Jack Straw's speech to the UN
Discussion
Just watched Jack Straw's speech to the security council on BBC World in full. Absolutley outstanding. I think this will go down as an all time great. Can't say I'm a great fan of any NL politician but boy is that guy a great orator.
BTW looks like they're talking about 17th March for kicking things off now.
BTW looks like they're talking about 17th March for kicking things off now.
I watched that as well - class to see him singling France and "dominic" out. I am also not his biggest fan, but when push came to shove he delivered an impassioned and well reasoned speech of great proportions. Colin Powell, seemed somewhat tired (probably is).
Won't vote for your party Jack, but great job today nonetheless.
Phil
Won't vote for your party Jack, but great job today nonetheless.
Phil
philmoses said: Whether one agrees with the war or not, whoever released that information should be imprisoned as a traitor.
If one soldier were to be killed because of the release of information like that, due to lack of surpise (impossible to prove but it is possble it could be so) then they should be punished.
I read somewhere that it came from sources within westminster.
Sodding politicians.....all talk....don't care sod all for the people doing the fighting.
Bit like the reports of the conditions for the soldiers out there....outdated hardware etc....choice of one meal a day for the brits. For the yanks...choice of 4 or 5 meals...latest equipment....burger/ice cream/pitza franchises out there for them.
Never mind that some of them will certanily die if there is a war.
>> Edited by philmoses on Friday 7th March 19:00
Phil
Actually I think the idea was to include the deadline in the second resolution to placate the Frogs, Krouts and Ruskies who want to give him more time. i.e. you've got got until the 17th: 10 Days. So it's not like they were leaking a secret date for a surpirse attack.
Without wanting to be too sceptical, I'd be shocked if it wasn't a good speech.
He, and his numerous assistants across the world, have had long enough to prepare it. And orating is his job, at least a major part of it. And I suspect he didn't have to give way for points of order, or other such disruptive tactics.
I heard Colin Powell's speech yesterday evening on the radio, and that too was very good.
But, you've opnly got to listen to the Rumsfeld interview with Dimbleby, or have watched parts of the Bremner, B & F show last Sunday, to see that there is another side to the argument which can be equally persuasive.
I'm not saying I'm anti-war, or anything like that, but I've ceased to be impressed with speeches that don't present both sides of the argument. These speeches are designed to convice and persuade, not to educate.
He, and his numerous assistants across the world, have had long enough to prepare it. And orating is his job, at least a major part of it. And I suspect he didn't have to give way for points of order, or other such disruptive tactics.
I heard Colin Powell's speech yesterday evening on the radio, and that too was very good.
But, you've opnly got to listen to the Rumsfeld interview with Dimbleby, or have watched parts of the Bremner, B & F show last Sunday, to see that there is another side to the argument which can be equally persuasive.
I'm not saying I'm anti-war, or anything like that, but I've ceased to be impressed with speeches that don't present both sides of the argument. These speeches are designed to convice and persuade, not to educate.
Probably better than the drivel I watched Bush spout on a live b'cast at 0200 today. He kept repeating the same old mantra; trying to link Al-Q with Hussein etc.
Bollocks. He's going to kick this off regardless of what anyone else says or does. I'd put money on it.
Now I'm off to the Middle East on Monday: last I heard was that the UN is to hold an absolutely-last-and-final-no-more-chances vote on Wednesday, with the tanks going in probably at dawn on Thursday. Apparently the world's airlines are talking about grounding all flights for the duration (don't know whether there's any truth in this?) but if they do, I'll be stuck out there.
What joy.
Ian
Bollocks. He's going to kick this off regardless of what anyone else says or does. I'd put money on it.
Now I'm off to the Middle East on Monday: last I heard was that the UN is to hold an absolutely-last-and-final-no-more-chances vote on Wednesday, with the tanks going in probably at dawn on Thursday. Apparently the world's airlines are talking about grounding all flights for the duration (don't know whether there's any truth in this?) but if they do, I'll be stuck out there.
What joy.
Ian
I've just spent a week looking at glum faces belonging to the staff of several aeronautical service companies who are crapping themselves about their job security.
Take aero engines: they get stripped down and rebuilt from the floor up, every so many thousand flying hours/ full throttle cycles. It takes up to 95 days to do one engine. If the planes aren't flying, the engines go longer between stripdowns. The service companies can't keep (say) 450 blokes sat around on full pay indefinitely.
The airlines (and large corporate bodies who have their own exec jets) aren't buying new planes at the moment, so there's a production line 'somewhere in the UK' where no work has been carried out on four planes for over 6 months. More staff stood around idle (actually no, they're in the process of halving the workforce).
I had a run-in with the shop steward of the trade union in one place: he had so little to do that he decided to kick up a stink about the fact that I'm not in any union. After a closed-doors meeting during which I think he got his arse kicked, he spent two days glaring at me. Basically I think they said that he should worry about more important things. We actually have an exemption from membership on the grounds that we do 'specialist work', outside the scope of their maintenance personnel.
However, if they aren't fixing engines, they hardly need their gear calibrating, which means I don't have a job...
These bloody Muslim nutters have lot to answer for. They seem to be justifying their actions (Sept. 11th etc.) on the grounds that the West is basically living in contravention of Allah's laws and needs to be cleaned up. I say that THEY are acting in contravention of basic human decency and when a missile flies in through Saddam's bedroom window, I hope it has the word DYSON on it...
Ian
Take aero engines: they get stripped down and rebuilt from the floor up, every so many thousand flying hours/ full throttle cycles. It takes up to 95 days to do one engine. If the planes aren't flying, the engines go longer between stripdowns. The service companies can't keep (say) 450 blokes sat around on full pay indefinitely.
The airlines (and large corporate bodies who have their own exec jets) aren't buying new planes at the moment, so there's a production line 'somewhere in the UK' where no work has been carried out on four planes for over 6 months. More staff stood around idle (actually no, they're in the process of halving the workforce).
I had a run-in with the shop steward of the trade union in one place: he had so little to do that he decided to kick up a stink about the fact that I'm not in any union. After a closed-doors meeting during which I think he got his arse kicked, he spent two days glaring at me. Basically I think they said that he should worry about more important things. We actually have an exemption from membership on the grounds that we do 'specialist work', outside the scope of their maintenance personnel.
However, if they aren't fixing engines, they hardly need their gear calibrating, which means I don't have a job...
These bloody Muslim nutters have lot to answer for. They seem to be justifying their actions (Sept. 11th etc.) on the grounds that the West is basically living in contravention of Allah's laws and needs to be cleaned up. I say that THEY are acting in contravention of basic human decency and when a missile flies in through Saddam's bedroom window, I hope it has the word DYSON on it...
Ian
already happening, Shorts in Belfast have layed off workers due to their Business Jet sales hitting the wall. I wish this war would kick off then we might see a light at the end of the tunnel, Russia, France and Germany are holding us to ransom to feather their nests and it pisses me off
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