Canada disappointed with UK government

[pemma]

'The new norm': Diplomat says Canada may need to get used to being alone on world stage

Former British high commissioner to Canada ‘disappointed’ U.S., U.K. remain neutral in Saudi spat

One week into the Canada-Saudi Arabia spat and there has been very little high-profile public support for the Canadian position.

Spokespeople from countries considered Canada's closest allies offered bluntly neutral comments when pressed on the diplomatic dispute.

One British diplomat is taken aback by his country's public reaction.

"I confess that I'm very disappointed by it," said Anthony Cary, a former British High Commissioner to Canada.

"There was a time when Canada could have rightly expected to receive the core support from the United States and from the United Kingdom, as its closest partners," he said in interview with CBC News from his home in London.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-arabia-canada-dispute-the-new-norm-1.4780203

So Theresa May is happy to disappoint a commonwealth country that she wants to do a trade deal with, not to upset the Conservative Party's friend of Saudi Arabia.

 

[NSEFAN]

It's not just Canada that's dissapointed with the UK government...

 

[The_Train]

Most of the UK are disappointed with the UK government so the rest of the world might as well join in

 

[InterCity:125]

Canada is one of the only country’s left who are thinking straight. Of course they are disappointed with our government.

 

[DarloRich]

Canada disappointed with UK government: Join the queue

 

[yorksrob]

It's an interesting point that strikes at the heart of the modern global economy. For years, we have been told that it doesn't matter who owns everything - we can flog off all our assets to any Tom, Dick and Harry.

Now an extremely socially conservative country is throwing its weight around with its sovereign wealth fund to damage a Western democracy. In spite of the protestations of the global free market brigade, it turns out it does, in fact matter who owns ones assets "Surprise Surprise" (as Cilla would have said).

Will Western nations act on this wake up call.

 

[deltic]

Owning assets is not so much the issue as a desire to continue selling billions of pounds of arms to a country bombing Yemen back to the dark ages

 

[yorksrob]

Owning assets is not so much the issue as a desire to continue selling billions of pounds of arms to a country bombing Yemen back to the dark ages

I don't know what Canada's armaments industry is like, but it has nothing to do with its current predicament where the ownership of its assets does.

 

[deltic]

I was trying to explain why US and UK are not supporting Canada

 

[yorksrob]

I was trying to explain why US and UK are not supporting Canada

And you are quite correct.

But surely the bigger picture is that if your countries assets are owned by an untrustworthy Government, you are beholden to them.

Even without an armaments deal, the UK and the US are also probably beholden to the Saudi Government if they have controlling ownership of large sections of the economy.

 

[Groningen]

Silence! The UK is trying to sell weapons to Saudia Arabia to defeat its enemies. Human rights do not exist in the islamic world.

 

[deltic]

And you are quite correct.

But surely the bigger picture is that if your countries assets are owned by an untrustworthy Government, you are beholden to them.

Even without an armaments deal, the UK and the US are also probably beholden to the Saudi Government if they have controlling ownership of large sections of the economy.

Depends on what the assets are and the impact of their sale. I understand Saudis are selling bonds, equities and cash holding which as they are relatively small in relation to the size of Canada's economy the impact is likely to be minimal.

Saudi selling off property in London is again likely to have minimal impact on the UK's economy

 

[Barn]

In some ways it's difficult - British PMs have repeatedly hinted that they need to stay onside with Saudi Arabia because the intelligence they share with us helps to disrupt terror plots and save lives. So I do have some sympathy with ministers who feel forced to take a different approach to that country than their constituents or even them personally would really like.

That said, our relationship with Canada should be such that we drop almost everything to help them when they need it. They stormed Juno beach to help us...

 

[deltic]

In some ways it's difficult - British PMs have repeatedly hinted that they need to stay onside with Saudi Arabia because the intelligence they share with us helps to disrupt terror plots and save lives. So I do have some sympathy with ministers who feel forced to take a different approach to that country than their constituents or even them personally would really like.

That said, our relationship with Canada should be such that we drop almost everything to help them when they need it. They stormed Juno beach to help us...

Given Saudi has funded a high proportion of extremest organisations its the least they can do. If they had no oil and money they would be as much as a pariah state as North Korea.