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Darkness Visible: The Arms Trade

It seems ironic that, on the longest day of the year (with the most light), so much darkness should be made visible. Today, The Guardian comments on how Britain is currently the world's number one exporter of weapons. Eyewear has long expressed its total opposition to the arms trade. Like the fabled Captain Nemo, it believes that weapons, their manufacture, and sale, are a manmade evil - and one that can be controlled.

Unlike Nemo, Eyewear recommends legal means to restrict this industry. Surely, it is tragic that Britain, which prides itself on being a beacon of "civilisation" and "Western values", allows its economy to be so heavily based on a trade which, bluntly, thrives on death. Since Britain is also (still) associated with the tobacco industry, this is a compounded problem. Whenever one reflects on the financial gloom of the current Western economies, it is wise to also reflect on the sort of unethical products created to oil the wheels of industry. On the Solstice, as on the shortest day of the year, humankind must do far more to keep the light of our better selves lit.
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