Thursday 17 January 2008

Amnesty International UK, what hole have you been skulking in?

Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, said: "As the Beijing Olympics approaches, China will be increasingly sensitive to its reputation in other countries."

"Gordon Brown must make clear that Britain does not approve of its record on human rights."

"Basic values like justice and free speech are held dear by the British people and our prime minister must reflect their importance."

-BBC News

such such tripe. Kate, just repeating something over and over doesn't make it come true, even if you click your heels together. This laughable outburst underlines a fundamental discrepancy between what the British people hold dear and what we like to think we hold dear. These values that we supposedly "hold dear "are being systematically eroded day by day and Amnesty UK's constant and meaningless condemnation of other governments only serves to reinforce that long perpetuated myth; we are free and we are just. We have the most extensive and unregulated public surveillance in the world and anyone who steps out of line is immediately brought under suspicion not just by the police, but by other "free" citizens. It seems Amnesty is under the control of a government that wants us to remain ignorant of, or at least disaffected by the erosion of our civil liberties. ID cards anyone?

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