This morning, we are effectively at war again. Military action will commence shortly. I believe that our leaders have taken leave of their senses. Wouldn't it be better to extricate our armed forces, affected like us all by 'the ConDem cuts,' from one serious conflict (Afghanistan) before embarking on yet another (Libya), at a time when an area of the world where the British have strong interests and residual moral responsibilities is crying out for attention? I refer, of course, to Zimbabwe (or as some of us still call that beloved but benighted country, Rhodesia).

I'll throw my six eggs in to this debate!

Having watched Ross Kemp in The Congo on the tele a couple of week ago, why does the international community allow such horrors to go on to MILLIONS of people there, and yeat we are quick to intervene in the name of democracy elsewhere?

I would suggest it depends on the resources the individual countries have that we want!

Although what is happening all across North Africa is disturbing to watch, we would do well to remember that since the time of the Crusades the west has been repelled in this region. These people are inherently tribal and there will always be warfare between the dominant and less dominant tribes. We are frightened by the politicians who use terrorism and Al Qhehida (spelling :Rolling eyes:) as justification for interfering. But since the Iraq war I do not feel safer, in fact when I go to a city in the UK anywhere I feel more threatened. This country has become less tolerant of Muslims as a result of all the propaganda, without really understanding the religion at all. I don't know anything about the Muslim faith, but I know when i'm being fed propaganda.

Well, I could rant on for ages and I'm sure alot of you will think I'm a complete nutter, but I get more sceptical in my trust of our politicians by the day!

I just wish I could look forward to a day when there was no threat of any major political/war catastrophe, sadly I worry that our policies make it more not less likely that we will be dragged into something on a massive scale that could make the financial meltdown insignificant!



Better go, I'll duck now to avoid the bullets!!!

These prolonged post-$100 per barrel oil prices are going to cause mayhem in many western economies, not the least of which is the highly-fragile UK set-up. At post-$110 p.b. the consequences do not bear thinking about and the "
mighty"
USA could not live with that, either. Auto makers in the US are already scaling down their projections for 2011 in the light of these ultra high oil prices as they are well aware of what is ahead. Governments need to think very carefully before every move now and must look into the medium and long-term future;
the well being of their economies is all and there is no place at the moment for political dogma - survival is the key.

Next stop for the government troops will be Benghazi ECONOMY ;
Oil industry hub Work it out for yourself Have you worked it out yet ? It does not matter if you give credence to a countries policies or not. The west are not the policemen of the world. I am not a supporter of Gaddafi but equally I am not a supporter of our involvement in another countries internal affairs. If we were at civil war would we want interference from Libya? Oil Oil Oil We only get involved when Benghazi is threatened.

We have sucked-up to Mad dog Gaddafi for years in the hope he could calm down. He is worse than ever and killing his own people to protect his own peculiar privileged position. I understand no-one wants to get sucked into another never ending war but we need to take action against this murderer if only to strike occasionally at him to keep him at bay. Doing nothing other than whining will encourage new generations of Geddafis to come along and emulate him. Ultimately we may be able to do little for the Libyans but we need to show them that we do care about them or else what's the point? I just wish we would do something firmer with Mugabe too....

This world is upside down, the people at the top should be on the bottom. Given a vote, do you think ordinary people in any country would vote for this insanity? It's the ordinary people who end up getting slaughtered, not the politicians. Maybe if they were the ones who had to lead the charge, things would be different.

I've had another thought today.... who is backing the rebels in the east of Libya? Do they have the military capability to take Gadaffi out? Could they run a country with the neighbours and internal politics in the region and keep it stable?

Do we have an exit strategy? What happens if Gadaffi digs in in Tripoli and refuses to go? The UN resolution does not allow us to remove him only to protect the civilian population.

I suggest the SAS need to get in to Tripoli and deal with this quietly and efficienty before we embedded in another Iraq!

I'm not in favour of anyone getting killed from wherever they are but Gadaffi has already said this am that this another Crusade, and I'm afraid from where I'm sitting I think he may be right!

I think your right Judy but come on you don't really expect any government to think any further ahead than lunch time ? As always we will go in make a mess and then leave the country and its people to pick up the pieces just like we always do and have done as far back in history as you can look, All we can hope for is that he backs down and some sort of resolution is found, alternatively then send the boys in black in do the deed and get out

Hi Lisa,

Just had to split hairs here as I'm a Northern Rhodesian and along with most colonial Zambians I loathe being associated with Zimbabwe which was Southern Rhodesia.....(not the people but the government as it stood and as it stands)

No offence if you are from Zimbabwe, but i'd guess you wouldn't have made that statement if you were.

seven wrote:

Hi Lisa,

Just had to split hairs here as I'm a Northern Rhodesian and along with most colonial Zambians I loathe being associated with Zimbabwe which was Southern Rhodesia.....(not the people but the government as it stood and as it stands)

No offence if you are from Zimbabwe, but i'd guess you wouldn't have made that statement if you were.

No offence taken and I understand what your saying and I didn't mean to offend you if I have?

Well here we go again! Also Cameron is sucking up to the Yanks again. America is the most dangerous country in the world, and you can bet that if Armageddon ever happens, it will have been started by the Americans. Regarding Libya, I am convinced the Yanks have been longing for an excuse to settle old scores after Lockerbie. This is no way to conduct international relationships, especially these Bully Boy tactics - the world's most powerful country attacking one of the smallest (which also happens to have large oil reserves). As a European I am sad that, yet again, Cameron and Sarkozy, are dragging us into supporting America - when will we ever learn that America only ever does anything when it is in their own interests. It is high time that Europe stands together, and tells America Enough is Enough! In Future go your own way, but leave us out!

I think this proves what people have been saying about liar Cameron. He says the country is skint but his government finds the money for another war. Proof that he was using the deficit as an excuse to make cuts which now shows what people have been saying all along he would have made cuts anyway. He goes on about the brutal treatment Gadaffi is inflicting on his own people what about the brutal treatment you are inflicting on you people dictator Cameron.

[size=55:2oiinmbr]BBC
Gaddafi Warns Libya Preparing for 'Long War'

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has described the French-British-US air strikes as a "
new Crusade aggression"
and has vowed that Libya is preparing for a "
long war"
.

Gaddafi has told the Libyan state TV that air raids on Libya amount to "
terrorism"
and will be defeated, the BBC reported Sunday.

"
Those who are on land will win the battle. Oil will not be left to the USA, France and Britain. You are not going to frighten us with your bombs,"
Gaddafi said.

The leader described the Untied States, Untied Kingdom and France as "
criminals"
, claiming that their attacks were "
a new Hitlerism"
.

He added that all those who cooperate with the British and French "
will be dealt with"
.

"
We will be victorious, the coalition of the devil will be defeated,"
Gaddafi said.

Meanwhile, the Libyan rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani told the BBC that the opposition capital Benghazi is "
fairly safe"
, having taken a heavy pounding from pro-Gaddafi forces on Saturday.

"
There's a few remnants of Gaddafi's embedded cells operating but for the most part they've been eliminated,"
he said, adding that the international intervention has been very effective.

"
We want to change a tyrant – this guy is a criminal and has to be judged as one,"
Gheriani said.

No you didn't offend LIsa, just a little soap box of mine that I jump on I guess like the Scottish, Welsh, and English

But I do agree with your point, I guess that Zimbabwe just doesn't have the oil to temp the UN or USA!???

Very sad and very alarming is all this, I wonder when this will all end? we all know that anything that goes on the the middle east is almost always about oil and from what I have read today it now looks like the Turks are going along with this who are the ones that guard some of the oil fields in the middle east for the US, originally they were against any action but now they seem to have had a change of mind I winder how much that cost the US