War on Terror was a mistake

[VikingHumpingWitch]

and you can't kill your way out of it, says David Milliband, demonstrating NuLabour's brilliant ability to realise the truth a mere 7 or so years after most other people.

www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/15/war-on-terror-miliband

Hurrah. I look forward now to a spate of other shattering revelations, such as "ASBOs - might not actually solve all of society's ills" and "90 day detention without trial possibly a bit of an infrigement of liberty".

God I hate this government.

[ricklinc]

Terrorists get a lot of moral support from the number of people in the west who keep slating their own governments for fighting against terrorists. Vietnam taught the whole world that the way to beat America is to kill enough Americans that CNN can show body bags arriving home and let the protestors do the rest. That's bound to prolong any conflict. Then Tony Blair gave in to the IRA. Terrorism can work, brothers. Go for it.

But when nu labour makes an announcement it's either the start of yet another gimmicky failure or a hint that policy is going to give money to somebody who doesn't deserve it.

[mids]

Milliband's a thingy. God I hate this government.

[sweet soul]

This country is caving in on itself.

[jonren]

No invites to dinner from the blessed Tony for Milliband. Blair immediately sprung to Dubya's side when he declared that 'war'. Bet you he wishes otherwise now.

[ricklinc]

Who, Blair? Did real well out of it like he did everything else. I doubt he's got any regrets to go with his medal.

[policecar]

Milliband is a Class A arrsewipe. I bet all the troops out in Iraq and Afghanistan are hugely impressed by this inept twerps latest muse.

[cobblers]

I second that Policecar. They're probably thinking "So why the f*ck did your party send us here to Aghanistan, you c*nt!?"

Funny that he says this even as Barak Obama says Al Qaeda is still a huge threat.

Which begs the question 'What to do about Al-Qa'eda? if not conduct a 'War on Terror' or whatever you wanna call it - Give them all gaudy flats with marble bathrooms off the Edgeware Road?

[flatandy]

I'm torn on this. David Milliband is a clueless twat of the first order. But, on the other hand, in a way he's right about the war on terror.

Only a bit, though.

Because, really, a "war on terror" is mostly a linguistic non-sequitor. I mean, if you can have a war on terror at all, it's pretty much obvious that you would. Because anything you define as terror is something you want to oppose and fight. It's like a war on drugs or on crime or something. It's unopposable, really, unless you actually narrow down your definition of terror and tell us actually what you're doing rather than coming out with some fatuous pointless bollocksy catch-all phrase which can cover a multitude of any sort of sins from a bit of phone tapping to holding people for 5 years without trial in Guantanamo to randomly invading countries which your dad didn't like much.

[Deleted]

A war on being extremely frightened by someone. Mmmmkay... but terror is an abstract. So first of all they should get the slogan right. So how about a War On Those Who Terrorise Us? A bit clumsy, but nearer the truth. So how do you have a war on someone when you don't know who or where the fcuk they are? Ah... Well let's all shout and stamp our feet anyway and bring in a few punitive laws with which we can hurt ourselves. So far so good. In effect we will punch ourselves in the head because we're frightened of something about which we know nothing.

[cobblers]

I think it was 'war' on the tactic OOTLG. Shame the largest voting bloc at the UN, the OIC, is apparently in favour of the tactic, as long as it is carried out by muslims.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

The more I think about it, I'm far more scared of the UK government and its relentless war on justice and liberty than I am of Islamic terror. If only because the one seems much more likely to actually affect me than the other. Can I therefore legitimately conclude that NuLabour are terrorists?

[bertrus2]

The War on Terror(ism) is actually The War increasing Terror(ism). Maybe it was really meant to be TWIT. There's a lot of money in it, to say nothing of medals, promotions, sinecures and a big media faceprint.

[cobblers]

Jan 15, 2009 15:03:49 GMT VikingHumpingWitch said:

The more I think about it, I'm far more scared of the UK government and its relentless war on justice and liberty than I am of Islamic terror. If only because the one seems much more likely to actually affect me than the other. Can I therefore legitimately conclude that NuLabour are terrorists?

While I sympathise with the concern about the erosion of liberty, it won't affect you as you don't live here.

Loss of liberty is the price we have to pay to be able to go for a decent curry.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

I'm there often enough for it to affect me. I might happen to say, "Fücking hell look at that!" as a police passes and get whacked with an £80 fine, for instance.

[cobblers]

No you're not. You don't live here so it doesn't affect you.

[tarrant]

The utter failure of Israel to control Hamas using military means should have been indication enough that military action doesn't work against terrorism.

Lebanon and now Gaza demonstrates this.

The way the UK managed the US sponsored IRA using police action demonstrates that civil matters such as terrorism must be managed through civil means.

[cobblers]

The reason Hamas jumped out of its box and were able to was because of Israel pursuing peaceful means, like the withdrawal from Gaza which was seen as weakness ojn Israel's part and a victory forHamas spurring them on to greater efforts, which were of course violence against civlians, both Israeli and Palestinian.

[cobblers]

Sorry to rain on your parade Tarrant but Lebanon is with the exception of two rockets fired the other day, all quiet.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

Jan 15, 2009 15:23:10 GMT @cobblers said:

No you're not. You don't live here so it doesn't affect you.

Yes I am.