

But these days fewer and fewer of the laws that are passed in the "mother of parliaments" is actually discussed and voted on in the elected chamber. 

Someone discovered  statutory instruments, and is now busily putting them to use. It's even more fun than the Privy Council.

And this was a factory that made insulin. There are no other manufacturers in the country. Diabetics will now die.
 Bravo!

As so little is known about the war in Yemen, I thought we should share some photographs of the misery and, I imagine, war crimes, that the UK is currently involved in... and no one knows much about.

A police station. Full of policemen. Dead ones.

Your average day.

Downtown, where all the lights are bright.
Because everything is being blown up.

Dazed.

Helpless.

Starving to death.

...or dead...

...by the dozens

I'm so ashamed. I'm so disgusted. We must get away from these barbarians.

THE SAUDI REGIME IS BRUTAL AND AWFUL, SO WHY DID WE BACK THEM FOR UNHCR?

Salman

Saudi Arabia has greeted the new year by executing 47 people.

They have justified these punishments by saying that they are blessings for the now dead, because they will be saved from committing any further evil acts. Well, it's a strange sort of blessing in my opinion, but then, I'm Scottish, not Saudi, and maybe I don't understand.

I can't help feel that, vile though Scots may find it, what Saudi Arabia does, is Saudi Arabia's business. It is most certainly not the business of Scotland or the UK. We can dislike and disapprove, and we should do so. But their regime is their business and changing it is up to them. No matter how hard that might be. Just as changing our regime is our business and we don't appreciate other countries poking their noses in.

The Clown Prince

We need always to remember that just because Scotland or the UK does things in a certain way, that doesn't make it right for everyone, everywhere in the world.

There are many things that are done here that regimes elsewhere might find intolerable. Sexual freedoms, drinking alcohol (and some of the consequences thereof), are examples that spring immediately to mind. Our penal regimes are very different from theirs, and although they are far from perfect, we don't expect to be lectured by Saudi or Iran on our our way of doing things. Even when these ways fall far short of what some of our own citizens would like to see.

International bodies of which they are members may have the right to lecture countries, but neither the UK nor Scotland does, particularly in light of the fact that the Council of Europe has stated that the UK's benefits are "manifestly inadequate" and the UN is investigating the welfare regime of Iain Duncan Smith. It's not beheading with swords, but it does indicate a less than perfect human rights regime in these islands.

Yemen

If we feel strongly about Saudi's behaviour, perhaps we should reduce our diplomatic ties with them, stop inviting them to our royals' weddings, divorces, re-marriages and massively lavish birthday and jubilee bashes, stop trading with them, and stop supplying them with arms so they can murder indiscriminately, both their own people, and those in Yemen.

It might, even without hindsight, have been a good idea not to recommend them for chairmanship of the UNHCR. But it says something that the UK relied upon Saudi for its membership of that organisation.

When Scotland or the UK is perfect and understand fully the way of life, customs and practices of other lands, maybe then we could lecture them on how to behave. Until then, let's concentrate on (given it's such a Christian country) casting out the mote that is in our own eye. 

HOW MANY WILL WE LET THIS MAN KILL? OR IS OIL THE REAL REASON FOR OUR EXCURSION IN LIBYA?

Today we have seen pictures of dead boys and men of Yemen, shot through the head by their government’s forces in the worst day of violence in Sana'a for 30 years.

Live fire was used to clear the demonstrators calling for the resignation of the president. But it’s not working. Incredibly brave young men are taking off their jackets and walking towards the troops, pointing towards their chests as if to say.... go on then, shoot.

If President Saleh thought that his killing spree, using weaponry supplied by the West, purchased with military aid from the USA, would end the rebellious behavior of the country’s youth, his guess has fallen rather wide of the mark.

More and more young people are coming to the capital to join in the protests. I suppose the trouble is that like the leaders of many other of the Middle East countries, Saleh is an old man, and he is dealing with a people that he simply does not comprehend. Over 60% of the population is under 25. They are equipped with cell phones and they have access to internet. Many of them are highly educated, but there are no jobs, and the regime so far hasn’t made anything much in the way of an effort to make the country a place that anyone would want to invest in. These men are not like the people of Saleh’s generation. They refuse to be poor, ragged and hungry while he and his like salt away vast fortunes. The days of quiet subservience to brutal, greedy, self serving old men, is over.

But how many more will he kill before he understands this.

Yesterday the

UK prime minister told us in a world leader and statesman like fashion that: “We simply cannot stand back and let a dictator whose people have rejected him, kill his people indiscriminately. To do so would send a chilling signal to others striving for democracy across the region”

Now I know that Libya supplies oil to Europe, and that Yemen does not. I also understand that it is the government’s duty to look after the interests of the British people, and that that includes making sure that we have a steady supply of oil.

But if British airmen are fighting tonight in Libya because they have oil, and not fighting tonight in Yemen because they do not, why cannot Mr Cameron just come out and say that?

If he meant what he said yesterday, however, can I just take this opportunity to remind him that the dictator Saleh has killed well over 50 of his own people this weekend so far, because they have rejected him. Can I further point out that to let him away with it simply sends a chilling message to all the other brutal dictators of the area (and there are many, some of them our dear friends and allies).

Pics: A bloodied, but still alive boy is carried away from the protest having been shot by his own army snipers. The president of Yemen, Mr Saleh, a man we could all do perfectly well without, and Yemen citizens are literally dying to get rid of. The capital of Yemen (map), the beautiful and mysterious city of Sana'a

DO YOU KNOW WHERE MAURITANIA IS?

Danny sent me this quiz last night.

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

It relates to the geography of the Middle and Near East, Arabia, and North Africa

I did OK on Africa, the Near East, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and most of the peninsula, although the little countries at the bottom got me a couple of crosses. But where I was pretty lost and did a fair pile of guessing was in the former Soviet “stans”.

I thought it was a pretty fun way of learning and I was pleased to see that there are other quizzes to be had.

In view of recent events in Egypt and Tunisia, and current events in Algeria and Yemen, and with the almost certainty of more desire for democracy, for which we have been calling for a long time, and yet almost certainly won’t like when it comes, at least in some of the countries, I think it’s an area of the world worth knowing a little more about.

Good luck.

Pics: A street scene in Mauritania, and the flag of Chad.