Why I don't vote Tory
I realise that from time to time, governments have to cosy up with some fairly disagreeable people, and most countries have to be pragmatic in their relations and we as members of the public generally don't ask too many questions and why should we because politics is a dirty business.
Back in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falklands, we sought help from Pinochet's Chile in regaining British territory for which we paid handsomely by ending an arms ban with Chile.
Now Baroness Thatcher is "greatly saddened" by the death of the former dictator Pinochet, presumably despite the many murders he was responsible for including the probable murder of the democratically elected leader of Chile Salvador Allende.
I think Mrs Thatcher once stated that it was a "funny* old world", well I'm sure the relatives of Pinochet's victims (3000plus) will find her sentiments insensitive and incomprehensible.
*(peculiar?)
Though he did save Chile from a Marxist regime running an economy with 140-150% rate inflation under Dr. Allende. Allende was the first democratically elected Marxist President though he didn't have an absolute majority though this was resolved under the Chilean constitution. Other parties who ran were the Independent Conservatives who had around the same vote as the Marxists, and Christian Democrats. Pinnochet came to power and more than doubled the annual growth rate leading Chile to economic success and he stood down in 1988 when he called Presidential elections and lost. Pinnochet claimed to fight communism cummunist methods had to be employed. He allegedly had CIA backing. He also supported the UK in the Falklands War of 1982. How many people have been killed by the current UK administration? How many of the current UK administration hated Pinnochet and then went and killed thousands of people in recent uncalled for wars?
ReplyDeleteI am sure those Chileans tortured and killed by the Pinochet regime must have taken some solace from the lowered inflation.
ReplyDeleteTrue, the UK Govt is far from clean, but at least they tend to refrain from torturing their own.
El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido!
ReplyDeleteIs this the site where the bloke who runs it gets just about everything wrong¿
ReplyDeleteI am sure those Chileans tortured and killed by the Pinochet regime must have taken some solace from the lowered inflation.
ReplyDeleteBetter dead than Red