House of Commons Meeting - Ethics & The Arms Trade – Britain’s Role.

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Join us at this House of Commons Meeting where we look at Britain, the Arms Trade and Human Rights abuse.

Norman Lamb MP has agreed to host a meeting in the House of Commons on Ethics & The Arms Trade – Britain’s Role.

The arms trade is a major cause of human rights abuses. Some governments spend more on military expenditure than on social development, communications infrastructure and health combined.

The 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (US, Russia, France, United Kingdom and China), together with Germany and Italy account for around 85% of the arms sold between 2004 and 2011.

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Norman Lamb is a British (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom) Liberal Democrat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Democrats_%28UK%29) politician (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician) and solicitor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solicitor). He has been the Member of Parliament (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_Parliament_%28United_Kingdom%29) for North Norfolk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Norfolk_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29) since 2001 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_general_election,_2001). In 2012, Norman was promoted to the role of junior minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Business,_Innovation_and_Skills). Following the resignation of Nick Clegg after the 20215 General Election Norman announced his intention to stand for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Democrats_leadership_election,_2015). His has been an outspoken critic of the arms trade.

Other speakers include,

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Andrew Feinstein was elected an ANC MP in South Africa in 1994. He resigned in 2001 in protest at the government's refusal to allow an unfettered investigation into a £5bn arms deal. He chairs the Aids charity Friends of the Treatment Action Campaign, and is a director of the anti-corruption organisation Corruption Watch. He is the author of After the Party: A Personal and Political Journey Inside the ANC; and an updated edition of his book “The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade.”

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Ann Feltham went to a meeting of Campaign Against The Arms Trade (CAAT) London group in 1978. Quickly becoming involved, she was later on the Steering Committee before becoming a staff member in 1985. She is now Parliamentary Co-ordinator.

World military spending had reduced since the Cold War ended, but a few nations such as the US retain high level spending.

In recent years, global military expenditure has increased again and is now comparable to Cold War levels. Recent data shows global spending at over $1.7 trillion. 2012 saw the first dip in spending — only slightly —since 1998, in an otherwise rising trend.

In modern conflicts over 80% of all casualties has been civilian. 90% of these are caused by small arms.

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