What Price, Human Rights?

[anotheoldgit]

http://news.sky.com/story/1176730/cameron-in-china-human-rights-discussed

Is it in order for Europe and Britain to forgo their well known support of human rights, so as to gain lucrative trade deals with countries who's human rights records need much improvement?

[Canary42]

Tory mantra has always been profits before people.

[youngmafbog]

So you would prefer he spouted human rights, got thrown out the country and we have no trade with the second biggest economy in the world?

Sometimes it is better to fight from within, especially if you are small fry (which is what they think of us)

[emmie]

canary, so you don't think Ed Milliband, Ed Balls will want to do business with China if they come to power, oh dear.

[Ken4155]

In my very humble opinion, it is right that we should seek trade with whatever countries we see fit. It is, however, wrong that we should take the moral high-ground when it comes to those countries who also have despicable human rights issues but who we do not wish to do trade with. Smacks of hypocrisy.

[Bazile]

//Sometimes it is better to fight from within, especially if you are small fry (which is what they think of us) //

What sort of fight are we going to put up , when we are small fry ?

That is just a empty statement put forward by Politicians ,to make them feel better , when they know that they are turning a blind eye to human rights ; in pursuit of trade deals - so why pretend otherwise ?

Now , you may feel that that is right or not right to do .

[emmie]

it doesn't stop Cameron from having talks on human rights, ours is a damn sight better than China's, Russia's, and indeed many countries around the globe.

[Bazile]

//it doesn't stop Cameron from having talks on human rights, ours is a damn sight better than China's, Russia's, and indeed many countries around the globe. //

Do you really think that the Chinese Government are going to take much nitice of what Cameron says , on the question of human rights ?

[emmie]

maybe, but that doesn't stop him from discussing these matters, same for anyone. They want to trade, we want to trade, so sometimes these things can be discussed, what makes you think they don't listen, it's whether they do any thing about them is another matter

[Old_Geezer]

One needs to be pragmatic or sink. Diplomacy has always been a balancing act. One need not abandon all objecting though. Just know how to get the most effective deal.

[emmie]

indeed.

[Gromit]

For 50 years we have turned a blind eye to the human rights abuses of the arabs because we need their oil.

So dealing with the Chinese is nothing new.

[emmie]

we have been trading with nations of dubious pedigree for centuries, some may not have liked our way of doing business but trade we have, it is what makes the world go around, without it no one would live, work, eat.