Morning,
Sorry for the lack of posting in recent days, I have been having a shitty and rotten time of it, which was summed up last night by some cunt giving me a virus on my lappy which has caused me unwanted stress in having to do a system recovery on it. Not fun!
Hence why I am writing on my iPhone whilst on the way to the gym for what is seemingly another daily session, indeed the way that I can blog on events straight away without the need to rely on the laptop is making having one of these one of the best purchases that I have made!
So what is on my mind this morning? Well apart from the inevitable case of Swine Flu that is just a matter of when, not if with me - and how bad it is when I do have it, I cannot help but comment further on the situation in Afghanistan. This morning, the former minister John Hutton signalled that he felt that the Government had no option but to give the military what they needed to complete their mission in Helmand. This on the same weekend when the military began showing off one of six new warships, down at the Historic Dockyard down in Portsmouth, the total cost for these warships?
£6Billion!
It seems that although our beloved government have spent a lot of taxpayers money on the military, it is clear to me that it has not been spent as well as it should have been. The troops on the frontline have criticised that the equipment that has been given to them to fight the Taliban has been sub-standard - further proven to be the case with a report in the weekend's papers that a cut-and-paste Chinook has been on operations in Afghanistan, with half of it belonging to a Chinook which was shot down in the Falklands, 27 years ago. This is quite remarkable and disbelieving when you consider that there has been six brand new Chinook under mothballs since 2001.
Now with the top military brass, Sir Richard Dannet and Sir Jock Stirrup have both been widely quoted, and David Cameron and Nick Clegg having bee also piling the pressure on the government, there is one not-unrelated story this weekend which is in the media narrative. That being the delay to the decision about Trident until next year at the earliest.
For those of you who are not aware of the importance of Trident to the military and to the country as a whole, Trident is Britain's nuclear detterent against those groups who would want to do untold damage.
It seems to me that in the current economic circumstances that the country finds itself in, profligacy will not be tolerated by any government department, and the response of many in the country on hearing that ‘there is no such thing as enough helicopters’ will be split between those who would simply sign the cheque, and those who would prefer to withdraw altogether.
Where I think both those groups would be united, however, is that if significantly more money is to be spent on Defence then for as long as British troops are still in Afghanistan, that money should go on helicopters, armoured vehicles, body armour, and protection against IEDs.
I believe that whilst British troops are fighting and dying in the scorching heat of Helmand - no government worth it's salt can justify blowing £20bn on something which it is argued, particularly with both the Russians and the Americans agreeing to cuts in their nuclear arsenal, will not be needed never.
Hopefully, for once the government will heed away from sanctioning yet another White Elephant...
Rob
19 July 2009
13 July 2009
Why Do We Tolerate Them?
Evening,
I see Nick Griffin was on Auntie yesterday morning. Thankfully, I was not near a television screen as I was at the gym. Apparently, Andrew Marr was his pathetic self in dealing with the racist thug's views on the world.
Why is it that the BBC feel that they should give him and his fascist friends airtime to vent their party's opinions? I would be arguing against giving the cunts air full stop.
Seriously, the only way to fight the fash is on their own terms and the only terms these fuckers know is with the fist and the boot...
Smash The B*P!
Rob :)
I see Nick Griffin was on Auntie yesterday morning. Thankfully, I was not near a television screen as I was at the gym. Apparently, Andrew Marr was his pathetic self in dealing with the racist thug's views on the world.
Why is it that the BBC feel that they should give him and his fascist friends airtime to vent their party's opinions? I would be arguing against giving the cunts air full stop.
Seriously, the only way to fight the fash is on their own terms and the only terms these fuckers know is with the fist and the boot...
Smash The B*P!
Rob :)
10 July 2009
Some Home Truths...
Evening,
And quite a dark evening indeed for the country, with news filtering in over the airwaves that a further five British Servicemen have been killed in the on-going conflict in Afghanistan, taking the death-toll over the number that have been killed in the Iraq war.
Some 184 soldiers have now died since the conflict begun in the aftermath of 9/11. The idea of the invasion of Afghanistan was to rid the country of the despotic Taliban and to eventually cause the downfall of Al Qaeda (remember them?). Both objectives to be brutal are as far away as being completed now than they ever were, contrary to what the mainstream media would like you to believe.
Obviously, it is becoming clearer as time moves on that the troops out there are being kitted out quite shoddily by our fabled government, something that is showing to be the case as some of the deaths are being caused because of the equipment that they are being forced to use on their patrols are not capable to protect troops from improvised explosions which happen on the roadside. Some soldiers are being forced to buy their own gear for warfare, because the kit that they get given is just not suitable.
The former head of the armed forces, General Lord Guthrie has said that this is the case - that troops are dying because the military is short of money.
It is all well and good offering the country's services to the American government - but if you're not going to give the soldiers that do your dirty work, the tools that they need to do your dirty work - then it will end with coffins coming back to this country - and a ever growing anger towards our beloved government at the way that they have mistreated the military. I heard a comment from a relative of one of the fallen soldiers which was rather scathing, saying that she wanted the defence secretary 'shot' and sacked immediately. Considering that Bob Ainsworth has only been in the job for barely a month, that seems a bit rash, but considering their loss, it is quite understandable.
Brown underestimated the support in the country for the Gurkhas when he tried to deny them equal rights as their British counterparts, I do hope for his sake he doesn't do the same for the military in general.
Otherwise, he really is delusional...
Night, Night
Rob
And quite a dark evening indeed for the country, with news filtering in over the airwaves that a further five British Servicemen have been killed in the on-going conflict in Afghanistan, taking the death-toll over the number that have been killed in the Iraq war.
Some 184 soldiers have now died since the conflict begun in the aftermath of 9/11. The idea of the invasion of Afghanistan was to rid the country of the despotic Taliban and to eventually cause the downfall of Al Qaeda (remember them?). Both objectives to be brutal are as far away as being completed now than they ever were, contrary to what the mainstream media would like you to believe.
Obviously, it is becoming clearer as time moves on that the troops out there are being kitted out quite shoddily by our fabled government, something that is showing to be the case as some of the deaths are being caused because of the equipment that they are being forced to use on their patrols are not capable to protect troops from improvised explosions which happen on the roadside. Some soldiers are being forced to buy their own gear for warfare, because the kit that they get given is just not suitable.
The former head of the armed forces, General Lord Guthrie has said that this is the case - that troops are dying because the military is short of money.
It is all well and good offering the country's services to the American government - but if you're not going to give the soldiers that do your dirty work, the tools that they need to do your dirty work - then it will end with coffins coming back to this country - and a ever growing anger towards our beloved government at the way that they have mistreated the military. I heard a comment from a relative of one of the fallen soldiers which was rather scathing, saying that she wanted the defence secretary 'shot' and sacked immediately. Considering that Bob Ainsworth has only been in the job for barely a month, that seems a bit rash, but considering their loss, it is quite understandable.
Brown underestimated the support in the country for the Gurkhas when he tried to deny them equal rights as their British counterparts, I do hope for his sake he doesn't do the same for the military in general.
Otherwise, he really is delusional...
Night, Night
Rob
9 July 2009
They Are Still There...
A good month or so after the initial protests began in Tehran and subsequently broke out in other large cities throughout Iran, the supporters of moderate leader Mousavi have come out in support of their political leader today - it is also the 10th Anniversary of the uprising by Iranian students which was crushed by the state.
I found this video off the HuffPost continuing live blogging coverage which has been constant from the outset, unlike the coverage from the mainstream media.
I expect the ever-fluid situation in Iran to continue to be in the media narrative over the coming months - news is leaking out of Tehran tonight of the renewing of chants of 'Allah Akhbar' on rooftops across the Iranian capital - these chants are synonomous with the eventual overthrow of the Shah which came about after some 12 months of the sort of demonstrations that we are seeing now, back in 1979.
more about "They Are Still There...", posted with vodpod
There Is A Problem...
I cannot help but feel that there is a ever-continuing weird atmosphere in the air right now. With the economy in the swanee and with the weather not being able to decide whether or not to be gorgeous or ghastly - the populace at heart seem to have no clue whether they are coming or going.
Their representatives in Parliament (I know, some should be eating porridge but still) seem so far detached from reality and yet there they are trying to delay investigations into their expenses, which thankfully was defeated by the Lords last night, but still they agree to obscene pay increases, whilst pensions and saving continue to fall by the wayside.
Meanwhile, their football clubs are spending stupid and fucking hideous amounts of money on the latest uber-wunderkind who hasn't got any experience in the top division, but still any excuse to spend millions and billions of supporters' hard earned, just for the sake of it...
Seriously, some people need a fucking reality check and quickly...
Rob :(
Their representatives in Parliament (I know, some should be eating porridge but still) seem so far detached from reality and yet there they are trying to delay investigations into their expenses, which thankfully was defeated by the Lords last night, but still they agree to obscene pay increases, whilst pensions and saving continue to fall by the wayside.
Meanwhile, their football clubs are spending stupid and fucking hideous amounts of money on the latest uber-wunderkind who hasn't got any experience in the top division, but still any excuse to spend millions and billions of supporters' hard earned, just for the sake of it...
Seriously, some people need a fucking reality check and quickly...
Rob :(
4 July 2009
A Self Indulgent Rant
Evening,
As I write it seems that the long-sought peace between Mother and my sister has been somewhat broken for some unknown reason or another - whatever it is, it is probably something pathetically petty and insignificant compared to the horrors and injustices that continue in the world that we live in at the moment, not that they care much about world hunger, or for that matter world peace. Keeping the peace between those two for a period of time is as trying as keeping both Israel and Palestine happy at the same time.
Not easy.
The government in recent days has announced that they are entering the second stage of dealing with the Swine Flu pandemic. Yes it is that now, even though the WHO has not confirmed that it is such that. The British authrorities think that it is important to try and allow it to take it's course. Which will mean many other people will more than likely die because of this method. Instead of concentrating on the hot spots where the outbreak began to show it's hand in Glasgow and the West Midlands, they are now adopting the tried and inevitably failed idea of vaciennating only those who have underlying health issues and the elderly.
Already some five people have died in this outbreak, all of them had some form of health issue which doctors say caused them to have severe symptoms. What will the government's response when the opposite happens and someone with a clear health history dies?
That is the worry that I have this evening...
Night, Night
Rob
As I write it seems that the long-sought peace between Mother and my sister has been somewhat broken for some unknown reason or another - whatever it is, it is probably something pathetically petty and insignificant compared to the horrors and injustices that continue in the world that we live in at the moment, not that they care much about world hunger, or for that matter world peace. Keeping the peace between those two for a period of time is as trying as keeping both Israel and Palestine happy at the same time.
Not easy.
The government in recent days has announced that they are entering the second stage of dealing with the Swine Flu pandemic. Yes it is that now, even though the WHO has not confirmed that it is such that. The British authrorities think that it is important to try and allow it to take it's course. Which will mean many other people will more than likely die because of this method. Instead of concentrating on the hot spots where the outbreak began to show it's hand in Glasgow and the West Midlands, they are now adopting the tried and inevitably failed idea of vaciennating only those who have underlying health issues and the elderly.
Already some five people have died in this outbreak, all of them had some form of health issue which doctors say caused them to have severe symptoms. What will the government's response when the opposite happens and someone with a clear health history dies?
That is the worry that I have this evening...
Night, Night
Rob
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)