by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
In the beginning of January 2013 Glencore chief Simon Murray launched a private navy intended, so the story goes, to combat the menace of the Somali pirate which time and again endanger shipping.
This outfit, which could only be described as a mercenary force, will be staffed, amongst others, by former British navy personnel, and is said to consist of a mother ship, which appears to be some kind of a frigate (I am no navy man) and several fast attack boats. I would assume that this is but for starters.
However, in theory, mercenary activities are illegal for any British citizen to engage in and thus this appears rather strange to me and it can only mean that this is a private, mercenary naval force, which is being backed by the British government.
Now that there is, once again, a charter navy I am wondering when Britain is bringing about charter companies and their armies again, as was the case with the British East India Company, the British South Africa one, and others.
Maybe, sooner rather than later, the British government is going to be privatizing the military altogether in the same was as they are privatizing the prison service, the probation service and plan to privatize the police.
The privatized military and police, no doubt, will also be paid by result, in the same way as the private prison and probation service will be, and we can only wonder how that is going to be worked out.
And the majority of the British public is sitting there like lemons and could care less, as long as they have their bread and circuses; the latter in the form of so-called reality TV and soap operas.
© 2013
