Abdullah to receive frosty welcome
by Jonathan Isaby from The Telegraph
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is making a state visit to Britain at the end of this month, but he won't receive a warm welcome from every quarter. More than a dozen MPs, led by Labour Left-winger John McDonnell, have proposed a parliamentary motion condemning [King Abdullah's] administration as "a barbaric regime" and they intend making their feelings clear during the visit: the one-time Labour leadership hopeful and his cohorts will be picketing the Saudi embassy in London on Oct 31. "Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive societies on earth, with no political parties, free elections, independent media or trade unions," says McDonnell.