Oh, so it wasn't all about oil after all, then...

http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=5284147&subject=general&ac
tion=article

"LONDON (AFX) - Chancellor Gordon Brown again defended Prime Minister Tony
Blair
over Iraq today after Blair was blamed by the widow of a British soldier
yesterday killed in Iraq for the death of her husband."

It goes on to then say further down:

"Brown, speaking on BBC television, said the government had acted in the
British
national interest.

"We believed we were making the right decisions in the British national
economic
interests," he said."

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, JackH

See, I have a problem with this whole thing.

When the Brave, Brave Tommy signed up for the army, it really should
have crossed his mind that there was a potential for him to get a tad
shot, or mildly blown up.

It would have been nice if he'd explained this to his wife.

Which could have saved the "grieving widow and children" all that posing
for press photos.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

Aye, it was Mr Browns comments with regard to the Governments motives for
the whole fireworks display in the first place, that I was passing comment
on, as it were, not some family finding out that soldiers get paid all that
money to see the world, for a reason.

 

I considered joining the forces myself, a long time ago. The risk of
getting killed I could appreciate. It was the fact that you might get
killed fighting in a war you didn't think you should be fighting that
gave me a problem.

Still, I doubt they'd have had me..

Doesn't help having Quaker parents.

--
John (jsp)

SV 650
Black it is
And Naked

 

JackH wrote

And so it was. All that live action advertising footage the Beeb so
kindly broadcast for free of British made weapons in use has done no
harm at all for certain parts of our manufacturing and export
industries.

 

# Daddy-waddy died in the Falklands...

 

ogden says...

Levellers?

 

Ding.

 

ogden says...

Fucking soap-dodgers

 

Must be handy when you run out of porridge though.

 

I have to admit, the thought crossed my mind as well. "I'd like to
join the army, only not get shot at and not have to be in any danger
whatsoever. I've got a note from my mum."

Along the same lines, what did she think a soldier would be doing as
part of the job? Meeting up with tinkers, tailors and sailors for a
jolly good chinwag every day?

 

Christofire says...

It's an attitude so many forces wives have nowadays, even the longer
standing ones. Their complaint is that the British Forces shouldn't
have been there in Iraq in the first place, and Tony Blair is
ultimately responsible for any deaths amongst our forces. Had the war
been a legally justified war then I'm pretty sure there wouldn't have
been the fuss that's being made.

I'm with the dead guy's family on this one, Blair - imo - has their
blood on his hands.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Lozzo

On what do you base your assertion that the law was not legally
justified? The Attorney General seems to think that it was.

He was a squaddie. Squaddies die in wars, police-actions and
peace-keeping. If they've got a problem with that, then they should
leave the army and stop taking the salary. Families whining about it
after the fact is a bit fucking late.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

Lozzo emerged from their own little world to say

wessie in "agrees with Lozzo" shocker

Steve Bell has Blair in the image you portray as a running theme in his
Grauniad cartoon.

 

Lozzo says...

"ours is not to reason why..."

 

Wicked Uncle Nigel says...

The whole WMD farce and Blair's insistence on kissing Bush's arse on
all matters to do with the Middle East and terrorism.

Our attoney general had many doubts about the whole thing right up
until the last minute, and you can bet your arse he was pushed into
giving the go-ahead on a loophole in the law.

Our forces are a national defence force, hence the change of name from
War Office to MoD in the 60s. They are not an international police
force, except when on UN duties. Iraq was not and is not a UN
operation, it is an act of aggression against another country under
false pretences. Iraq did not constute a threat to anyone with any WMD,
the USA and UK govts lied to make it appear that they did, with the
sole intention of removing a man from power. I'm sure the people of
America would love it if a similar sized force entered their country
and did the same.

I don't have any problem at all with our troops giving their lives in
justified conflicts or wars, but when a man sends our troops to war on
a lie or to back up a redneck idiot like GWB, then I do have a problem
with it.

 

mups says...

I don't agree. And that comes from an ex-serviceman who would quite
happily have gone to war in defence of his country. What Blair sent
those troops to do is not what soldiers, sailors and airmen join for.

 

The attorney general's advice seemed to boil down to "You /might/ get away
with it, if you're very lucky and no-one challenges you." If Blair read it
as "Fine, no problem, go right ahead", then he's too stupid to be PM. If he
understood what was being said, then he should be in jail.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Lozzo

They join to follow the orders of their commanders.

Actually, that's not true. They join because the recruiting posters show
them skiing, swimming, surfing and generally having a wonderful time
whilst getting paid.

The first time someone shoves a gun into their hand *should* constitute
a clue.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

Bear says...

Which is why the forces are losing all their good people and having
major trouble finding decent recruits.

I know 4 young people who've recently applied and been selected for
training. One of them has trouble reading and has no qualifications to
speak of, she's been selected to join the Royal Artillery. Not only
that, but her selection sergeant has suggested she applies for officer
training. He reckons she'll easily get selected. Not to put her down
too much, but she's as thick as pig-shit. The Army are that desperate.

Paras aren't trained to think, mainly because they are physically
incapable of it. Why do you think they join the paras and not some
other regiment?