UK/U.S. unlikely to be "joined at hip": UK minister

Reuters ^ | 07/14/2007 | Paul Majendie

[the scotsman]

Scotland JOINED the UK/Great Britain in 1707 by choice(unlike the conquered Irish and Welsh).So we are in a position of political and economic strength in terms of leaving.

Most Scots believe that we are better in the union of the UK than on our own(which doesnt mean we would a be a poor country,we would be a rich country,but most Scots believe for that we would be richer and stronger to remain in the UK)

[Delacon]

I said it was interesting. I didn’t say they were wrong to do so. I would like to point out though that Australia’s and New Zealand’s expertise in Malaya was greatly appreciated and utilized in Vietnam. And when it comes to jungle warfare and insurgent warfare the Brits wrote the book and we could have used it there.

[Chi-townChief]

I am addressing this maturely which is why I paraphrase Churchill regarding the New World rescuing the Old after England and France totally blew their chances to stop fascism, brown, black, and red, early on. And there really was no compelling reason for our entry into WWI (in fact, we may all have been better off with the stalemate in the long run) other than our speaking the same language. As for the Falklands, check out the Monroe Doctrine; bold move and not so sure we’d get away with the same thing today.

[Chi-townChief]

So why have I heard the rumblings of independence in the last 15-20 years?

[Delacon]

Whatever you Scots did with the UK over your oil in the North Sea could come in handy down in Iraq right about now.

[the scotsman]

Oh there HAS been a move towards indpendence since the early 90’s,helped by Mel Gibson, ineffectual Labour and a dislike of Thatcher and the Tories.

Bu the best the SNP has ever done is what they did a couple of months ago: win a ‘midterm’ Scots Parliament (not a national UK-wide General election) election by just ONE vote which has meant they are a minority govt until 2010 at the latest,vastly short of a majority govt mandate.The SNP will get NOTHING done bar a few minor acts on the statute books and will,I believe,expose themselves over the next 3 yrs as the narrow focused nationalists they are, more into point scoring and romantic psuedo-Braveheart tosh than Scotland’s genuine 21st century welfare and the Scottish people will see that and in 2010 overwhelmingly vote for the other parties all of whom are pro-Union and pro-British.

And an election won btw as a protest against Labour,its domestic policies, its corruption culture and Iraq.NOT because of the SNP itself.

Basically it was a HUGE Phyrric victory...

[nathanbedford]

I was intrigued by your post in which you recite Great Britain's efforts in fighting communism and terrorism.

Some years ago I ran across an Irishman whom I believed to have been a NRA fugitive hiding in New Zealand. I was astonished at how bitterly Stalinist he was. Needless to say he was rabidly anti-American.

I assume you included the struggles in Northern Ireland to fall under the category "national terrorist" rather than "communist". But I'm curious to know if you believe there was strong communist taint to the IRA?

I confess that I'm culturally naïve in this subject, having had an aunt who actually donated to the IRA despite the fact that she was a typical American Irish Catholic, culturally conservative. Upper middle class, she was also staunchly Republican. I believe she would have been astonished to learn that the IRA had pronounced leftist tendencies.

Any insights?

[Son House]

predicting that London and Washington would not be “joined at the hip” under the new premier.

Until Democrats fix things, like in Italy?

[the scotsman]

Hi.

‘NRA’?...lol. I know there is a gun control lobby in the US,but really....lol.

Only joking.

Yes,the IRA was in the raly 70’s split in two: the ‘Provisional’ (or ‘Provos’ for short) whose ideology was mainly nationalist and the ‘Official’ IRA who ceased fighting in 1972 and became the Irish Workers Party, a hard leftist party.

But even the ‘Provos’ were quasi-Marxist. This of course was toned way down for their American ‘market’ most of whom as you said were conservative, so the romantic Irishism was played up.

And remember the three IRA men caught in Columbia working with the FARC guerillas just a couple of years ago?..’nuff said.

The IRA were far more Marxist and therefore anticapitalist and anti-american than people in the US realised. Frankly they didnt care about America other than your money...

[hershey]

Caving to Muslims — oops, can’t say that word, sorry, how about ‘terrorists’? — as fast as he can. Unbelievably stupid.

[Steamburg]

Troops are troops, I respect them for the job they have done and are doing. I also recognize that their presence is due to the policies of Tony Blair. I don’t know what will happen next week. I am as excited about your new prime minister as I am about our democrats in our congress. I see that Brown seems to care as much for your troops as our democrats care for ours. His denial of the fact that you have a cultural crisis. The P.C. denial that you have been invaded by people who are bent on changing not assimilating into your culture. You have replaced IRA terrorists with Islamic terrorists.

I only wish I could say our nation is doing better. I wonder what the inevitable clash between the new cultures will bring. It almost sounds like pre-WWII with out a Churchill to rally your people or an America to come to the rescue.

[Bon mots]

Yes, we could always count on the Brits. That’s very true.

In the Falklands, we gave the Brits complete access to our military satellites and enabled them to sink the Argentine ship “General Belgrano” among other things.

It would be a shame if our old friend turned her back on us.

[Rikstir]

“Fauklands? Paaalease. We didn’t expect your help in Grenada either.”

Thats a stupid comment man. If you had done your research like I know you haven’t, then you would know that Grenada was a British Protectorate, so how were we supposed to assist you in a battle against our own subjects????? Imagine the UK attacking Alaska and asking for US assistance.

As for sitting out Vietnam, I can only thank our leaders back then for steering us clear of that one. What you think it was a good idea? You people man, its amamzing...

[Rikstir]

Its the same tired argument from people who aren’t educated enought to even think up a new line of bull**** to feed us. WWI this, WWII that, Falklands (honestly you boys did bugger all, and damn right you should side with us against the Argies, don’t postulate like you were doing us a favour!!!)

As if you can speak for the whole US of A when you threaten us???? Ha! Wot a Laf!!!

[Rikstir]

In todays world your aunt would have gone to Belmarsh for 10 for financing and supporting terrorism. It might be cool, fun, ironic even, for you to recollect this, but your dollars were financing a stalinist/leninist terrorist group that killed Irish civvies, Irish security personnel, UK soldiers and UK civilians.

[nathanbedford]

I would love to have been present if you had had the temerity to address my aunt with such impertinence. She would have improved your time with a short history of British terrorism of the Irish. I have no doubt she would have improved your manners if not your intellectual honesty.

For my part, I will content myself with pointing out that you have no grounds whatsoever to allege that "my" dollars were going anywhere, much less to to a "stalinist/leninist terrorist group."

It might be cool, fun, ironic even, for you to recollect this. You have no idea of my relationship with my aunt who was abiding within the law, no idea of my advice to her, no idea of my opinion, then or now, of the Irish question, yet you presume to publicly take this tone with some one whose previous post could only lead a less arrogant reader to conclude that I was inquiring after the very fact of communist taint which you attribute to me.

It might be "cool" and certainly refreshing in your case for you to reflect on your ignorance before accusing others of present day crimes and indicting those who had absolutely no participation of any kind in the non-crime crime.

[Chi-townChief]

Speak English, little man.

[Rikstir]

“She would have improved your time with a short history of British terrorism of the Irish”

I got this alot while in the US, but it seems that Americans have difficulty in fully understanding the intensity of the Troubles and the thousands of lives they cost. I will not deny that the UK government has in the past (some 80-100 yearsa back) acted in a barbaric manner towards the Irish, but this is not now, nor ten years back.

The same argument as you made for your aunt can be applied today concerning the Arabs, Persians and Islam. No doubt they could teach each of us of the ills that the West has visited upon them, but that doesn’t give them the right to finance Islamic terrorism right?

Hypocrisy man, you can’t excuse family for financing terrorism against the English (although, most of the deaths from IRA, PIRA, were Irish Nationals), just imagine is the roles were reversed, you would be equally put out. Given too that the IRA bombed by home town, I have no sympathy for those who come out in support of the IRA terrorist group as it was.

[Rikstir]

I did, I tried, and you guys once more cant understand. Or dont want to, either way, its ignorance. Cheers.

[Rikstir]

“having had an aunt who actually donated to the IRA”

Taking your words mate. Thats like a red rag to a bull when talking to an englishman.