starting this thread, which i hope will be short-lived, to keep the board up to date with latest reports gleaned from the net

David Cameron rules out deal for Saif Gaddafi.

True right no deals for Gadaffe, and his family execute the lot of them.

fred - as you are clearly died-in-the-wool anti-tory/coalition, your balanced view is clearly worthy of consideration - much as hayseed's on gaza

there are unsubstantiated rumours that GM and his sons are looking for way out - i.e. before the rebels nail them ...... all very interesting but .....

my question is what will then happen to the markets, oil/gold/commodity sectors in particular

once the knee-jerk reaction has been and gone, i think the markets will be pretty selective, but given that the libyan oilfields will need major work, stocks like PFC must surely benefit ..... i don't think the likes of halliburton, schlumberger and technip are quoted on uk markets

Saif wants to become ruler of Libya and is hawking himself around as the saviour.
Why can't he do what ruthless despots normally do and simply knife his papa in the back and proclaim himself God of the Desert Peoples of North Africa and Liberator of Benghazi...........

Saif pissing against the wind to hold onto power and oodles and oodles of loot ..... booted straight into touch; indeed, straight over the grandstand!

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not really on subject, but interesting - or at least i think so .....

sitting here in dubai, it gives a good opportunity to read Gulf News, many of whose articles are interesting and taken (and attributed!) from other sources

Iran
if it weren't so serious, it would be hilarious ..... ahmadinejad has the gall to berate gcc (the gulf states) for interfering in bahrain ..... inter alia, about bahrain, he says "the people have demands, so listen to them" - just as his mob would in tehran i take it!

ahmedinejad also takes the oppotunity for his usual rabid rant against israel and his wish for its destruction ..... interestingly, the iranian constitution safeguards the right of freedom of worship within iran .... political words can claim the one has nothing to do with the other, but the reality speaks otherwise


Egypt
there is clearly great fear among the educated egyptian populace, that the muslim brotherhood - islamic fundamentalist at heart, and in its own way rather like the ira - will eventually take over ..... it is thought that mb is too fragmented to make too great an impact in the forthcoming elections, but by the time of the next ones in 2015, the situation may well be different


Libya
a partisan article from official rep to usa of the rebel "gov't" - quicker than writing Transitional National Council for the Libyan Republic! - says they need material help desperately
lots of promises about what "their" gov't would do and allow - e.g. free elections; free press; lots of welfare; no toleration of al qaeda etc etc

Cynic.

I see our firm PM, Cameron is proposing another change of ill thought out policy.

I think anyone signing a piece of paper with his name on would consider less worth than the paper itself.

Must be going down a bomb in Pakistan, his new retreat from London stage.

He is being laughed at in Europe.

now try writing something useful instead of your usual morning rant

How on earth do you think you can have a rational debate with the likes of freddienobrains, fahel and the hay parrot ?

freddie actually has a decent brain, but it seems to be on holiday quite a lot of the time

Perhaps it's just rusty and frequently seizes up.

Maybe he is related to one of these.

come on chaps - my post was my effort at being sensible, so it'ld be a shame for it to fall on deaf ears (blind eyes?) :-)

Sensible / Cynic together no, a bit like fine French wine and a big mac burger.

cheeky boy! ...... fine claret and shepherd's pie work a treat, or quality CDP with sausage and mash

Had many a fine vintage with Lancashire hotpot while at my Chateau.

domaine heysham '59?

Chteau La Mondotte Saint-Emilion

don't know it, but there are so many good vineyards there ..... being rather girlie, i am partial to margaux and pomerol, though on balance, prefer very fine burgundy as and when it can be found and afforded

Pomerol is one of those good cheap wines that is complemented and complements food in a quite magical fashion. Cheeses in particular as well as rich dinners with red meat, like in a lancashire hotpot, or shepherds pie I have found go particularly well with this wine.

On saying this I find it a little bit vinegar tasting.

You guys all on the sauce?
I have a bottle of HP with my red meat, never mind that cissy northern hotpot and shepards pie mainly veggie nonsense. Or that Cornish pasty junk.
I always finsih with a delicately flavoured Mars bar deep fried in vintage chip fat.