Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Why does America have to stick it's nose in?

The other Arab nations have more than enough military assets to do the job themselves.

With the armaments Syria is said to have I have a "feeling" that it would be a more bloody confrontation, leading to greater unrest and polarisation.


Possibly, the cost in life may be greater.

Also, USA may fear that they may get the taste and have another go at Israel.

Also, the ME appears to be a tinder box and in one way USA may hope that it dampening down the area and remain on side.

Wouldn't like to make the decisions.

I am glad Cameron is sticking to shooting badgers.

At least with badgers you know they can't shoot back and you don't get your soldiers coming back home in body bags.

thankfully, and it is probably reciprocated, I have been divorced from this board for the last week, but I wonder if Gromit will end up being bitten on the bum through his politically-driven stance last week

it is certainly interesting that even russia's public stance is now manoeuvring itself so that it can actually support - or at least take a neutral stance with regard to - america's almost inevitable action

How are the arms dealing shares doing lately in the US, anyone know?

For you Tory Tarts who want to bring back hanging, have a read of this.. and then if you still don't get it try reading it again.. a bit slower perhaps http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-21412241

Raytheon stock rockets amid news of Syria strike

By Carlo Muñoz - 08/27/13 04:26 PM ET




The stock price for U.S. defense firm Raytheon jumped close to its highest level Tuesday on Wall Street amid news of possible U.S. military action in Syria.

Raytheon shares were trading at nearly $77 each when U.S. markets opened, coming close to matching its all-time price of $77.93 over the last year for the American defense firm.

Less than an hour before the closing bell, the company's stock price dipped down to $75.25 a share but remained far higher than $52.24 per share, the stock's low point over the last year
Raytheon is the prime manufacturer of the long-range Tomahawk cruise missile, among other weapon systems and components the company develops for the Defense Department.

The Tomahawk has long been a staple for U.S. Navy warships, and were last used to take out targets in Libya during a 2011 operation to oust former dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Several Arleigh Burke-class U.S. destroyers outfitted with Tomahawk missiles are on station off the coast of Syria, awaiting orders to begin missile strikes against targets inside the country.

The Obama administration is targeting particular military units and bases in Syria that officials believe are responsible for carrying out chemical weapon attacks against rebel forces in the country.

The entire target list drafted by U.S. military and intelligence officials includes no more than 50 sites inside Syria where forces loyal to President Bashar Assad are stationed, according to recent reports.

Other targets include command and control stations, Syrian military airbases and several "conventional military targets," a U.S. defense official told The New York Times on Tuesday.

If successful, the U.S. strikes could cripple the Syrian military's ability to carry out attacks on rebel forces and bring the government to its knees.

However, White House officials said the goal of these strikes is not to force Assad from power.

"The options we are considering are not about regime change," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday.

"That is not what we are contemplating here," he told reporters at the White House.


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/industry/319031-raytheon-stock-nears-annual-high-amid-news-of-syria-strike-#ixzz2dxjO7UZl
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

Defense and Warfare Stocks Starting to Gain From Syria Military Action
24/7 Wall St.By Jon C. Ogg | 24/7 Wall St. – 3 hours ago



http://finance.yahoo.com/news/defense-warfare-stocks-starting-gain-181924687.html

.
U.S. Senate panel approves resolution on Syria military strikes
ReutersBy Patricia Zengerle and Susan Cornwell | Reuters – 11 minutes ago.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/senate-panel-passes-authorization-u-military-force-syria-201546765.html

Ed Miliband was good on Syria. But he'll soon be given a Kinnock-style kicking

The Tories are bruised. So prepare for the most sustained character assassination in British politics since the 90's




http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/04/tories-gearing-up-for-miliband-kicking

Thanks for the links D/C.. I can now rest my case as far as the Syrian propaganda is concerned.

Thanks stan.

By Jason Beattie

Ed Miliband is paying the price for his hot-headed reaction to the Falkirk selection scandal
4 Sep 2013 09:04

The danger now is the other big unions will follow GMB's move to slash their funding to Labour


Ed Miliband was hoping to use this week to get back on the front foot after a difficult Summer.

With David Cameron licking his wounds after the Syria defeat, Labour was poised to go on the attack on the economy, wages and the PM’s weakness.

Instead, Mr Miliband has found himself having climbed a small ladder only to slide down a very long snack


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ed-miliband-paying-price-hot-headed-2249682

Extended lunch, anybody?

Its catching - Long Snack in Feather Dale Wild Life Park.AVI

Downing Street adviser Jesse Norman sacked over Syria vote

A senior member of David Cameron’s Downing Street policy unit was on Wednesday sacked for failing to back the Government in last week’s Commons vote on Syria.


By Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent
7:26PM BST 04 Sep 2013


Jesse Norman, the Tory MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, is the first person to lose his job following the Prime Minister’s humiliation at the hands of dozens of Tory rebels.

Mr Norman, an Old Etonian, is considered to be one of the rising stars of the Conservative Party and has been talked about as a possible successor to the Prime Minister.

He was present during last Thursday’s debate but decided to abstain from the vote on whether to back the Prime Minister’s call for a military response against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Senior figures in Downing Street were said to be furious at his decision not to support the Government.

A total of 30 Tory MPs rebelled and 31 others failed to vote.



"Peter Lilley, another member of the Downing Street policy unit, has written an article suggesting that the Government should have predicted the rebellion over Syria.

“They should have seen it coming,” Mr Lilley said in an article for the Spectator magazine. “A government defeat on an issue of war may be unprecedented, but defeat on the Syria vote did not come out of the blue.”

He said that MPs are now more concerned about keeping their seat than getting promoted to the government, making rebellions more common. "


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10287483/Downing-Street-adviser-Jesse-Norman-sacked-over-Syria-vote.html

Missing tories,

"Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, and Mark Simmonds, a Foreign Office minister, missed the vote because they were in a room near the Commons chamber talking about Rwanda."

That is what they say!

Reminds me of a Major Curry.


8-)

They did vote against Miliband's amendment and then went away for other discussions.

Is that what that activity is called now.

Amazing how out of touch one can get!