Reply to: Should we be a major military power?

[John Galt]

Also from his speach - "those who do war fighting" - very eloquent

[expat]

Tony Blair is giving a speech on should Britain continue to be a major military power in the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6254253.stm

Interesting thought, should the UK continue to be involved in global conflicts or should we concentrate on defense of the UK (and that would probably involve defence of the EU as well)?

The question is simpler for Scotland: only ever had one enemy, but that one very violent and expansionist.

[AlfredJPruffock]

well done Alf, where did you find them ?

The Goreing quotation is a well known chestnut and chilling everytime I read it, the Blair(All Praise to our great leader) is from todays MSN - I could have selected a better quote - but I think you get the picture.

The ideal set up by the Party was something very huge, terrible and glittering—a world of steel and concrete of monstrous marching and terrifying weapons—a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts, wearing the same clothes and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting—three hundred million people all with the same face.

The reality was decaying, dingy cities where underfed people shuffled to and fro in leaky shoes, in patched-up nineteenth-century houses that smelt always of cabbage and bad lavatories.

He seemed to see a vision of London, vast and ruinous, city of a million dustbins, and mixed up with it was a picture of Mrs Parsons, a woman with a lined face and wispy hair, fiddling helplessly with a blocked wastepipe.

Orwell 1984

[el duder]

Tony Blair is giving a speech on should Britain continue to be a major military power in the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6254253.stm

Interesting thought, should the UK continue to be involved in global conflicts or should we concentrate on defense of the UK (and that would probably involve defence of the EU as well)?

YES

[n5gooner]

well done Alf, where did you find them ?

[AlfredJPruffock]

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.

That is easy.

All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”


— Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Göring during the Nuremberg Trials. .


They need to be prepared for the long as well as the short campaign, to see our participation alongside allies in such conflict not as an atavistic, misguided attempt to recapture past glories, but as a necessary engagement in order for us to protect our security and advance our interests and values in the modern world"


Tony Blair

[Troll]

Oil?

Gas Pipeline?

Think the Americans got those

[Churchill]

As war is such a hugely expensive business, I would propose that we do not conduct warfare against any country that upon beating, we could not then loot it's natural resources and assets & steal it's child bearing aged women away as slaves.
To go to war on for some spurious principle or when not directly under threat of attack seems absurd

Oil?

Gas Pipeline?

[bobhope]

But that's the burning question isn't it? WHY should we be a major power in the world? Is there not an argument for withdrawing from the main stage if it can be shown that it would be in the UK's interests to do so?

For example, military spending would be reduced as we no longer have to send troops to those areas the US deem it necessary to police. This would mean surplus cash to fund a proper NHS or reduce tax or whatever?

[RW in devils advocate mode]

Sure it could be done, but without the bread and circuses, the population might start questioning other things.

[Troll]

As war is such a hugely expensive business, I would propose that we do not conduct warfare against any country that upon beating, we could not then loot it's natural resources and assets & steal it's child bearing aged women away as slaves.
To go to war on for some spurious principle or when not directly under threat of attack seems absurd

[Churchill]

WE should be a major power - but why do we have to do everything the USA wants?

I say declare war on USA now...

The mouse that roared?

[ratewhore]

But that's the burning question isn't it? WHY should we be a major power in the world? Is there not an argument for withdrawing from the main stage if it can be shown that it would be in the UK's interests to do so?

For example, military spending would be reduced as we no longer have to send troops to those areas the US deem it necessary to police. This would mean surplus cash to fund a proper NHS or reduce tax or whatever?

[RW in devils advocate mode]

[BrilloPad]

WE should be a major power - but why do we have to do everything the USA wants?

I say declare war on USA now...

[Troll]

Does our fighting support our defence companies R&D and manufacturing effort? would RR,BAE,Vickers etc. be so good without a global showcase of regional wars?

We could outsource all the actual fighting m'larky to the Indians - bit like the Gurkas,and keep the Paras,Marines & Commandos for sorting out the UK flashpoints - Bradford, Leeds etc.

It's remarkable that it's a Labour politician that has a record of regularly sending the gunboats in (metaphorically speaking)

MOD bollox:

The settlement for defence allows us to invest in new capabilities to increase our agility, flexibility and deployability. Providing world-class equipment to our Armed Forces requires major investment, so as well as using these increased resources we are also driving a major efficiency programme to maximise every penny spent on defence.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to making 2.5% efficiency gains over the Spending Review period. This equates to £2.8 billion of efficiencies over the three years to 2007/08 which allows us to reinvest in Defence.

[Sockpuppet]

Yep. I heard they were looking for the next oil reserves and giant alien space lizard planet was looking a likley target.