# Saudi to UK: Nice Underground System. Shame if anything 'happened' to it. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 15, 2008, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721 "2008-02-15T08:53:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/1 "2008-02-15T08:53:03Z")
[Secret papers reveal Saudi threat.](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/15/bae.armstrade) Long story short. BAE spends £1 billion in corrupt illegal bribes for Saudi arms deal. Years later, just as a police investigation is closing in on them the Govt (who I also pit for sheer gutlessness) call off the dogs on the grounds of ‘National Security.’ In the court challenge secret papers have revealed that: > [@](#): > > Saudi Arabia’s rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday. > > Previously secret files describe how investigators were told they faced “another 7/7” and the loss of “British lives on British streets” if they pressed on with their inquiries and the Saudis carried out their threat to cut off intelligence. > > Prince Bandar, the head of the Saudi national security council, and son of the crown prince, was alleged in court to be the man behind the threats to hold back information about suicide bombers and terrorists. He faces accusations that he himself took more than £1bn in secret payments from the arms company BAE. > > He was accused in yesterday’s high court hearings of flying to London in December 2006 and uttering threats which made the prime minister, Tony Blair, force an end to the Serious Fraud Office investigation into bribery allegations involving Bandar and his family. > > The threats halted the fraud inquiry, but triggered an international outcry, with allegations that Britain had broken international anti-bribery treaties. > > Lord Justice Moses, hearing the civil case with Mr Justice Sullivan, said the government appeared to have “rolled over” after the threats. He said one possible view was that it was “just as if a gun had been held to the head” of the government. Saudi Arabia - the funders of Wahhabism - the ideology of choice for terrorists. Saudi Arabia - home of the 9/11 terrorists. Saudi Arabia - the continued number one source of foreign insurgents in Iraq. Saudi Arabia - the font and source of Islamic terrorism. If we’re going to attack oil-rich nations on specious bloody grounds let’s at least go for the jugular. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/2 "2008-02-15T09:03:14Z")
[QUOTE=tagos] Saudi Arabia - the funders of Wahhabism - the ideology of choice for terrorists. Saudi Arabia - home of the 9/11 terrorists. Saudi Arabia - the continued number one source of foreign insurgents in Iraq. Saudi Arabia - the font and source of Islamic terrorism. If we’re going to attack oil-rich nations on specious bloody grounds let’s at least go for the jugular. [/QUOTE] You left out “Saudi Arabia”, location of Mecca and Medina and billions of dollars in arms. Attacking them would be WW3. The best way to attack them is to wean ourselves from the one product that keeps them from being just another backwards ass people nobody much gives a damn about. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/3 "2008-02-15T09:07:20Z")
This explains a lot. I am fucking disgusted that the government actually gave in to the motherfucker rather than going public with this. Corruption at the highest level, capitulation to terror threats in cowed secrecy. Fucking Blair. Our allies? Murderous cunts. Motherfuck. Grrr. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/4 "2008-02-15T10:21:46Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] You left out “Saudi Arabia”, location of Mecca and Medina and billions of dollars in arms. Attacking them would be WW3. The best way to attack them is to wean ourselves from the one product that keeps them from being just another backwards ass people nobody much gives a damn about. [/QUOTE] Yea - I know. The sooner we go all out for alternative energy and let these people piss off back to the Dark Ages the better. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/5 "2008-02-15T10:26:59Z")
IMO this capitulation was more to do with influence and money than a threat of violence. These fuckers are all in bed with each other. They make billions upon billions for the companies they work for after they leave power. ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/6 "2008-02-15T11:22:17Z")
With friends like these… Second the emotion - let’s get alternative energy going and let these stone-age morons fuck off back home and die. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/7 "2008-02-15T11:24:02Z")
[QUOTE=yojimbo] IMO this capitulation was more to do with influence and money than a threat of violence. These fuckers are all in bed with each other. They make billions upon billions for the companies they work for after they leave power. [/QUOTE] Too right. Or as in the Bush family case - they are in bed with them on a permanent basis. I don’t recall being deafened by the US official protests over the current Saudi witch stuff. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/8 "2008-02-15T12:21:29Z")
The sad thing is that they’ve already made the money and diversified. Getting off oil isn’t going to make them go away. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/9 "2008-02-15T12:37:41Z")
Maybe we could at least stop selling them the most advanced conventional weaponry in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/10 "2008-02-15T13:05:43Z")
Dude, that’s fucked up. I mean really really realy fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/11 "2008-02-15T13:29:41Z")
That’s the arms business. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/12 "2008-02-15T14:42:14Z")
Terrorism is a negotiating tool now? Great shuddering fuck. They should have shot this Bandar fellow where he stood and done that thing they did with pirates where they put their bodies in little cages and let them rot in public. Theres only a short distance between a threat and an action and clearly this idea is already in the minds of those who could do such things. It’s just unthinkable that someone would even say such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/13 "2008-02-15T15:16:03Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] They should have shot this Bandar fellow where he stood and done that thing they did with pirates where they put their bodies in little cages and let them rot in public. [/QUOTE] Yeah! We’ll show them who’s civilized! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/14 "2008-02-15T15:23:03Z")
The Saudis are the majority of the foreign insurgents in Iraq. The Saudis are financing it. We are not told of that for some reason. Saudis are getting a free ride everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/15 "2008-02-15T15:43:33Z")
Maybe we could let the Saudis invade Poland? I’m sure they’ll stop at that. ---
**Author:** ![shefDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@shefDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shefDave)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/16 "2008-02-15T16:52:43Z")
I am disgusted, appalled and ashamed. I would rather there be another 7/7 than give in like this. That’s if I believed for one second that this was about national security and not money. What a disgrace. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/17 "2008-02-15T17:12:01Z")
[This article in The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200305/baer) is five years old, but still very much on topic. Read it and be afraid, be very afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/18 "2008-02-15T17:20:31Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] The sad thing is that they’ve already made the money and diversified. Getting off oil isn’t going to make them go away. [/QUOTE] They can have the money, its their political influence that’s troubling, political influence based on it being a stable government in charge of a huge percentage of the worlds most precious strategic resource. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/19 "2008-02-15T17:31:37Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] Maybe we could let the Saudis invade Poland? I’m sure they’ll stop at that. [/QUOTE] Perhaps we could give them the Sudetenland first? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721/20 "2008-02-15T17:34:06Z")
[QUOTE=kidchameleon] Perhaps we could give them the Sudetenland first? [/QUOTE] Or we could allow Saudi-Jordanian unification. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-to-uk-nice-underground-system-shame-if-anything-happened-to-it/437721.md?page=2)