U.K. Councils Invest Half Billion of Pension Money into Weapons and Arms Companies

in #politics6 years ago (edited)

War is money, and the local authorities in the U.K. know it. More than half a billion pounds of pension money is being invested into arms manufacturing companies. These companies have direct links to sales with Saudi Arabia in their war-mongering effort in Yemen.


wikimedia, flickr

Some of the companies being invested in are BAE Systems, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. The 43 pension funds are holding shares in these and other companies. But in these 5 companies alone, there is over 566 million pounds invested. In 2018, this investment earned them more than 18.5 million pounds in dividends.

These authorities care more about money than lives. Who cares how your money is being used, as long as you make some profit and your investment grows, right? Thousands of civilian deaths and the worst famine in the world, but whatever.

Council workers will have their retirements paid out in blood money as they grow old, while the lives of many are robbed short. Some might be upset to find out where their retirement money is coming from, but how many is that really? Maybe some will find out, but for most who do, after a quick little shrug of distaste, the money will soothe them right back into complacency.

Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has something to say about this whole blood-money issue:

"British council workers’ retirement income is being funded by companies that have been allowed by the British and American governments to make much of their profits by satisfying the appetite of Saudi to kill, maim and starve millions of civilians in Yemen."

He makes a good point that the funds for retirement "should be invested in the public good, not in companies that profit from war and conflict". If only others had the same level of moral conviction But the love and desire for money makes many people blind to immorality.

Arms companies make money by profiting from conflict and war, but should government pensions? Well, the government profits off of it too, so honestly, why should pension be any different and give the authorities any moment to feel guilty.

Lockheed Martin helps to build the GBU-12 Paveway II missile. This missile was used by the Saudi-coalition against Yemen, killing 40 children on a school bus. Raytheon makes Paveway missiles whose shards have been found in several sites where civilians died. Airbus makes Eurofighter Typhoons and BAE Systems makes Tornado fighter-bombers. All of these are used to killed civilians.

These deaths are just "collateral damage" for those who just seek profit. Tameside council referred to it's "investment policy" which says "applying ethical, environmental or any other non-commercial policy either to investments generally or to selecting fund managers would be inconsistent with our legal duties and responsibilities".

So there you have. Councils are beholden to legal monetary duties and responsibilities, not ethical ones when they find and pick places to invest money. Moral concern is absent, as the only concern they have is generating money for the pension funds. How pathetic. THis is what "leadership" looks like in our corrupted world.


Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.


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Yemen, that's one of those countries that Gen. Wesley Clark said we'd be invading for reasons unknown to him. My guess is that they're in the non-integrating gap that Thomas P.M. Barnett outlined in his talk many years back. I don't know if you've seen the talk or not but I would highly encourage it. It's one of the most disturbing and eyeopening things that i've seen with respect to U.S. foreign policy. I also bet it would make for a treasure trove of writing inspiration, if it's something that inspires you.

We're invading it, but we don't know why. Hint.. we just want to go to war :P All for the pentagon's new map and globalization, like you say Barnett talked about. I watched it back then as well. Blueprint for globalization in many ways.

Soon enough the collapse of the economy will be inevitable and we will all transact crypto through private networks, or bluetooth and wifi hotspot connections for local economies..

If only we were so enlightened, yes

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We can hope, but maybe not soon enough. Could take 10-20 years... :/

Capitalism is the best.

I love socialism :P

True, if I was not forced by government with threats of violence and/or violence, to put my hard earned money in weapons and war via a government mandatory pension fund, the war machine would not get a single cent from me!

Sigh. I have a small Local Government Pension from my time working in Education, I suspect the companies they are invested in are very similar.

I have tried to pull it early, into a SIPP, but no such luck. Not much else I can do :(

I don't think many will have pensions in the future :/

That was my thinking for trying to move it to a SIPP! :(

We are often handcuffed by pensions or 401k options...having to fund companies involved in our own demise.

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Investing in death, pollution, and the consumption tribute to oligarchs...modern capitalism. Great post , Resteemed

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Why retire when you can die? /s

Those lucky bastards being killed over there, while we have pensions... our lives suck!

Seriously! They don't even have to worry about money anymore. /s

Wow, this in a time where EU's pension funds are divesting out these or atleast have a SRI version available they do this.. Mind boggling.

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