The only reason we didn't see open conflict in Iraq under Saddam's rule was because he was that brutal he would, and did, murder millions of his own people to crush any opposition. Saddam made Assam look like a pussy-cat. If we went into Syria we'd first have to remove Assad and his military and then try to police several heavily armed warring factions for 10 years before a semi-stable government could be formed, sound familiar? Meanwhile people like yourself would righteously condemn it as an illegal war. As I've said, the reason we don't intervene in stuff like this anymore is because of people with your opinions, and they have to take a certain amount of responsibility for it. As for the NATO stuff, I think you're getting a bit confused. You said before that we should have declared war on Germany at the earliest possible time. My point is that Russia is essentially doing the same as Germany did, so should we declare war as soon as we can. Problem here is you don't have hindsight to help you out this time.
Sorry monty, I'd like to do this face to face, you're way too fast putting me in a box. I have the options I have, but I feel like you're twisting my words, and only understanding what you want to. Bit like discussing with dai, but he's more open about it. I call it the night on this one. We finish it over a pint or 5 next time I'm in Swansea...
This thread has raised plenty of open and frank opinions. It proves that you should avoid mixing politics with sport. For doing that, the Argentinian football team deserve a massive kick up the arse . They have already stained the World Cup before it even starts.
Ive been intending to, trying to wangle a company visit to Malmo as there have been a few production faults with products we use from there, but alas no joy yet ! lol. Im going to Berlin on Thursday so the nearest im getting to copenhagen is to wave as i fly past! i hope to take mra Norway for a fewdays in the summer so will be certain to meet up with you for a Beer once again !
I agree 100% Also the press were reporting that argy hooligans will be on the look out for english fans in brazil. its not shaping up to be a great show is it !!
agree 100% Dai, what the fk are Aussie troops doing in Iraq, Afghanistan etc etc. They have nothing to do with us bar the fkhead Islamic extremists who get arrested here once in a while for wanting to fly to Syria for a joy fight. We spent Billions on Iraq and Afghanistan just to support Barrack Abama, what a fking joke. I advocate war for us when a country tries to invade Australia, not supporting the "big boys".
I agree that the West has intervened in too many conflicts and they have turned or will turn out disastrously. Iraq - a mess. Libya - a mess. Afghanistan - a mess that'll get worse when the Pakistani-backed Taliban return. Many conflicts like Syria aren't just political, they're cultural and dare I say it based in religion with Sunnis and Shiites at each other's throats. I fail to see why a single British life should be thrown away on those morons despite the humanitarian disaster thats ensued. But abandoning the Falkland Islanders to their fate was never an option and the fact the Islanders are few in number matters not. How big would the population have to be before we did something? 100,000? Half a million? People criticise Thatcher but she had the backbone to do it when other politicians said no - and tried to persuade her to back off too. The vast majority of the British public were behind the intervention as well. Sometimes you have to take a stand and thank god that mentality was prevalent in 1939 (and a few years later when the U.S joined in though their hand was forced) otherwise we'd all be speaking German, you would only see white faces across Europe and the Jews would be all but obliterated.
Totally hypothetical here, but if this had happened - and Germany had won the war, what would be the situation today regarding the ongoing issues in the middle east and radical Muslims ?
They'd all be speaking German or exterminated as Hitlers end game was world domination. Him succeeding might well have solved the Middle East crisis.
Empire days are long gone. Forget about Falklands. Complete waste of money and lives defending it. Is a small island really worth all those deaths? No. Do you think the families of all those dead soldiers think it was worth it?
Falkland Islanders have had British Citizen status since the Falkland Islands Act 1983 and Gibraltarians have had the right to register as British Citizens since 1st January 1983 under section 5 of the 1981 Act.Therefore are entitled to hold British passports as long as they forfill the requirements used for any one anywhere applying for one .
Citizens of Greenland and faroe islands carry their own passports, but and automatically enjoy similar rights as Danish citizens fx education and health care. Falklanders are second rate citizens?
I can see your point but don't get over patriotic about the Malvinas / Falklands. Excluding any political bent that theorist have on why the islands were denuded of defence in the years prior to the Argentinian invasion and the effect it had on the career of Margaret Thatcher, our interest was purely financial. Ownership of the Falklands / Malvinas is needed to protect claims to mining and exploration rights in the southern seas and Antarctica.(Our forces and the Harrier were immense during the conflict.) But it put the UK in debt to USA (which went on to involve us in the conflicts you mention as being none of our business) and Pinochet's Chile (Various reports and investigations claim that between 1,200 and 3,200 people were killed, up to 80,000 people were interned and as many as 30,000 were tortured during the time Pinochet was in government).
One of the reasons that the Falklands (amongst other territories ) were denuded of protection in fact starred with the Labour Government in the mid seventies where there were numerous defence cuts and we've continued in that vein to date .The world in the main is indebted to the USA whether we like it or not , if Hitler & Japan hadn't been so stupid than to attack it's homeland it would have been unlikely that the world map as we see it now would exist ,for good or bad dependant on your point of view .
