Originally Posted by
Just This Once...
Who cares and who, in the UK, would want to look at Saudi as a guide of what should be done on any given topic. A murderous regime, dripping in money, oil and blood, gets to have some new shiny toys. It means nothing. Nobody* sane would look at Saudi as a beacon, or a guide or as a trusted friend. What they get up to usually tends towards the horrific so it's probably not worth getting distracted by this kind of thing.
(* Ok, there are a few prepared to work with the Magic Kingdom but they tend to be interested in one of the aforementioned specialities of murder, oil or money.)
Apart from their being our allies, you've skipped round the point as I would expect. The fact is they can, we can't! Look at it another way, do we ever look at potential adversaries, no matter how bad, and say we don't give toss about their "shiney new toys". I look forward to the next disastrously fashionable recruitment campaign on behalf of the RAF.
FB