tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post221094761192215587..comments2024-03-29T09:13:55.008+00:00Comments on UK Commentators: A Few Bits of Wrapping Paper From The Curate's Bedroom FloorLabanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12031578024191117985noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-22492006042324397912009-01-05T16:03:00.000+00:002009-01-05T16:03:00.000+00:00LabanRe Afghanistan in the 70s, I think you'll fin...Laban<BR/>Re Afghanistan in the 70s, I think you'll find the great Theodore Dalrymple also went there in the 70s, and recalls the excursion fondly. <BR/><BR/>Wildgoose- technically it's correct to say the Taliban were financed by Pakistan.The CIA however used the ISI to channel funds to Gulbuddin Hekmetyar, their favoured Pushtun mujahideen leader. As an ISI operative famously observed at the time, the Pakistanis were the condom with which the US penetrated and agitated Afghan regime of the time .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-26648465232144078312009-01-05T09:52:00.000+00:002009-01-05T09:52:00.000+00:00Q. Who funded the Taliban?A. Pakistan.The link giv...Q. Who funded the Taliban?<BR/>A. Pakistan.<BR/><BR/>The link given by horse is talking about the <I>mujahideen</I>, a completely separate set of people who became the "Northern Alliance" against the Taliban and backed by the US (again).Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948105455433369982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-82846347297612649052009-01-04T22:35:00.000+00:002009-01-04T22:35:00.000+00:00It's true Afghanistan was quite bearable for many ...It's true Afghanistan was quite bearable for many a long year. It used to be an exotic stop on the hippie trail to India (a student Jon Snow spent time there circa 1970).<BR/><BR/>But in those days neither Russia nor the West had flooded the place with modern weaponry, Islamism was dormant and "Afghan black" hashish didn't bring in the sort of revenue that heroin does now. It's easier to make a mess than to clean it up.Labanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12031578024191117985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-50403529929190881912009-01-04T17:10:00.000+00:002009-01-04T17:10:00.000+00:00I didnt realise that anyone had ever denied that t...I didnt realise that anyone had ever denied that the US backed the Taliban - and other anti-communist groups there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-45782127098461270582009-01-04T16:04:00.000+00:002009-01-04T16:04:00.000+00:00Who funded the Taliban?America. It is no longer de...Who funded the Taliban?<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cyclone" REL="nofollow">America.</A> It is no longer denied by anybody.<BR/><BR/>America uses Islam as a tool of foreign policy, both as provocateur and attack dog. The EU wants to use Islam, through mass immigration, to destroy the Christian nations of Europe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-92221859210412691352009-01-04T03:09:00.000+00:002009-01-04T03:09:00.000+00:00I think you will find democracy finished in Afghan...I think you will find democracy finished in Afghanistan before 1979.<BR/><BR/>There had been a communist govt there for a while in the '70s. The invasion of '79 was more a case of the soviets backing a faction and taking direct control of the war.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-15464509776291835162009-01-04T00:49:00.000+00:002009-01-04T00:49:00.000+00:00I thought that the Taleban were as good a governme...<I>I thought that the Taleban were as good a government as Afghanistan could reasonably expect...Unfortunately they chose to support Bin Laden.</I><BR/><BR/>You make it sound like a non sequitur. It isn't.<BR/><BR/>And, just for reference, between the time of Churchill's derring-do and 1979's unfortunate events, Afghanistan had quite a reasonable system of government. It may have been prone to the odd coup and assassination but it had all the cool stuff like free elections, civil rights and universal suffrage. Kabul was one of the most open and cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East. So while the result of our intervention may not be ideal, Afghanistan has and can be again a sight better than the death-spewing basket case it became under the Taleban.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-80321431591730747012009-01-03T20:48:00.000+00:002009-01-03T20:48:00.000+00:00"So, good luck in your quest for a quiet life."The..."So, good luck in your quest for a quiet life."<BR/><BR/>There we go again. Reducing my views to mere psychological <I>phenomena</I>.<BR/><BR/>"Yes, I know. But you are being either stupid or disingenuous to say that we are in Afghanistan so that girls can go to school."<BR/><BR/><I>Au Contraire!</I> That's one of the paramount reasons we are there. Freedom and democracy. Interestingly the Soviet regime placed a high value on the education of women. Which means the contemporary West (i.e. gnostic west) is the most ideologically driven power since the Soviet Union.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://media2.terrorismawareness.org/files/WANTKAJ.pdf" REL="nofollow">Go here</A> to find out about the fundamentally Islamic nature of Jihad. <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=12348048107498892" REL="nofollow">Watch this</A> to find out a little something the war in Yugoslavia. It's as good a place as any to start.<BR/><BR/>This war for global democracy will fail for exactly the same reason WW1 did. Because the best the people who fight for it can ope for is coming home unharmed. That's it. Other than that there is nothing in it for them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-3729078021339410142009-01-03T18:22:00.000+00:002009-01-03T18:22:00.000+00:00Anon - re little Nooria, if you read the whole pos...Anon - re little Nooria, if you read the whole post (and the linked posts) you'll see that I have no faith at all that Afghanistan can be turned into a secular democracy, or even a religious one. We can be there to trash training camps, show the Taleban what happens if they give hospitality to al Quaeda. What we can't do is create a democracy. <BR/><BR/>Democracy is being hollowed out at home, political engagement is weaker and weaker, electoral fraud at levels not seen (outside Ulster) for 150 years. Seems a strange time to try and export 'our values' to a country which we couldn't export them to when we were the most powerful nation on earth.<BR/><BR/>To quote "I thought that the Taleban were as good a government as Afghanistan could reasonably expect, modern Puritans. Relatively incorrupt, they brought an end to the capricious violence of the warlords who ruled in the post-Soviet vacuum. They also reduced the amount of heroin being produced. Sure, their views on women and homosexuals wouldn’t go down well in Islington, but by their lights they were a pretty good bunch.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately they chose to support Bin Laden and so had to be overthrown – not because of their reactionary views but because after September 11 it was impossible for America to leave Al Quaeda’s bases untouched. The world – including any other leaders who might have been thinking about supporting, or turning a blind eye to, anti-US terrorists, had to be made aware of what the price would be."Labanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12031578024191117985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-90484111595956433132009-01-03T17:28:00.000+00:002009-01-03T17:28:00.000+00:00Our 'do nothing policy'. Hmmm.Yet somehow we allow...Our 'do nothing policy'. Hmmm.<BR/><BR/>Yet somehow we allowed jihadis from all over the place to infiltrate into Bosnia and there perform all sorts of ghastly atrocities.<BR/><BR/>Always piously claiming that all groups were equally to blame while consistently making sure the Serbians were portrayed as the bad guys.<BR/><BR/>The 'do nothing' policy is just the latest whine from a consistent whining victim group reinforced by their western liberal enablers.<BR/><BR/>Of course our policy re Bosnia was wrong. We should have decided what we wanted. A)Keep Yugoslavia as a multicultural entity and work for that. Or B) To admit that it was doomed and steer the breakup along ethnic lines with as little unpleasantness as possible.<BR/><BR/>Instead we (the west generally) wouldnt do A or B.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-4720595601029970662009-01-03T12:21:00.000+00:002009-01-03T12:21:00.000+00:00Anon - the reference to little Nooria refers to Da...<I>Anon - the reference to little Nooria refers to David Aaronovitch's Times piece of a year or so back, in which he argues that we should be in Helmand precisely so that Afghan girls can go to school.</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, I know. But you are being either stupid or disingenuous to say that we are in Afghanistan so that girls can go to school.<BR/><BR/>If you maintain your belief that it has nothing to do with us and we should have nothing to do with it, I sugest further research on the origins of 9/11 (no, it wasn't Hamburg). Interestingly, if you ask British Muslims which event first radicalised them and brought the jihadis to Europe, they will tell you it was our do-nothing policy in Bosnia. So, good luck in your quest for a quiet life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-15029616720513611222009-01-03T01:21:00.000+00:002009-01-03T01:21:00.000+00:00We didnt fight WW2 so that little Nooria could go ...We didnt fight WW2 so that little Nooria could go to school. I doubt that a single living person in Britain or any white commonwealth country would have thought such a thing for a second.<BR/><BR/>Little Nooria can go to school in whatever muslim country she lives in, and if the powers that be there wont allow it I cant see that we can do anything about it. Certainly not importing little Noorias here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-44776696103173549582009-01-03T01:16:00.000+00:002009-01-03T01:16:00.000+00:00One of the strange contradictions of NuLabs regime...<I>One of the strange contradictions of NuLabs regime is the willingness to upset Muslims overseas while bending over backwards to avoid upsetting them in the UK</I><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.isteve.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">Steve Sailer</A> often points out that this is US policy as well.<BR/><BR/>"Invade the world, invite the world, in hock to the world."<BR/><BR/>Re probation service. I dont think all probation people are as in thrall to the progressives. Ive spoken to a few and while many have an instinctive liberal bias this is tested more and more the longer they stay in the job. Certain racial realities begin to become apparent for instance, they know it but they can't say it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-14412053991960238262009-01-02T22:02:00.000+00:002009-01-02T22:02:00.000+00:00"Anon - the reference to little Nooria refers to D...<I>"Anon - the reference to little Nooria refers to David Aaronovitch's Times piece of a year or so back, in which he argues that we should be in Helmand precisely so that Afghan girls can go to school."</I><BR/><BR/>He's lost in his own little imaginary world. He doesn't have to fight does he? This is how it's been since the French Revolution - <A HREF="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jEOkxRLzBf0" REL="nofollow">Imagine</A> a NEW WORLD of abstract propositions and 'ism's (liberty, equality, fraternity, freedom, democracy), and then try to make it real. This totally unrealistic revolutionism has already been defeated three times, at Waterloo in 1815, in Berlin 1945, and again in Berlin in 1989.<BR/><BR/>"get yourself some prozac and/or therapy. Either way, grow up."<BR/><BR/>In the language of postmodernism, the use of psychiatry to reduce and obscure an intolerable point marks the entry of the real into the design - in other words you can't take it.<BR/><BR/>Here's something genuinely interesting - <A HREF="http://www.rotten.com/library/religion/cult_of_the_supreme_being/" REL="nofollow">The Cult of the Supreme Being</A> or as I would call it: Why Modern Politics Is So Fucked Up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-47028222463564263882009-01-02T19:52:00.000+00:002009-01-02T19:52:00.000+00:00Anon - the reference to little Nooria refers to Da...Anon - the reference to little Nooria refers to David Aaronovitch's Times piece of a year or so back, in which he argues that we should be in Helmand precisely so that Afghan girls can go to school. <BR/><BR/>I disagreed in my post "Arithmetic on the Frontier" and gave my reasons.Labanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12031578024191117985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-45115982472830276852009-01-02T19:04:00.000+00:002009-01-02T19:04:00.000+00:00Horse says: This civilization is sick and evil...I...Horse says: <I>This civilization is sick and evil...I want it to die. And... I'm not the only one.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, I don't; and if that is your view, you need psychiatric help! Granted that there is much that is "sick and evil" in our society, there is much (more?) that is "sick and evil" in other contemporary societies and all past societies.<BR/><BR/>The crucial point about western civilisation is that it is a self-critical society, which can (and, probably, will) reform itself.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, join in the constructive societal self-criticism, or get yourself some prozac and/or therapy. Either way, grow up.paul ilchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02971581388762736463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-1232494960182847282009-01-02T18:07:00.000+00:002009-01-02T18:07:00.000+00:00The government has been accused of trampling on in...<I>The government has been accused of trampling on individual liberties by proposing wide-ranging new powers for bailiffs to break into homes and to use “reasonable force” against householders who try to protect their valuables.</I><BR/><BR/>I expect the authorities will be more generous with regard to bailiffs using force against householders than they would be concerning householders using force against burglars.<BR/><BR/>Bastards.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-6491821048804496252009-01-02T17:56:00.000+00:002009-01-02T17:56:00.000+00:00" Our boys will go from being blown up in under-ar...<I>" Our boys will go from being blown up in under-armoured vehicles, short of body armour and helicopters, in Iraq, to being blown up in under-armoured vehicles, short of body armour and helicopters, in Afghanistan - all so that little Nooria can go to school."</I><BR/><BR/>That's the heart of the matter really. One of the things that crippled the British in Basra was the lack of a clear objective and justification for the war. Whatever happens in Iraq or Afghanistan is likely to be inconsequential to us in Britain, so why are we fighting for democracy in Iraq when the Muslims have made their feelings for us back home very clear?<BR/><BR/>But for people like Anonymouse these questions are best not answered. They appeal to visceral emotions (Weapons of Mass Destruction, "little Annie") to cajole us into war.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile 10,000 Polish men and women ("cellular masses") have been destroyed in our abortion clinics.<BR/><BR/>This civilization is sick and evil--this "last best hope on Earth" according to Prophet Obama--I want it to die. And judging from the green movement, these modern day luddites, I'm not the only one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-4403987339777786952009-01-02T16:37:00.000+00:002009-01-02T16:37:00.000+00:00This is sad. Your remarks re "all so that little N...This is sad. Your remarks re "all so that little Nooria can go to school" are deeply unworthy of you. As well say that we fought WW2 "all so that little Anne didn't have to live in an attic." Perhaps you're safe in your Gloucestershire fastness from the thing that prevented little Nooria from going to school. Perhaps you're not as smart as you make out.<BR/><BR/>No H/T required for the first item. You're welcome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-61645006773261339122009-01-02T16:15:00.000+00:002009-01-02T16:15:00.000+00:00As an aside, your comments on Odone/Portillo on Ci...<I>As an aside, your comments on Odone/Portillo on CiF echo my thoughts (my analysis of Odone's article was a couple of lines below yours).</I><BR/><BR/>Eh?<BR/><BR/>The Portillo piece was in the Times. Where is the CIF article?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-44980509717959494732009-01-02T16:08:00.000+00:002009-01-02T16:08:00.000+00:00While our electronics and space manufacturing sect...<I>While our electronics and space manufacturing sectors may not be too hot (when did anyone last buy an item of consumer electronics made in the UK ?</I><BR/><BR/>Well I grant your general point but we were in the recent past famous for high end Hi-Fi. Some remain like <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linn_Products" REL="nofollow">Linn</A> and <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rega_Research" REL="nofollow">Rega</A>. Obviously we lost the mass market stuff years ago but it is only recently that we lost Wharfedale, Quad, Mission, Audiolab and Castle Acoustics. All well regarded audiophile brands.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-34733373542508650592009-01-02T15:57:00.000+00:002009-01-02T15:57:00.000+00:00Sounds about right for Odone. Same with John Taylo...Sounds about right for Odone. Same with John Taylor for the Tories. A self-styled Tory, he's only ever rolled out in the media to answer the question 'exactly how racist are the Tories ?'. To be fair to him, he may have other views on other things, and perhaps the media don't want to ask him about them.Labanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12031578024191117985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5187043.post-70944366470347668512009-01-02T14:19:00.000+00:002009-01-02T14:19:00.000+00:00We may enjoy patronising Americans but they demons...<I>We may enjoy patronising Americans but they demonstrate a fibre that we now lack.</I><BR/><BR/>But for how long will America demonstrate that fibre? America's civilisational confidence is a product of a Protestant work-ethic and moral certainty (and I say that as a Tim). <BR/><BR/>As the warm Catholic waters of the population Gulf stream coming up from Mexico mingle with with the cool Protestant waters, will America become a bit more tepid?<BR/><BR/>As an aside, your comments on Odone/Portillo on CiF echo my thoughts (my analysis of Odone's article was a couple of lines below yours). I would add Clifford Longley to that list. They seem to exist so that the Guardian and BBC can roll them out to undermine the positions they purport to represent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com