In the news

Aren't the big companies all about showing off their ESG these days?
(I haven't read the article yet)

They don't do violin icons small enough to go with Laurence Fox's account of his sad life.

Interesting.

IANAL but is that saying that a director must promote the success of the company (maximise profits) for the benefit of its members (shareholders) and in doing so have regard for (but it's just a suggestion):

• workers rights
  
• environment
  -blah blah blah
  
  

Maybe the new suggested legislation would place those factors on an equal footing with profits? Similar to a B Corp?

Cabinet ministers and Whitehall mandarins approved payments totalling £60m to Saudi royals and high-ranking officials over decades to secure and maintain a huge arms deal, a court heard on Monday.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/27/uk-ministers-saudi-royals-payments-arms-deal-court-told

and they wring their hands about financing accommodation for asylum seekers

Yeah but those are back handers that are expected, and mean the Saudis spend their military money here.

I know you shouldn't get drawn into it but...

I was making the point that the only other flag in history that society was not allowed to criticise was the Nazi flag,” he said.

Dude needs to check out how the US media and population at large tend to receive criticism of their flags.

And takes one to know one;

He said he believed Black History Month was “a gift..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Yamamah_arms_deal#Corruption_allegations

Bribery is an open secret. The 'pragmatist' realpolitik view would be that that's just how it is and if we don't pay, someone else will.

“a gift..."

Grift, innit?

[doublepost]

promote the success of the company (maximise profits)

I don't think those two things are necessarily the same - "the success of the company" can mean many things to many companies, and usually written up in their articles of association.

"Having regard to" isn't optional - (Larger) companies are required to explain how they have considered these factors.

Sneeky autocratic. I was hoping it was a Guardian typo.

spend £60mn to gain £20bn makes sense and i know they've been investigating british arms firms for decades for doing this but it doesn't make it right or any easier to swallow
especially as the middle east royals are multi billionaires already, why not buy british arms because they're top grade, innocent child killing machines without the need for a bit of extra pocket change

thats just the world today though isn't it

Multi-billionaires looking to buy “top-grade (innocent child) killing machines” are exactly the sort of person I’d expect to squeeze a seller for those extra millions.

Yaxley Lennon's Stone Island jacket deserves a period of detention on its own.

In other news I've got a suspect in mind for this swine fever patient zero; lots of foreign travel recently and known for close porcine associations.

Nothing new here. Look at mark thatcher.

Nothing to see here, move along, please.

Item 2: would rep.

Bribery is part of the culture with arms deals in middle east.

What is the issue? The whole arms trade is not straight and clear cut. Why worry about a small bit of corruption?

Is he still not welcome in several countries (African) for being involved with attempted coups.

https://twitter.com/BRYN_BORANGA/status/1729214829540552745?t=LNElMBkAj35WbIjur4iN3Q&s=19

You're just jealous that you weren't chosen.

https://youtu.be/pRsekFYkCDM?si=GYWl1fIphp-NYwZw

Say, is the British propaganda industry as much of a Zionist cheer squad as the Australian one? Some of the crap I've seen lately is beyond risible, while our government continues to keep secret arms deals with the Israelis on the down-low with zero curiosity from the mainstream media...

I'm actually sick of wondering when our populace of utter mugs will lose their taste for bullshit.

The beautiful lie is better than the terrible truth. See Brexit and the NHS.

NHS is safe in Tory hands etc

I'm actually sick of wondering when our populace of utter mugs will lose their taste for bullshit.

Never. The uncomfortable truth is that most people are absorbed with their own life, their own problems for much more than a "terrorists/evil governments are bad, good governments need to get rid of them" narrative so as long as a significant portion of the press gets behind the government version of events, they don't care. Dissenting voices are called out as untrustworthy/unreliable by other media or the government.

The ball continues to roll.