This board has been a little to quiet for while.

Is it time that Bush and Blair who is a close friend and confidant of Bush were tried for War Crimes?

Do you think the use by the American Administrations of renditions are War Crimes and committed with full knowledge of American and British leaders ie. Blair and Bush and they are ultimately responsible?

Also in the aftermath of the illegal invasion of Iraq are should their action seen to be as the provocation for the rising toll of British, American and Iraqi deaths.

As a result of the military intervention in Iraq do you think you are safer in Britain to-day?

Do you think one should expect government leaders and ministers who have been responsible for massive foreseeable casualties should visit the hospitals to meet the casualties they have produced directly or indirectly by their actions?

You will be first, read below.........

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain does not want "hate-mongers" -- people coming to live in the country must conform to its tolerant values, Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Friday.

Insisting people living in the country had a duty to integrate, Blair said the government would take a series of measures to encourage immigrants and minorities to mix with British society.


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Migration had been good for Britain and London's hospitality to many nationalities had made it perhaps the most popular capital city in the world, Blair said.
"But we protect this attitude by defending it," he added. "Our tolerance is part of what makes Britain Britain. So conform to it; or don't come here. We don't want the hate-mongers, whatever their race, religion or creed," he told an audience that included academics, students and Muslim leaders.

Immigrants wanting to live in Britain will have to pass an English test and ethnic or religious groups seeking government grants will have to show they promote integration, Blair said.

There was no question of Britain allowing the introduction of religious law, he said.

Ahmadinejad caught on video in serious breach of sharia law
By: israelinsider staff
Published: December 6, 2006

Iran's president and Islamic hardliner Ahmadinejad was caught on video watching a group of women dancers in Doha-- a serious violation of sharia law, a Guardian Unlimited report says.

Given that much of Ahmadinejad's support comes from Islamic ultra-conservatives, the incident could prove to be injurious, if not fatal, to the Iranian president.

This week, Iranian news sources announced that Iran's presidential vote would be moved forward, ending Ahmadinejad's term early. Many are wondering if the two events might be related.

Funny how many people believe what they read or what TV decides to show them without even chalenging!

Who would have thought it, Tony Blair telling non-Brits to "Fit in, or f*** off"

He didn't use precisely those words of course, but that's the interpretation being applied in some of today's less reverent journals!

Sounds a good idea juzzle........

Britain is reassessing its attitude to racial and religious minorities following last year's bombings when four British Islamists killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London transport's network.

The government has cracked down on radical Islamic preachers who it says inspire suicide bombers. However, experts say the government's focus on Islam could backfire if Britain's 1.8 million Muslims feel they are under attack.

ENGLISH TEST

Immigrants wishing to live in Britain will have to pass an English test and ethnic or religious groups seeking government grants will have to show they promote integration, Blair said.

There was no question of Britain allowing the introduction of religious law, he said.

Its all closing the stable door after the horse as bolted.

Should companies, people who resident overseas but benefited from UK businesses, and politicians be subjected to a Britishness test?

I am keener on getting rid of the culture of fraud, scam and arrogance from our society.

How will AIM and the city survive? LOL

I find it hard to think that Blair is on the high moral ground or fit to make judgements of morality.

Most of us, at one time or another, make judgements of morality. But most of us probably have neither the power nor the willingness to use it as pretext to kill and to plunder.

zscrooge, probably. But IMHO, a few bad cases give a bad name and reason for suspicision to the whole.

On being British. Should be consider as British those who are responsible for the collapse if Farepak and also profited from the 40m-60m lost by the hundreds of thousands of poorer members of the British society? One or two of those are titled and others are probably gleefully gloating and enjoying, in anonymity, their ill-gotten gains in anonymity.

There are several modern examples of racial and religious conflicts, mostly from the Middleeast and Africa. These are complicated and difficult to study because of the breadth and depth of the issues and histories of those involved. But the latest events in the South Pacific island of Fiji offer a much simplier and better opportunity of study.

In a free society, we have to accept that some communities will not want to integrate and that some in the majority community might not want to integrate in return. One Muslim interviewed on BBC news in response to Tony Blair's speech said that Muslims could never completely abide by British norms and values because they were obliged to put their religion above all else. Those Muslims who choose to may decide that they want to continue to live in separate communities. That's fine but only if they can pay for such seclusion themselves.

If Muslim women refuse to take jobs where they would have to remove their veils, they should lose their entitlement to benefits. Local councils should stop funding minority festivals and cultural centres. The ethnic minority outreach workers should be fired or re-deployed onto more useful work. The expensive practice of translating signs and leaflets into dozens of languages should cease. Employers should no longer be penalised for refusing to accommodate diverse cultural practices and there should be no funding for any more religious schools. Above all, funding for unelected community leaders should be stopped and their groups disbanded.

Diamonds, I am picking on you again.

I do agree all the the signs and leaflets in Wales should be written in Welsh.


That would keep the marauders out.


But I have sympathy for a tolerant secular state with all religions being self supporting. But the problem is that people of a similar culture in a "strange land" tend to congregate together. The English in Spain and France, even to a lesser degree the Welsh in London or England. But in the latter case we are performing a missionary purpose.












The only problem is that it would also keep me out as I speak the minimal of Welsh only.



8-)

Difference is fred, the spaniards have prospered and standards have improved since the english armada landed, towns and cities that have a large english pop are reaping the benefits, unfortunately the class of immigrant to the UK has the opposite effect, you only have to wander about in your own locality to have the evidence of that old son, Brummie aint yer? ,-)

I am sure that fish and chips and warm beer is superior to suckling pig roasted on a spit with Rioja.

For some.

Firms 'ban festive decorations'

I blame this OTT over-reaction on Blair ... :-(

Miserable gits, why anyone would want to live in the UK, I will never know?

Slowly but surely becoming a third world country........

Hope George and Tony get our troops out orf Iraq soon!!

Iraq 0 1 1 2
Sri Lanka 0 1 1 2
Turkmenistan 0 1 0 1
Pakistan 0 1 0 1
Nepal 0 0 3 3
Macau 0 0 2 2
Afghanistan 0 0 1 1
Bangladesh 0 0 1 1
Notice Iraq ahead orf Pakistaniin the asain games.......well done

From the timings and contents of some latest events, Blair/Labour are being "dumped" (by those who used him). US analyst's speech, Sir Cohen's honour and contributions, Saudi threat of BAE contract, ...

Poor guy. Nurtured, flattered, manipuated, used and then spitted out with a little pat on the head and a kick in the backside to come.

diamond, yes, it is good to see those countries (Iraq etc) participating ...

Don't leave Iraq in chaos - Major

But the interesting bits ...

"... His words follow claims by a former top diplomat that the government never viewed Saddam Hussein as a threat to the UK.

Carne Ross, who quit his job over the war, said British officials felt the threat from Saddam was "contained".

Mr Ross made his claims in a submission to the 2004 Butler review into Iraq intelligence - it has only just been published because of initial fears it breached the Official Secrets Act.

'No threat'

Mr Ross was head of strategy for the UN mission in Kosovo, and played a leading role in drawing up Britain's policy on Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his Butler evidence, he said that while he worked at the UN, "at no time did HMG (Her Majesty's Government) assess that Iraq's WMD (weapons of mass destruction) posed a threat to the UK or its interests".

Mr Ross added: "We would frequently argue when the US raised the subject, that `regime change' was inadvisable, primarily on the grounds that Iraq would collapse into chaos."

British troops
Troops should not be withdrawn immediately, says Sir John

He also claimed that there was no evidence of "significant holdings" of chemical or biological weapons in the possession of Saddam prior to the invasion.

"There was, moreover, no intelligence or assessment during my time in the job that Iraq had any intention to launch an attack against its neighbours or the UK or the US," he added.

Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said Mr Blair's justification for going to war had been "systematically destroyed".

He said Mr Ross's evidence was "entirely consistent" with the leaked documents suggesting "the real intention was always regime change."

"If this is true, the British people were knowingly deceived. The prime minister should be ashamed of himself. Parliament and the public deserve an apology."

Mr Blair has always defended the war's legality and the Butler inquiry said there was no evidence of "deliberate distortion" of intelligence on WMD. "

-----------------

July 2004 - Butler Report published. Details of Carne Ross submission suppressed
"... because of initial fears it breached the Official Secrets Act."

May 2005 - UK General Election

Dec 2006 - Detail of Carne Ross submission published.


Let us give war every opportunity and cover ... Sigh :-(