Crosswords16 mins ago
Iran Hostages allowed to sell their stories
Cannot believe what I just heard on the news - the hostages (or their families) are to be allowed to take money for selling their stories to the newspapers.
This is disgusting - it is also very disrespectful to those of our service personnel who have not returned alive.
This is disgusting - it is also very disrespectful to those of our service personnel who have not returned alive.
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Lonnie, as you may remember, that is pretty much what happened before the Falklands war. Britain passed a nationality act that downgraded the citizenship of the islanders, and reduced naval support as part of a run-down in the navy generally. So the Argentines concluded that the Falklands were there for the taking - not just that the British could be beaten but that London would actually not mind handing the islands over. (The UK had also been ignoring Argentine mutterings in the United Nations.)
In the end Thatcher decided she did mind after all; but it was her government that had given the false impression in the first place, and much money was spent and lives lost to retain them when a bit more sensible diplomacy would probably have prevented the war from starting at all.
In the end Thatcher decided she did mind after all; but it was her government that had given the false impression in the first place, and much money was spent and lives lost to retain them when a bit more sensible diplomacy would probably have prevented the war from starting at all.
This is part of the propoganda war - (for oil)
two complete messes over bringing democracy to the Middle East - Palestine and Iraq!!
The stories should not be told ... but will be for propoganda purposes - uncorroborated and no doubt 'tweeked' by the spin doctors / tabloids etc.
no evidence of a single scratch-mark on them ....
why is there no 'respect' for Iran - the Iranian/Persian people and their culture goes back further than our own - they have behaved well while under continuus siege, and are now being villified in the western/UK press.
this 'hostage-taking' was pre-planned and stage-managed - it is a speck in the ocean of the wider issues in the Middle East - Iran has made their point, and in the Middle East gained kudos at the expense of the UK and more generally the outside-interferers.
these hostage kids were just pawns in a much larger game .... but nevertheless their wimpish behaviour is seen as reflective of the UK .
by interfering in Iraq ... the west has helped Iran become much more powerful in the region ....
and ... what will happen the next time that similar hostages are taken ...?
two complete messes over bringing democracy to the Middle East - Palestine and Iraq!!
The stories should not be told ... but will be for propoganda purposes - uncorroborated and no doubt 'tweeked' by the spin doctors / tabloids etc.
no evidence of a single scratch-mark on them ....
why is there no 'respect' for Iran - the Iranian/Persian people and their culture goes back further than our own - they have behaved well while under continuus siege, and are now being villified in the western/UK press.
this 'hostage-taking' was pre-planned and stage-managed - it is a speck in the ocean of the wider issues in the Middle East - Iran has made their point, and in the Middle East gained kudos at the expense of the UK and more generally the outside-interferers.
these hostage kids were just pawns in a much larger game .... but nevertheless their wimpish behaviour is seen as reflective of the UK .
by interfering in Iraq ... the west has helped Iran become much more powerful in the region ....
and ... what will happen the next time that similar hostages are taken ...?
jno. I can't disagree with a word you've written, i've always said that MT allowed it to happen, after being warned of the possibility quite some time previously.
That little bit was more tongue in cheek, than anything else, but what I really meant, was that if the Argentines did invade, I believe, no task force would be sent, this goverment would just settle for years of 'Jaw jaw'.
That little bit was more tongue in cheek, than anything else, but what I really meant, was that if the Argentines did invade, I believe, no task force would be sent, this goverment would just settle for years of 'Jaw jaw'.
Lonnie, I am none too sure that Britain could manage a task force at the moment; it's already stretched so far that sailors in the gulf seem to be receiving little backup. For all their warlike ways, neither Thatcher nor Blair has actually persuaded the UK that it should be on some sort of permanent war footing (thank goodness), so there's not much money available for the military. Of course, if the hostages could be persuaded to donate their media fees to the MoD... I gather the woman has struck a �100,000 deal with the Sun and Trevor McDonald; that would provide quite a few flak jackets.
I was in the army in the early 60's, and at the time, I signed the Official Secrets Act. According to what I was told, this act bound me for life , and I could be called to account at any time in the future, if I gave out any information concerning my activities in the military,
I think that this 'special dispensation' is a cynical method of allowing certain information to be given out to the public.. This must be seen as even more cynical when almost at the same time other service personel (including medical staff) have been killed, and I think we all know that none of their families will receive 6-figure amounts.
Regardless of how we in GB feel about this , we must remember that the world at large has seen the reportage from Iran and then these stories , how do they decide what to believe?
In short this should never have happened.
I think that this 'special dispensation' is a cynical method of allowing certain information to be given out to the public.. This must be seen as even more cynical when almost at the same time other service personel (including medical staff) have been killed, and I think we all know that none of their families will receive 6-figure amounts.
Regardless of how we in GB feel about this , we must remember that the world at large has seen the reportage from Iran and then these stories , how do they decide what to believe?
In short this should never have happened.
I dunno, the stories could be quite enlightening:
How we beat the world record for the surrendering fastest!
My moment of terror when the hotel tap ran cold!
My moment of dread when the chessboard arrived and I only know how to play draughts!
My anger when our cruel captors wouldn't let us watch Eastenders!
Makes you proud to be British.
How we beat the world record for the surrendering fastest!
My moment of terror when the hotel tap ran cold!
My moment of dread when the chessboard arrived and I only know how to play draughts!
My anger when our cruel captors wouldn't let us watch Eastenders!
Makes you proud to be British.
-- answer removed --
The best one I heard today in defence of these disgraceful individuals was the fact that they were forced to wear
ill- fitting suits.
Perhaps now they should try and get even more cash out of this fiasco, is try and sell their stories to the Iranian press.
Whatever happened to the British stff upper lip, and the fact that we are at our strongest when our backs are up against the wall?
ill- fitting suits.
Perhaps now they should try and get even more cash out of this fiasco, is try and sell their stories to the Iranian press.
Whatever happened to the British stff upper lip, and the fact that we are at our strongest when our backs are up against the wall?
-- answer removed --
they've changed their mind on this; no more media sales
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6538921.stm
The voice of ABers is heard at the highest levels...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6538921.stm
The voice of ABers is heard at the highest levels...
I just hope that no-one seriously thinks that these 15 people are in any way heroic-like and I agree with everybody who thinks that they should be too embarrassed to even contemplate taking money for their stories.
All that said(and if one bends over backwards), assuming that they really were operating 1.7 miles inside Iraqi waters they obviously would not have been expecting to be taken prisoner by somebody who was not a stated enemy. Therefore it would be reasonable to assume that most of them would not have undergone any specialist training(such as escape and evasion exercises)in order to prepare for such an event. I say most ,but I find it very hard to believe that this excuse can apply in the case of the RM Captain.
I struggle to understand why the HMS Cornwall Captain did not intervene especially as he had a helicopter available. You can't convince me that the IRG would not have hightailed it faced with a frigate poking up their aft ends.
Humiliating or what.
No excuses for what used to be called LMF.
Yes I am an ex full-time serviceman.
All that said(and if one bends over backwards), assuming that they really were operating 1.7 miles inside Iraqi waters they obviously would not have been expecting to be taken prisoner by somebody who was not a stated enemy. Therefore it would be reasonable to assume that most of them would not have undergone any specialist training(such as escape and evasion exercises)in order to prepare for such an event. I say most ,but I find it very hard to believe that this excuse can apply in the case of the RM Captain.
I struggle to understand why the HMS Cornwall Captain did not intervene especially as he had a helicopter available. You can't convince me that the IRG would not have hightailed it faced with a frigate poking up their aft ends.
Humiliating or what.
No excuses for what used to be called LMF.
Yes I am an ex full-time serviceman.
If I was taking a guess I would say the mother ship was in Iraq waters but the boarding boats may have strayed into disputed waters. An easy thing to do! Or alternatively put yourself in the hands of the skipper of the ship being boarded would he have strayed into Iraq waters where the search parties are taking place?
Love your post mike122, well said.
Kwicky, thats very tru, we are not at war with Iran, but are they at war with us, those 15 sailors, assuming no deal was done, they then, were not hostages, they apparently, weren't prisoners of war, even though they were captured by armed forces, so what would their status have been?.
I still believe that the Iranian action, was an act of war, but maybe i'm alone in that.
Kwicky, thats very tru, we are not at war with Iran, but are they at war with us, those 15 sailors, assuming no deal was done, they then, were not hostages, they apparently, weren't prisoners of war, even though they were captured by armed forces, so what would their status have been?.
I still believe that the Iranian action, was an act of war, but maybe i'm alone in that.
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