Flies All Green And Buzzin'... The Torture Never Stops
The discovery of 173 prisoners being discovered in an Interior Ministry building shows how little we know about what is happening in Iraq and that political progress in skin deep.
Watching Newsnight I was getting more and more angry with Ann Clwyd, known in Iraq as 'Mrs Talibani', Blair's human righs envoy in Iraq. This is the woman who, when the prisoner abuse scandal broke said 'We have to get this in perspective'.
Once again, she fails to speak out. Last night, looking pale and sheepish she said Hussein Kamal, deputy interior minister responsible for the building concerned, couldn't be responsible because 'He was tortured by Saddam Hussain, so it would make no sense for him to torture people'.
Seriously, that's what she said. Watch it here.
Ann Clwyd is what we get
Ann Clwyd is what we get when people are appointed for their loyalty rather than their ability. She is one of many.
Ann Clywd is off her
Ann Clywd is off her rocker.
For all her bleeting, she obviously has no concept of the homicidal revenge that can occur when an oppressed section of society gets the upper hand and can do unto others what was done unto themselves, especially when torture and murder were the currency of power, as htey were for Saddam's Baathist regime. See the Balkans,Israeli government policy and any number of other instances. This is hardly surprising.
Worse, she obviously doesn't mind power tools getting into the wrong hands and being put to a use other than putting up the odd shelf. Get that into perspective, Ms Clywd. Human Rights are for all, not just for the groups she prescribes.
IMHO Ann CLywd should find a nice hedgehog protection league she can campaign for, and leave the serious work to the grown ups, who have the brains, understanding, empathy and skill to make a difference in a world defiled torture and other HR abuses, some of it sanctioned by her loon of a boss (and by extention, herself).