JOE BESWICK of the London Renters Union talks to the Morning Star’s new Left on Record programme
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The UN must be more than the ‘big five’
I was honoured to play my part as a politician in the international cause of peace at the United Nations this year — but the body is fundamentally undermined by the main nuclear powers and their veto, writes BILL KIDD MSP
UN flag
THERE is an importance for people to see and understand that the UN is more than a talking shop for the “big boys” as certain nations consider themselves simply because they hold nuclear weapons arsenals.
The US, Russia, China, Britain and France, the permanent five member nations of the UN security council (P5), have the power to veto any decision from the majority of the security council. This has to be wrong-headed, looking at the actions of these countries over the years, and shown in capital letters by Russia’s actions in invading Ukraine.
This unearned power of veto is obviously an affront to democracy, but more so it’s a slap in the face to all of those nations who have suffered years of economic dominance exercised by the P5 and also to those affected by military actions inflicted on their territory and people, with the implicit threat of potential nuclear attack if they defend themselves too vigorously.
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