Any old iron as the Guptas' world shrinks

05 November 2017 - 00:00 By peter bruce

Peter Hain has been fighting for justice in South Africa all his life. More than any single person I can think of, he made the Afrikaner nationalists who brought us apartheid the most miserable. He effectively stopped Springbok rugby and cricket teams from competing abroad.
His activism led him into the British Labour Party, where he was a cabinet minister three times - for Northern Ireland, work and pensions, and for Wales. He was leader of the House of Commons from 2003 to 2005, responsible for arranging government business in the UK parliament.
In 2015 he was elevated to the House of Lords, with a life peerage. From his wild days in the UK anti-apartheid movement he has become a distinguished and respected figure in British public life.
Which is why his involvement in combating state capture in South Africa is so significant. Britain is not merely our old colonial tormentor. London remains the pre-eminent centre of international finance, Brexit notwithstanding. UK banks have unmatched global reach and influence...

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