AFGHANISTAN - Do We Never Take In The Lessons From History?
Seems the British have a long history in that part of the world beyond just the 1842 war.
http://www.afghan-web.com/history/chron/index4.html
http://www.afghan-web.com/history/chron/index4.html
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Rafloo: You have been brainwashed into thinking we live in a democracy! We live in a Republic, and a poor one at that.
In a democracy all citizens have an equal say in the running of the country. Do you have an equal say in the running of the country as Tony Blair or any of his cabinet? No, of course not - democracy was discarded as being unworkable in a modern, large and complex society. The only way it could be achieved now if is all points of law were debated and voted on not in the commons but on the internet, with all British citizens voting and the majority winning.
In a Republic we elect representatives to make decisions on our behalf - this is the form of government we have now. But it is fatally flawed in this country for 2 reasons:
1. We do not have proportional representation, so despite the majority of British citizens voting for the Conservative party in the last general election, Labour still took power.
2. We have political parties. In an ideal republic the representatives that we elect would all be independant, that way they are free to vote in a manner that represents their constituents rather than being encouraged to vote in a way that benefits their party.
Descartes said of our system that we are only truely free when we are voting in the general election, and then we throw that freedom away by voting for a party.
When I say we should spread some democracy here in the UK, I mean that we need to change our system of government to better represent the desires of the people, and to stop people like Blair running roughshod over us all because he is in the 'ruling party' in the Commons.
Hmmm.... maybe this should be a separate thread!
In a democracy all citizens have an equal say in the running of the country. Do you have an equal say in the running of the country as Tony Blair or any of his cabinet? No, of course not - democracy was discarded as being unworkable in a modern, large and complex society. The only way it could be achieved now if is all points of law were debated and voted on not in the commons but on the internet, with all British citizens voting and the majority winning.
In a Republic we elect representatives to make decisions on our behalf - this is the form of government we have now. But it is fatally flawed in this country for 2 reasons:
1. We do not have proportional representation, so despite the majority of British citizens voting for the Conservative party in the last general election, Labour still took power.
2. We have political parties. In an ideal republic the representatives that we elect would all be independant, that way they are free to vote in a manner that represents their constituents rather than being encouraged to vote in a way that benefits their party.
Descartes said of our system that we are only truely free when we are voting in the general election, and then we throw that freedom away by voting for a party.
When I say we should spread some democracy here in the UK, I mean that we need to change our system of government to better represent the desires of the people, and to stop people like Blair running roughshod over us all because he is in the 'ruling party' in the Commons.
Hmmm.... maybe this should be a separate thread!
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Afghan national resistance?
Wished I could find better news, but this article suggests something is up in Afghanistan.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?...pe=news&id=653
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?...pe=news&id=653
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Mead Pusher,
man after my own heart.
Now the next bit is serious.
A fantasy government. We have the election and we vote for the best man for the job, so Austin Mitchell gets in despite previously being a shade left.
Now who do we want as PM? Then HS, FM, MOD?
Lets leave Soames out of the MOD. We don't have any C17 on the Royal Sqn.
Also without parties we have Goverment and the Opposition. As the Opposition is not a party they will not have a Leader of the Opposition etc - save a fortune.
man after my own heart.
Now the next bit is serious.
A fantasy government. We have the election and we vote for the best man for the job, so Austin Mitchell gets in despite previously being a shade left.
Now who do we want as PM? Then HS, FM, MOD?
Lets leave Soames out of the MOD. We don't have any C17 on the Royal Sqn.
Also without parties we have Goverment and the Opposition. As the Opposition is not a party they will not have a Leader of the Opposition etc - save a fortune.
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Written Again In British Blood
Interesting article in today's Times with a historical context.
There should be no surprise at Taleban resistance in Afghanistan. History is simply repeating itself
ON JANUARY 13, 1842, a lookout on the walls of Jalalabad fort spotted a lone horseman, weaving towards the British outpost, on a dying horse. Part of the rider’s skull had been removed by an Afghan sword; his life had been saved only by the copy of Blackwood’s Magazine stuffed into his hat to stave off the intense cold, which had blunted the blow. This was Dr William Brydon, the sole survivor of a 16,000-strong force that had left Kabul a week earlier, only to be massacred in the mountain passes by rebellious Afghan tribesmen.
FULL ARTICLE ON THIS LINK
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...259708,00.html
There should be no surprise at Taleban resistance in Afghanistan. History is simply repeating itself
ON JANUARY 13, 1842, a lookout on the walls of Jalalabad fort spotted a lone horseman, weaving towards the British outpost, on a dying horse. Part of the rider’s skull had been removed by an Afghan sword; his life had been saved only by the copy of Blackwood’s Magazine stuffed into his hat to stave off the intense cold, which had blunted the blow. This was Dr William Brydon, the sole survivor of a 16,000-strong force that had left Kabul a week earlier, only to be massacred in the mountain passes by rebellious Afghan tribesmen.
FULL ARTICLE ON THIS LINK
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...259708,00.html
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Mead Pusher, I´d suggest that we live in a represntative democracy, and a constitutional monarchy, none of which are mutually exclusive. The term democracy covers a broad church (sic) and your variant has it´s own problems.
Do a search on "the tyranny of the majority" to see what I mean and the checks and balances required.
Do a search on "the tyranny of the majority" to see what I mean and the checks and balances required.
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ORAC
Shades of my favourite T shirt (bought in the USofA, of all places), it reads
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups".
I do have to be careful when and where I wear it!
O96
Shades of my favourite T shirt (bought in the USofA, of all places), it reads
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups".
I do have to be careful when and where I wear it!
O96
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1) Mead Pusher we do indeed elect REPRESENTATIVES to Parliament who immediately and miraculously decide they are then DELEGATES and have no real need to REPRESENT the people who voted for them. That in my mind is not very democratic.
2) IF (as we are told) part of the reason for being in Afghanistan is to stop the heroin trade why dont we just destroy the bloody poppy crops? What am I missing?
3) How much are the hand of our troops tied with idiotic rules of engagement? Can they not be given a free hand? (leave political correctness aside please)
2) IF (as we are told) part of the reason for being in Afghanistan is to stop the heroin trade why dont we just destroy the bloody poppy crops? What am I missing?
3) How much are the hand of our troops tied with idiotic rules of engagement? Can they not be given a free hand? (leave political correctness aside please)
Couldn't we just buy up all their sodding poppies, then burn them?
Or, even better, contaminate them with poison and let all the druggies kill themselves.
Probably cheaper in the long run...
Or, even better, contaminate them with poison and let all the druggies kill themselves.
Probably cheaper in the long run...
Rebel PPRuNer
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Beags - exactly. Buy them out. It would probably end up cheaper than "eradication". Sell the product to the pharmas as a morphine substitute. The problem is that the guys attacking HM's Forces (UK and Canadian) are probably not the farmers but the exporters who would still be left out of that arrangement.
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Then bring them into the arrangement. Identify the chain from grower to processer to distributer and pay them slightly more than the existing rates. Then supply the pharma houses with the raw material to make painkilling drugs that can be sold cheaply, especially to third world countries where there is a shortage [because they can't afford the existing brands].
If you acknowledge the hierarchy and work with them, rather than try to wipe them out, we might see less conflict and more cooperation [and therefore less casualties].
But then again, I'm guilty of thinking logically. Again.
If you acknowledge the hierarchy and work with them, rather than try to wipe them out, we might see less conflict and more cooperation [and therefore less casualties].
But then again, I'm guilty of thinking logically. Again.
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This is the most sensible thing I have read for a while. It is a link to a feasibility study to license opiate production in Afghanistan
http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules...es/feasibility
http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules...es/feasibility
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The Afghanistan operation is war-fighting that was sold to the House of Commons and the UK population as peacekeeping and reconstruction.
Lies, incompetence, confusion and contradictions. Des Browne = General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett.
- John Reid's deceitful quote about hoping troops could leave with "no shots being fired."
- No clear statement of the mission - Melchett's latest statement about "facing down the Taliban" beggars belief. Poppy eradication perhaps, or perhaps not. Reconstruction perhaps, or perhaps not. Cluster-fcuk with mission creep - certainly.
- Lies about the Taliban strength - "fragmented remnants" and "not more than a thousand" spring to mind.
- Lies about troops in theatre - HMG were pretending that there were 3,000 troops in theatre, when in fact the teeth element comprised of four rifle companies or 600 troops, for an area the size of Wales.
- Who are British troops working for? NATO? The UN? The Kabul regime? The US? Not the UK taxpayer, that is for sure.
- Melchett could not even be bothered to speak in the House in person on Monday 3rd June on the Afghan situation, claiming constituency work, even though no change to his surgery dates was publicised on his website.
- Nowhere near enough air support, whether rotary transport or fixed wing.
No more troops should be committed without a debate and a vote in the House of Commons, and troops should be confined to self-protection operations until the mission and resources are identified. This operation must be accountable to Parliament and Melchett's statement that those questioning the operation are "almost criminally negligent" are the lowest and most self-serving attempt to suppress legitimate debate for reasons of political self-interest. Next he'll be smearing the dead by saying "we owe it to them" or such tripe...the man deserves beating to a pulp.
Lies, incompetence, confusion and contradictions. Des Browne = General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett.
- John Reid's deceitful quote about hoping troops could leave with "no shots being fired."
- No clear statement of the mission - Melchett's latest statement about "facing down the Taliban" beggars belief. Poppy eradication perhaps, or perhaps not. Reconstruction perhaps, or perhaps not. Cluster-fcuk with mission creep - certainly.
- Lies about the Taliban strength - "fragmented remnants" and "not more than a thousand" spring to mind.
- Lies about troops in theatre - HMG were pretending that there were 3,000 troops in theatre, when in fact the teeth element comprised of four rifle companies or 600 troops, for an area the size of Wales.
- Who are British troops working for? NATO? The UN? The Kabul regime? The US? Not the UK taxpayer, that is for sure.
- Melchett could not even be bothered to speak in the House in person on Monday 3rd June on the Afghan situation, claiming constituency work, even though no change to his surgery dates was publicised on his website.
- Nowhere near enough air support, whether rotary transport or fixed wing.
No more troops should be committed without a debate and a vote in the House of Commons, and troops should be confined to self-protection operations until the mission and resources are identified. This operation must be accountable to Parliament and Melchett's statement that those questioning the operation are "almost criminally negligent" are the lowest and most self-serving attempt to suppress legitimate debate for reasons of political self-interest. Next he'll be smearing the dead by saying "we owe it to them" or such tripe...the man deserves beating to a pulp.
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