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Baroness Warsi, Bahrain and the falsehood of British democracy

The Queen has invited the King of Bahrain to her Jubilee - but criticising her would be "mean", the

By Emily Wight Published 20 April 2012 15:06

Bahraini Shiite Muslims protesting against the Grand Prix. Photo: Getty Images

As Bahrain descends into its “three days of rage” leading up to Sunday's Grand Prix, at once barring journalists and repelling Formula One drivers, we have to wonder what pro-democracy protesters would make of a preened politician refusing to denounce their oppressor on prime-time TV.

Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, whose hair is so shiny it reflects off every camera pointing at her, told BBC Question Time viewers last night that it would be “mean” to condemn the Queen for entertaining the King of Bahrain at a Diamond Jubilee luncheon.

Woops! Poor Liz. We clearly should never have said anything about the matter, despite, you know, living in a democracy and all. Like Bahraini king Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa authorising his army to detain nearly 3000 pro-democracy protesters and kill more than 50, perhaps our head of state should be able to do exactly what she likes without criticism. Does the Queen even know of the plight of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the former president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights who has been on hunger strike for 73 days now? He was sentenced to life imprisonment in June for plotting a coup against the ruling elite; the sentence was imposed under emergency laws specifically targeting activists who demonstrated in the uprisings of February and March last year.

Bahrain, like Syria, is still very much in the middle of its Arab Spring, more than a year after uprisings began. At first ignored by mainstream media and politicians who preferred to entertain the ethics surrounding a NATO mission in Libya, it is perhaps not far-fetched to suggest that were it not for the Formula One Grand Prix, this small island in the Persian Gulf wouldn't have received half the international media coverage it has. There seems no need to question why this might be: the coalition government, for all its disgust at Russia's arms deals with Syria, authorised the sale of £2.2m of arms to Bahrain in the summer.

Civil unrest in Bahrain is still being swept under the carpet. Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone earlier this month refused to withdraw the Grand Prix from the country, despite doing so last year. Former leader of the Metropolitan Police's Special Inquiry Squad, John “Yates of the Yard” Yates, was appointed by Al Khalifa to help out his security services (from one moral scandal to another, some might say). As though writing a holiday postcard home, he commented that Bahrain was “a delightful place”. And while the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa was embarrassed into pulling out of an invitation to last year's ubiquitous royal wedding, Bahraini and British royalty will finally reconcile at a Windsor Castle jubilee lunch next month.

The whole charade smacks of everything that is wrong with an unelected head of state. We can nod alongside William Hague's disapproval of the use of live ammunition on Bahraini activists, even protest against the exchange of arms approved by the same man's own government. But God forbid we should be "mean" enough to criticise the Queen when all she wants to do is celebrate 60 years of unelected rule with her dictator friends.

Baroness Warsi might have caused outrage last night - but she also revealed a critical truth about Britain. Question the powers that be, and you get shot down. It might not be torture and teargas, but it's certainly not democratic.

Tags: Bahrain royal family

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12 comments

Wed, 2012-05-30 20:01 — FenwickSamson

The responsibility for inviting guests lies with the government Baroness Warsi represents, who 'advise' the Queen on whom to invite. It would simply be unthinkable for the Queen herself to intervene, because it would undermine the elected Government's diplomatic agenda with Bahrain. It, not her, chooses to ignore the shameful conduct of Bahrain's monarch. http://www.carshq.org/

Fri, 2012-04-27 21:03 — hugh markey (not verified)

All Western eyes are trained on the Middle-East - Syria in particular. However, we have discovered courtesy of RT that there is unrest and rioting in Chile and Canada.

What IS going on?

Distracting Media

Wed, 2012-04-25 02:54 — Dr. Wom Bhatt (not verified)

No one has to do anything if they don't want to. Even if compliance is required by State "Law" a person can choose to abstain. There will be consequences but there are for everything. That comes with being part of the Universe. The Queen is such a person. If she feels strongly about an issue she can act as she pleases. That might mean she has to withdraw from her "legal fiction" position as "Head of State". She had an uncle who did just such a thing.

But unfortunately the Queen has a position in supporting such collectives as Bahrain's regime. She is a shareholder in armaments' "one stop shop" BAE. It is the world's major armaments supplier.

For more info consider : http://members.tripod.com/~american_almanac/crown.htm.

I think the people should have representatives at the party. I mean real reps, not the "official" fawning enablers that the establishment puts forward on each significant occasion.

I nominate Ian Bone and Robbie Pict together with Sinead O'Connor (I know she's Irish but I don't care).

Sat, 2012-04-21 19:49 — Barrie J (not verified)

Our own 'elected' ruling elite are not in the least disgusted by the actions of an unelected ruling elite in Bahrain.
They envy them.

Sat, 2012-04-21 16:03 — adrian nicholas (not verified)

Well suprise, suprise, that an unelected and out of touch ,wealth and social privilege supporting 'Baroness' supports the same, and puts greed and irrationality before genuine citizen equality and human rights.

Corruption and nepotism at its reactionary worst - that's Tory Warsi.
On a positive note, everytime this 'baroness' opens her mouth, probably means another GB citizen committed to a Republic.

Fri, 2012-04-20 23:17 — Edwin M-W (not verified)

Maybe Emily Wight, (or should that be Emily Wrong?), should spend some time learning about our Head of State's constitutional role, before she starts griping about aspects of it she doesn't understand, and displaying her ignorance, as well as bias!
If she did, she would realise that the Queen has no real input with the invitation list for "her" formal engagements, but it is the government who invites, and uninvites.
A situation Ms Wight surely would prefer, judging by her obvious distaste for the monarchy!

Mon, 2012-04-23 00:46 — DMyers

Maybe you should tell Warsi that, as she said initations are made by the Palace.

Fri, 2012-04-20 22:54 — MikeLaughton (not verified)

I find it amazing that this article is not in the slightest bit researched. The responsibility for inviting guests lies with the government Baroness Warsi represents, who 'advise' the Queen on whom to invite. It would simply be unthinkable for the Queen herself to intervene, because it would undermine the elected Government's diplomatic agenda with Bahrain. It, not her, chooses to ignore the shameful conduct of Bahrain's monarch.

We will never know the Queen's personal opinion on current affairs but I do not think it unimaginable that she is as appalled as any human being. So, yes, it is 'mean' to criticise her for taking a decision that was never really open to her to make.

Really, shamefully shoddy work on the part of the New Statesman.

Fri, 2012-04-20 22:52 — MikeLaughton (not verified)

Really, shamefully shoddy work.

Fri, 2012-04-20 22:52 — MichaelL (not verified)

Really, shamefully shoddy work.

Fri, 2012-04-20 19:17 — Silican (not verified)

If ever there was an argument against acculturation it is Brownnose Warsi.

Fri, 2012-04-20 18:47 — R Harris (not verified)

Lady Warsi somehow weasels her way, in spectacularly traditional non-specific politician fashion, out of being seen to take a stand on anything. Her attitude seems to be, like Mrs May's, just keep repeating the same nondescript drivel as an answer to every question and she ends up believing that she has answered the question.

John Yates, on a BBC worldservice programme late last night, came across as the most perfect PR spokesman for a nasty regime - but it is a mystery to me how, while the Bahraini police rain tear gas down nightly against Shiite villages - how he can keep repeating how delightful it is in Bahrain, nothing to worry about, etc. Perhaps ex-Inspector Plod of the Yard is more worried about hi own gratuities from the king than the gratuitous torture meted out by his new employer's police force.