Should we all boycott LUSH products?

LUSH cosmetics, the stores that smell so sweetly are seemingly not that sweet themselves. I have been reading some rather distressing news about  Lush's Middle East views. The JC informs me that whilst 'Skincare company Lush says concerns about the lack of a "mixed" workforce would prevent it opening a store in Israel... it operates stores in Saudi Arabia.' Lush have also been promoting a pro-Palestinian song on its website.'On the Lush website, under "Our Ethical Campaigns" it says: "The catastrophe facing the Palestinian people is one of the defining global justice issues of our time."' Lush defended their decision to not open a store in Israel with these words:

"But we don't feel it's a safe environment to have a store. Would we want a shop where we couldn't have a mix? We have a multicultural attitude to everything we do; we want everyone in the country where we are trading to be on an equal footing as far as basic human rights go. Some of the team would have to come through checkpoints and be treated differently on their way to work – that would be our worry."

Leaving aside the fact that Israeli checkpoints do not distinguish between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs; how could they, it is not that easy to always tell the two apart, I note that Lush has no problem operating two stores in Saudi Arabia. That's the Saudi Arabia where non-Muslims are not allowed to practice their religion, where the bible is banned and where non-Muslims are banned from Mecca under penalty of death. 

So the 'ethical' Lush are happy trading in the theocratic non-democratic state of Saudi Arabia but not in the pluralistic democracy that is Israel - how very right-on!

Most ethical?

The Telegraph report that Sainsbury's are selling what may be described as "the most ethical product ever". It's an extra-virgin olive oil that is "organic" (fair enough, I only buy organic olive oil), "Fairtrade" (reasonable enough, I do buy some Fairtrade chocolates) and "sourced from farmers in Palestine" (hold on why is that so "ethical"?).

Organ donation and the move to "presumed consent"

Take a listen to tonight's Moral Maze on Radio 4's "listen again" feature. Absolutely fascinating and just what the BBC should be producing. Some seriously good arguments against what Gordon Brown's government is proposing. What the penultimate witness had to say really scared me.

Have a listen and think about what actually do we mean by death.


Having listened to the programme, do you think Michael Buerk fancied the first witness? The man was positively gushing.