Green Party in Wales links to AB Connectors and Thales arms manufacturers

Encrypta's Link with AB Connectors and Thales arms manufacturers

Pippa Bartolotti picked out AB Connectors as a significant sub-contractor in her statement above. AB Connectors is an Abercynon company which moved in 1996 into manufacture of military electronic components. They were in the news in October 2012, when their owners TT Electronics announced up to 45 redundancies out of their 193 employees [7]. This states AB Components “manufacture complex electronic connectors and systems for aerospace, defence and rail projects”.

In fact, AB Components are sub-contractors to Thales UK, which is a leading arms company, both in non-nuclear armaments and in nuclear weapons [8]. The Welsh deputy First Minister in 2010 welcomed Thales's new centre in Llangennech near Llanelli, where they were equipping ‘Warthog’tracked military vehicles destined for Afghanistan with over £150m worth of communications systems, specialist counter-measure equipment and extra protective armourhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/8690060.stm.

The Minister stated “The significant contract awarded to AB Connectors is excellent news as it has already created 40 new jobs and opens the door for potentially more business."

Toucan's link with Thales

Pippa Bartolotti admits link to Thales described this in an email to Penny KEMP and Wales Green Party Council 10 July 2012:

“Toucan design man-machine interfaces ... In my time the company made one replacement keyboard for Thales. Toucan was the only company with the expertise to do the job... equipment in a reactor environment”.

This is strange, not only because Thales is a military weapons supplier - UK’s second largest defence electronics supplier - so the equipment could have been for nuclear weapons but not a reactor. It's also strange because Toucan Systems lists Thales as a long-running supplierhttp://www.toucan-systems.co.uk/about.

Encrypta's Link with Atomic Weapons (Research)Establishment, Aldermaston

Encrypta's business is 

supplying security locking devices for civilian uses and military equipment. Encrypta “collaborat(ed) with AWE (Aldermaston)… to address one of the most challenging sealing and tagging problems in the world." [4]

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Questions to P. Bartolotti

In 2012 (20 November) PB was asked at Cardiff UNA meeting if she as former Director & Manager, could disclose more about Encrypta’s sub-contract with AB Electronics/Components? Did their contract continue after Encrypta went bankrupt in 2003? She was also asked about Toucan Systems, because she'd written http://pippabartolotti.com/post/24630957703/about-pippa#comment-578907613

“Toucan design man-machine interfaces - the main business was in catering and hospital equipment. In my time (2001-3) the company made one replacement keyboard for Thales.You might think it would have been better to let a nuclear establishment carry on with faulty equipment, but as Toucan was the only company with the expertise to to the job, we erred on the side of safety.”

PB gave the same “one keyboard” story to the Green Party folowing a request from their Press Office to explain connections with Thales, during the leadership election campaign In July-Sept 2012 (see above). PB was asked too at the 20^th November meeting if Toucan might also be a past or current supplier of military components – she feigned not to know.

A Warthog tank in the Desert, as supplied for
Afghanistan, fitted out by Thales UK in Wales

[1] The conditional Sale and Purchase Agreement dated 13 July 1999 between Mark Osborne Hayward, Philippa Jane Bartolotti-Hayward, Gilbert Hayward, Maisie Hayward and Abric Worldwide Sdn Bhd in respect of the acquisition of 4,000 ordinary shares of £1 each in Encrypta Electronics Ltd (“ Encrypta”) for a cash consideration of £84,000 (equivalent to approximately RM512,400) and thereafter the subscription of 2,000 ordinary shares of £1 each for a cash consideration of £279,141 (equivalent to approximately RM1,700,000) and 859 new irredeemable convertible preference shares for a cash consideration of £859 (equivalent to approximately RM5,200); which aggregate to 6,000 ordinary shares of £1 each representing 50% equity interest in Encrypta

[2] link 

[3] greenparty.org.uk/news/14-07-2011-israeli-detention.html

[4] Atomic weapons establishment consults with Encrypta electronics on arms control technologies
Sep 6, 2002 – By Encrypta Staff Writer

[5] http://beta.soulscode.com/march-25-31-2009-the-great-peace/ : "Pippa has run successful businesses ranging from fashion design to electronics. At 55, she decided to stop working for money. She now dedicates her life to promoting understanding and mutual respect between peoples. She is writing her fourth book, and lives in Wales with her family and a Tibetan monk.”

[6] National Cargo Security Council's Annual Conference & Exhibition (12-16 June 2004, Las Vegas)http://www.sfmx.org/fyi/webdocs/lasvegasconf.pdf. 
PB represented Encrypta with Mark Hayward and Simon Fereira for UNISTO/Encrypta according to the Exhibitors' programme. Speakers included: US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, Colonel Oliver North, General Denis Jackson, who headed up US military logistics in both Afghanistan, and Iraq US Army Colonel James J. Tomoney (Director of Security, Warnaco) on The Psychology of the Islamic Fundamentalist.
[7] (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/cynon-valley/2012/10/18/quarter-of-staff-at-ab-connectors-abercynon-face-the-axe-91466-32043981/)

[8] The March 2012 'Vision of Humanity' report: http://www.visionofhumanity.org/info-center/financing-nuclear-weapons/ gives Thales, Serco etc heading a list of the top 20 nuclear weapons producers.