\n\tWhy? Why is our flag lowered to mark the passing of a Saudi despot?\n<\/p>\n
\n\tOf course, punishing those responsible with a thousand lashes would be over the top – in the same way as punishing a blogger who says something you don't like with a thousand lashes.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tUnlike others I don't think it is wrong for politicians to attend the funeral of the old Saudi king – in addition to attending the funeral they are also there to keep a dialogue going with the Saudi state. And the only thing that isolation causes is a strengthening of those attributes that caused the isolation in the first place. Or in other words, if you want a despotic government to change, you have to keep talking to them and keep telling them what they are doing that is wrong.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd that is one of the jobs that polticians are overpaid to do. It's a nasty little job, but as most politicians are nasty little people it's a job they are ideally suited to.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBut lowering the flag is a sign of respect from the nation, and the Saudi despot did not desrve that respect.\n<\/p>\n
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