Is Pm Cameron Delusional?
With a USN carrier group in the area, any air assets we can muster will almost certainly leave bystanders with the image of a flea attempting to 'tup' an elephant.
Why can't we stop pretending?
Why can't we stop pretending?
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
4 pages of how we might do this, but not a word of why we might do it. Apparently the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan are already lost, where we learned (again) that politicians spouting off and performing a dick-dance with each other just increases the sales of coffins and flags for the military. The tactical vehicle is the NFZ -but what the fark is the mission? Is it to make Dave look good as he axes 10,000 service men and woman.
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We can apply the plans for the future defence of the UK to the area:
The current thinking for cheap air defence is to fly a member of the Royal Family into the defended area and declare "Purple Airspace". No-one is going to penetrate that!
W
PS. We have already started training the Royals to fly their own aircraft so making it even cheaper.
The current thinking for cheap air defence is to fly a member of the Royal Family into the defended area and declare "Purple Airspace". No-one is going to penetrate that!
W
PS. We have already started training the Royals to fly their own aircraft so making it even cheaper.
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Slight thread drift. A lady called Dawn McCafferty of the RAF Families Federation, commenting on redundancy and manning levels in today's Times says "We cannot be everywhere at once". I think she has missed the point - "We cannot be ANYWHERE at once"
I've no idea if Cameron is delusional. However, I am pretty sure that he's an utter f***wit.
Wasn't it Cameron et al who sat opposite Tony Bliar saying that we shouldn't get involved in Iraq? Seems to me, pot and kettle are the order of the day.
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A NFZ just prolongs the pain and costs alot of money to enforce.
After all, one of the reasons for invading Iraq was simply a desire to end the monetary cost of enforcing a NFZ that achieved very little. Saddam still persecuted plenty of people and stuck 2 fingers up to the west and showed no sign of budging.
12 years of trogging up and down the border etc spent lots of money on an average day with all the surveillance aircraft, CAP, ground support & logistics to maintain all that, to what end? It still took a ground invasion and bombing campaign to shift him.
What chance do the politicians have of swinging an operation like that now? I believe there is complete and utter cynicism in the attitude of the public over anything 'the government' may say about Libya, such that there would be no stomach for military action against Libya.
And, ironically, this really IS the country that HAS historically generated terrorist attacks against the west.
And yes, 'Call me Dave' is a prevaricating muppet.
After all, one of the reasons for invading Iraq was simply a desire to end the monetary cost of enforcing a NFZ that achieved very little. Saddam still persecuted plenty of people and stuck 2 fingers up to the west and showed no sign of budging.
12 years of trogging up and down the border etc spent lots of money on an average day with all the surveillance aircraft, CAP, ground support & logistics to maintain all that, to what end? It still took a ground invasion and bombing campaign to shift him.
What chance do the politicians have of swinging an operation like that now? I believe there is complete and utter cynicism in the attitude of the public over anything 'the government' may say about Libya, such that there would be no stomach for military action against Libya.
And, ironically, this really IS the country that HAS historically generated terrorist attacks against the west.
And yes, 'Call me Dave' is a prevaricating muppet.
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4 pages of how we might do this, but not a word of why we might do it. Apparently the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan are already lost, where we learned (again) that politicians spouting off and performing a dick-dance with each other just increases the sales of coffins and flags for the military. The tactical vehicle is the NFZ -but what the fark is the mission? Is it to make Dave look good as he axes 10,000 service men and woman.
It's the 'we must be seen to be doing something' mantra that infects politicians today. From gun control to dangerous dogs to immigration, if something happens then the politicos feel they must 'do something' about it - usually knee-jerk and without careful thought about long term consequernces or whether you are using a sledge hammer to crack a nut.
Better that, in their view, than be accused by their opponents and the mdeia, of 'doing nothing'.
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nutloose
10 our of 10
thread has gone too serious now...
so,
There are two sorts of politicians in this world..
Those that spout bull all day long and know they are doing it.
Those that spout bull all day long and don't know they are doing it.
The latter are way more dangerous...Blair was (still is) one of these. Worringly, Cameron is showing signs that he might be too.
10 our of 10
thread has gone too serious now...
so,
There are two sorts of politicians in this world..
Those that spout bull all day long and know they are doing it.
Those that spout bull all day long and don't know they are doing it.
The latter are way more dangerous...Blair was (still is) one of these. Worringly, Cameron is showing signs that he might be too.
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It reminds me of the second Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series - the Man in the Shack
You elect a politician to govern, but you can't trust anyone who seeks power actually to have it. So you give power of decision-making to 'the man in the shack'
Its a shame Douglas Adams never saw the way our politics has turned out with PMs playing at governing without a clue what they are doing.
You elect a politician to govern, but you can't trust anyone who seeks power actually to have it. So you give power of decision-making to 'the man in the shack'
Its a shame Douglas Adams never saw the way our politics has turned out with PMs playing at governing without a clue what they are doing.
Who should be in charge? If no-one who wants to should be allowed to?
"Kitty, here kitty. Kittykittykitty kitty wants some fish?......"
Genius.
Has anyone mentioned the oil yet? Seems odd that Mugabi has been upsetting his own for years and 'we' do nothing but as soon as the oil is threatened, our leaders suddenly find 'the military option' the no.1 choice.
"Kitty, here kitty. Kittykittykitty kitty wants some fish?......"
Genius.
Has anyone mentioned the oil yet? Seems odd that Mugabi has been upsetting his own for years and 'we' do nothing but as soon as the oil is threatened, our leaders suddenly find 'the military option' the no.1 choice.
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Those that spout bull all day long and know they are doing it.
Those that spout bull all day long and don't know they are doing it.
Those that spout bull all day long and don't know they are doing it.
"Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible.
This I have done."
T.E. Lawrence
Maybe they've been reading the 7 Pillars?
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Perhaps Gordon Brown should be invited to lead a new, democratic Libya. Quicker than you can say 'depth perception' he'd have sold off the gold, oil and infrastructure to the lowest, least suitable bidder and lashed their economy up the wall. Given 6 months, the Libyan military won't be able to start a fight in a (privatised) bus shelter. Job done.
Grabbers for UN Sec Gen.
Grabbers for UN Sec Gen.