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.

True.

We do want the best players on the field.

However, there's nothing wrong with it. But there is if you have a 'lefty' point of view about things all the time, which is 'anti' any kind of competitiveness.

Boris will keep Cameron on his toes for sure. Cameron will therefore try harder to do a better job. Hopefully, we will benefit from it.

The next thing I would like to see our government do is to fight ISIS with 'as much as we can muster and a lot more besides' and try to destroy it.

Does the board think that UK (and USA) should stop all arms exports to Israel?

The knee-jerk reaction "of course we should" is, i think, far too simplistic a response, and probably the wrong one.
why?
because iran and syria and no doubt a few others would be hollering and cheering at the thought of a weakened israel, and thus encourage them and their embedded fundamentalist cliques to be even more aggressive within the region.
peace in the region is the last thing they want.

as always, it's never as simple as it looks on the surface

I think:

The Palestinians made a mistake voting in Hamas.

Hamas don't mind sacrificing women and children as they actively and recklessly persist in their war with Israel.

The Palestinians have a blood good cause because Israel isn't treating them at all fairly.

The Palestinian casualty rate is unacceptable to the rest of the world who are viewing this war.

Israel have excellent defences and thus have the least amount of casualties by far. The Palestinian defences are crap in comparison. Because of this Israel really did ought to be the most proactive in stopping the fighting, which can ultimately only be stopped by talking and negotiation.

I can see how the Palestinians feel they have such a bad position and state of affairs and are being so badly treated by Israel, that they would rather die for their cause than stop fighting.

I see we have a 'circle of events' which needs breaking to achieve a result and get both sides talking to each other. It would need breaking from outside with help from some other country..... Egypt? USA?

I think Israel is the side which needs to change its actions the most.

Yeah. Let's assist that situation by stopping selling arms to Israel. Let's further assist it by us stopping the purchase of Israeli produce. It 'makes a statement'.

And once Israel start treating the Palestinians a little better and more fairly, then we could resume our sales of arms (and purchases of produce) so as to maintain a peace keeping balance with Iran and Syria.

Islamic fundamentalists seem to be increasing in numbers and growing in power. I think we should beef up our military strength massively because it looks like we are really going to need it for defensive purposes very soon.

yes - an embargo on israeli produce certainly makes a strong point, especially if the supermarkets were brave enough to advertise that stance - fat chance

an embargo on arms exports to israel, even though it would be circumvented for sure, is probably far too dangerous due to the knock-on effects in the region in general

of course, the real problem at the heart of it is israel's appalling treatment of the palestinians and the unwillingness of israel (and indeed hamas) to even contemplate the construction of a meaningful peaceful solution
de facto, i'm sure that would mean the creation (somehow) of a separate palestinian state
however, that will be anathema to far too many israelis as it will undoubtedly mean them surrendering a chunk of the land they have expropriated over the years, even if in doing so, it does not materially affect israel's own security

Israel would far rather annihilate the Palestinians than give them land.

The Palestinians would rather be annihilated than give in to Israel because they have been so badly treated by them.

This is the circle which needs breaking.

I wonder what things will be like in this part of the world in another 40 years or so.

it would be a start if israel started treating the palestinians like human beings ..... such short memories they have and it sickens me

the longer term solution may appear through some scenario, perhpas water or fundamentalist (isis) related, wherein my enemy's enemy is now my friend

Baroness Warsi turns on 'public school' Tories



Former minister addresses conflict between party funding and Cameron's inaction on Gaza




Oliver Wright

WHITEHALL EDITOR


Sunday 10 August 2014


Britain's first Muslim cabinet minister launches a scathing attack today on the "public school" Tories around David Cameron who have dismissed her for years as "a brown, working-class woman not good enough" to serve in government.

In her first newspaper interview since resigning over Britain's "morally indefensible" stance on Gaza, Baroness Warsi also turns on George Osborne and Michael Gove for failing to use their "very, very close" relationship with the Israeli leadership to push for an end to the conflict. And she warns that the "electoral reality" is that the Conservatives will not win a majority at the next election unless the party starts attracting more ethnic minority voters. "We've probably left it a little too late to take this part of the electorate seriously," she says.



More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/baroness-warsi-turns-on-public-school-tories-9659495.html

because iran and syria and no doubt a few others would be hollering and cheering at the thought of a weakened israel, and thus encourage them and their embedded fundamentalist cliques to be even more aggressive within the region.
peace in the region is the last thing they want.


-------

Um,

Are they anymore fundamentalist than the present Israeli government preyed upon by the Zionists?

What are the stimuli which lead individuals to extremist beliefs and their subsequent actions?

How do you counter them?

Well, it takes two to tango Fred ... whats your solution?

no, i don't think syria or iran etc are especially fundamentalist as they stand, but i'm sure that they, like saudi, are very much afraid of the current trend and manifestations, the latter being most obvious through al qaeda and now isis

israel, i think, has an intrinsic problem through its ridiculous knesset representation system, resulting in no less than 13 parties currently holding seats.
of these 13, there are certainly some which are hard-line right (don't ask me which) and on whom likud - already right wing though proven to be pragmatic when necessary - is reliant to stay in power

=================

i confess i have no idea at all how one counters fundamentalism (in its broadest sense) nor quite what persuades some to join its causes

however, is it any different from the millions who were persuaded to support the fascist/nazi parties in the 1930s, or to embrace the communist ideology in the early 20th century?
assuredly there are any number of other "nasties" that have appeared and thankfully and ultimately disappeared throughout the ages


enough rattling from me

"The next thing I would like to see our government do is to fight ISIS with 'as much as we can muster and a lot more besides' and try to destroy it."........ends

Well said exec, I dont always agree with you but lets bury the hatchet. I offer you a virtual hand shake, please accept it.

Lifes too short to hold a grudge and the truth is I cant hold a grudge more than 24 hours (unless its that numpty cockney rebel on advfn).

You are right this scum ISIS wants wiping out. I darent post the photos I have seen on Twitter here, the sad fact is that up to 1,000 are so called Britains.

A father holding his 4 year old daughter in his harms crying and she as no head on, and he cant find it. He say "how can I bury her she is not complete".

Totaly sick.

We should have moved in a lot earlier.

boots on the ground?
i don't think so

wipe out their leadership?
a possible line of attack, either via drones or SAS or Mossad perhaps

but i wonder how much of a "medusa" we have here

Bomb the sh-t out of them I say, and find out their supply line and cut it off. Cut thier funding.

Cynic have you seen those photos of be-heading, its grusome.

The SAS are already there.

44816 - no i haven't

how do you propose to cut off their funding?

Hey, Fishfinger, I know you like your Twitter pics. Worrabout this one of Stuey?

Ouch!

Hilary, yep what a corker, had one of those myself playing for Broad Oak my local team at the time.

When the swelling comes down its really nowt. Normally you have blackned eyes.

Can you remember Mike Gattings snowser, that was far worse. hes got permanent damage.

Cyners I dont know whos funding them, Max the other night asked the same question.

Lets find out who is and then cut it off. Without funds in time they will be useless.

500 burried alive...............SICK.