Killing Syrian children with one hand, saving them with other

All over British television this week, in ads strategically placed in the middle of news bulletins, the Disasters Emergency Committee fund has been raising money from viewers for Syrian refugees alongside the 'No Child Born To Die' campaign.

The TV ads show pictures of starving and destitute children, dragged over the border from war torn Syria into Jordan and viewers are entreated to help. 

The willingness of ordinary members of the public has been outstanding, despite access to the country being difficult for charities the campaign has raised over 20 million pounds (US$32.2 million) for Syrian refugees. Of course they are absolutely right: nobody in their right mind could approve of the slaughter of innocent children but Britain cannot claim to be a 'democracy' until the generosity of the public is matched by leaders entrusted with the purse-strings. 

For while the great British public dig deep to help the victims of the Syrian civil war the not-so-great British government have those same children's blood on their hands.

It is a tale which begins at Downing Street where David Cameron's millionaires' cabinet is selling off the very nucleus of the state, the last of the family silver, to their city chums. The 350-year-old Royal Mail postal service, the Probation Service which checks up on murderers, and even some police stations are the latest to go under the hammer. 

But the latest treacherous sell-off takes all the prizes for recklessness, and those backing it must be wondering whether they will escape with their heads. Yes, Cameron is selling off UK National Security: DE&S, Defence Equipment and Support, the multi-billion buying power of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

This week we hear the MoD's former head of Strategic Weapons, Clive Balliard, took those revolving-door dollars to work for US defense contractor Bechtel. He follows in the red hot footsteps of the PM's defense policy adviser Richard Freer, who left Downing Street for team Bechtel earlier this year. 

Guess who's going to win those MoD contracts?

One can no longer put a cigarette paper between private NATO defense industry shareholders and the Cameron cabinet. Give it a year or two and Britain's venerable army regiments like the Guards or the Household Cavalry will be sporting a Coca-Cola logo on their battle dress and McDonalds' 'Golden Arches' on their tanks. 

Syrian children ‘born to die’

Those desperate TV appeals to help millions of destitute and starving people will only truly help stop the suffering if William Hague, the Cabinet and the Foreign Office stop supporting terrorism. The British government has been backing Syrian rebels just like they did in Libya. Reports suggested that UK has been openly providing targeting intelligence, where and when key government officials can be killed, as well as logistics for NATO's so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels. 

Less openly, UK Special Forces have been training the FSA as well as conducting covert operations within Syria itself. Barely noticed, the recent trial for possession of a firearm and ammunition of former SAS soldier Danny Nightingale confirmed various anonymous reports and listed one of his last postings in Syria. 

So if there were anyone left believing that British taxpayers' money has not been instrumental in the deaths of thousands of Syrian children then they should listen to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's foreign minister, Roland Dumas. In June on French Parliamentary TV network LCP, he explained British officials had approached him long before the Syrian uprising asking for French help to get it started. To quote Dumas:

“I was in England two years before the violence in Syria on other business. I met with top British officials, who confessed to me that they were preparing something in Syria. This was in Britain, not in America. Britain was organizing an invasion of rebels into Syria. They even asked me, although I was no longer minister for foreign affairs, if I would like to participate.”

Sri Lankan children ‘born to die’

On the same day this week as the 'No Child Born To Die' TV campaign was playing across Britain Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague was spotted, near the UN in New York, striding boldly into a drinks reception he was hosting with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's and his brother, Defence Secretary Gotbaya Rajapaksa's, delegation. 

These are the same Sri Lankan leaders who, according to the UN, are directly responsible by 'Command Responsibility' for the 2009 massacre of 40,000 Tamil civilians attempting to surrender. The self-same leaders who have jailed, at least until 2016, valiant former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka who blew the whistle on their dirty, genocidal deeds. 

With a nod and a wink with a smile and a drink, here in New York British child killers are raising their blood-filled glasses and living the high life. They will do it all over again in November, with royalty, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka. 

If the humanity and compassion in the 'No Child Born To Die' appeal means anything at all, we must none of us take our boots off until the hosts of these genocide receptions are all behind bars.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.