Do you like LUSH products?

Further to my recent piece about Lush and its questionable position re Israel and Saudi Arabia, I had a look around their website and found this campaigning piece. It's entitled 'Challenging anti-foreigner laws   No-one is illegal' and includes such gems as '...immigration controls are inherently unjust and inhumane and that the abolition of immigration controls is not only possible, it's preferable', '...20 years of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, which must be challenged, especially with the rise of right-wing and fascist groups who are buoyed up when government ministers also spout anti-immigration rhetoric', ...Borders are constructed and moved, and arbitrary controls are imposed over who can and cannot cross them, all over the world.' and 'We don't think you should need a passport to move around the planet we all share, but since we are asked to present a passport at many borders, we thought we'd make one that gave all the information anyone should need, to confirm that you are indeed a human being, not an alien, or a business corporation, nor a figment of some racist's imagination.'. The bit that caught my eye was this though:

'Most people come to Britain to work and become active members of the community. According to the Home Office, each year immigrants in Britain make a net contribution to the public purse of £2.5 billion. Migrant workers from outside the EU generally can't claim benefits if they become unemployed.'

I have no problem with people coming to this country if they contribute to the life and well-being of this country. That statistic is of course b****ks; rather than a net monetary figure, I would like to know how many people are net payers of taxes and how many are net receivers of benefits. My guess is that the relatively small number of American and French bankers, German IT consultants, Italian management consultants etc. are paying a lot of tax, whilst a much larger number of others are receiving benefits. Am I wrong?

I have not shopped at Lush for some years and don't intend to start now. I will however start educating friends and family about Lush's political position.

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!