We are directly responsible for the disasters in the Mediterranean. The bombing of Libya into failed state status is now coming back to haunt us. The ludicrous idea, propounded by Blair, Robert Cooper and the Henry Jackson Society, that you could improve dictatorial states by massive bombing campaigns that targeted their basic infrastructure, is now a total bust. Sadly so are Iraq and Libya, to the permanent detriment of many millions of people. We caused both the Islamic State and the Mediterranean boat disasters, and we caused them with bombs.
But the lack of any effective policing is only part of the problem. What makes people so desperate that they are prepared to give all of the small amount they own, to ruthless gangs, in exchange for a dreadful sea crossing with a one in ten chance of drowning? Most of the refugees are sub-Saharan African. We only see the European end of the saga, not the terrible conditions on the cross Saharan journeys that they start with.
There will be no security anywhere if the world does not address the terrible scourge of African poverty and under-development. That is a huge subject on which I have written extensively and worked much of my life, and I do not wish to open it here. But what it does show is the utter stupidity – inhumanity yes, but also stupidity – of UKIP in thinking that cutting development aid will increase the economic security of the UK.
It’s not really the developement aid that’s the problem, it’s the stripping of African resources into the hands of Western/elite African ownership whereby the African people get little or no benefit
And it is perhaps intransitive. In any case, Roman victories tended to result in garrisons/occupation and this was not the case with post-Ghaddafi Libya. No point trying to be clever, we’re not in an (unidentified) Oxford JCR, you know 🙂
“May I be the first on behalf of the blog to congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on her 89th birthday. Long may her good health and outstanding public service continue.”
______________________
I very much second that.
And also express my complete confidence (which I’m sure you share) that HRH Prince Charles will be a worthy successor to Her Majesty.
“Do the Vociferous Posters on here believe that the Libyan refugee traffickers/people smugglers bear any responsibility at all for the deaths in the Mediterranean?”
__________________
No comments on the above, posted last night, of course.
What a surprise! 🙂
“Well here’ one refugee’s story which seems to confirm that the western-helped destruction of Gaddafi’s Libya drove them to make the perilous journey across the Med .
” I’m originally from Nigeria and I had been living in Libya for five years when the war broke out . I had a good life and was working as a tailor and I earned enough to send back to loved ones . But after the fighting started Black people—became very vulnerable etc ””
______________________
That is a sad story and there is no reason to disbelieve it, of course.
I am curious about the “becoming very vulnerable” bit – is this a reference, possibly, to racism (and also, possibly, religious intolerance) on the part of Libyans?
“I am curious about the “becoming very vulnerable” bit – is this a reference, possibly, to racism (and also, possibly, religious intolerance) on the part of Libyans?”
Perish the thought!
(aside)
236,826 signatures on petition to remove Katie Hopkins as Sun columnist
https://www.change.org/p/the-sun-newspaper-remove-katie-hopkins-as-a-columnist
also
“Katie Hopkins and The Sun editor are reported to police for incitement to racial hatred following migrant boat column”
“The complaint was made by the Society of Black Lawyers directly to the Metropolitan Police Commissioners Office, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, at 4.05pm on 20 April.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/katie-hopkins-and-the-sun-editor-reported-to-police-for-incitement-to-racial-hatred-following-migrant-boat-column-10190549.html
There does seems to be a rather condescending attitude towards Muslims on the blog. It is as if they are considered to have no free will of their own – that their every action is driven by the evil West. They are treated as dumb little children who are not responsible for their actions. So when a radical islamist fanatic blows himself up in a shopping mall, or a smuggler sends a boat load of blacks out to sea knowing full well they will probably perish, because really he thinks of blacks as lower than animals, he is not to blame. Oh no, it’s all the fault of the evil West.
Dreoilin
I would have thought you would have worked out by now that Katie Hopkins’ entire existence is dedicated to getting people fuming with outrage and firing off petitions. It’s like she’s hit the jackpot when you report her to the police for feeling offended by something on Twitter.
@Anon1 comments
Queen’s birthday = petty
People traffickers = irrelevant
Muslims = racist
Katie Hopkins = accurate
“I would have thought you would have worked out by now that Katie Hopkins’ entire existence is dedicated to getting people fuming with outrage and firing off petitions.”
I’m quite aware of how she operates, thank you.
And you might have noticed, if you were reading very carefully, that I posted two facts – I expressed no opinion on the matter.
“No sane person can dispute that Soviet rule was both totalitarian and criminal.”
Not only dispute but confirm. When these MWF like Goss and others picture USSR they picture 60th and 70th but not 20th and 30th. Who knows what would have happened to Germany if Nazis won that war (just like Stalin did). It might have been the same rich and technologically advanced Germany (minus Jews, Turks and all other non-Arians).
My point is that no “workers paradise” of 60th and 70th could over shine the horrible sacrifice soviet people have made in 20th and 30th (and of course during WWII when soviet military commanders have killed many more people by ineffective military tactics).
Mr Murray
But supporting dictatorships or ignoring violation of Human Rights (by them) is not something you are suggesting either? Or is it?
There is no easy and perfect recipe to deal with brutal dictatorships. There is no mechanism to remove them with no blood and establishing free and equal society straight after their removal.
You have seen it in Uzbekistan that no matter what assistance is provided to encourage civil society brutality of government supresses it and could liquidate any such assistance in a matter of minutes only if they (government) have very little suspicion of threat. You could of course continue “cocktail party relationship with fascist regime” in the hope that one day it will collapse, but history shows that this rarely happens.
“And you might have noticed, if you were reading very carefully, that I posted two facts – I expressed no opinion on the matter.”
You also posted a link to encourage people to sign.
John Goss
Yet no comments or thought from you about greatest “brown” Nazi gathering of modern times in St Petersburg http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-european-far-right-parties-converge-in-st-petersburg/517839.html
BUT you know for sure that there are Nazis in Azov waiting to be trained by US military.
Uzbek
You’ve changed your description of the likes of Mr Goss to ‘MWF’. Is this now ‘mad western fruitcakes’ or a typing error?
I’m calling them Westophobes from now on.
“You also posted a link to encourage people to sign.”
No, I posted the link so people could verify the figure, if they wanted to. I made no mention of signing.
Now stop trying to provoke an argument with me. There have been endless, boring, tit-for-tat arguments going on here, among the same people, for several threads. I’m not getting involved in another one.
End of.
Anon1
Sorry, it is just a typo. MWL they are.
They are not just Westophobes they are really mad people.
Prising soviet system which have killed millions of its own and hundred thousands who were unfortunate to be colonised by it (note soviet ideologists claimed there were liberating people and yet somehow they have extended massive empire even further).
Prising KGB thug who due to fortunate turn of events which spiralled oil prices over the roof established mafia state in Russia cancelling all that little freedom of post soviet system Russia have established, with clear imperialist ambition of rebuilding soviet empire and will not spot at any cost (there are more and more vocal voices of Russian establishment about possible nuclear conflict if only NATO dares to intervene in this rebuilding process).
Calling Ukrainians who are trying to establish true independence and sovereignty over their territory Nazis and at the same time not even noticing the largest Nazi gathering of XXI century in St Petersburg (ironically city which under its old name Leningrad experienced the largest death toll of its residents due to the blockade in war against Nazis).
This all are signs of madness.
But did you sign it? There’s no shame.
Anon1,
I think Westophobes would have been more unbiased than these MWL. One need to be mad (or paid) to be so biased.
We have a serious election ahead of us that will determine if we are to be sucked into a major war with Iran by the US neocons. Instead we have an Anon1 harping away at muslims with every other post, as if it were a balm to soothe the arses of all those buggered by his distant lithuanian cousin janner ! What the bloggers here should really be doing is trying to figure out what “winston silcott” ploy murdoch will pull out of the hat, to win this close contest for the Cons, and how to counteract the evil devils.
One other thing does not get mentioned here is abduction and arrests of Crimean Tatars in Crimea. At least 30 people have been abducted since Crimea formally joined Russia and more than 100 people (mostly journalists, bloggers and diaspora elders) have been arrested and most of the imprisoned. There is clear policy of fear dissemination (amongst Crimea Tatars) since at present days Crimea (thanks to comrade Stalin) Crimean Tatars are only 15% of population.
“They are not just Westophobes they are really mad people.”
You are quite correct, Uzbek. Mad, but fortunately quite harmless. One of the drawbacks of living in a free and successful society is that there will always be a shrill minority of self-hating lefties. Usually it’s just a passing phase but a few of them persist into adulthood.
What formulae lip balm do these suck-ups to the West use, to stop their lips chapping despite all the sucking up they do? Just curios.
It is pretty evident, that these suckups are outsiders (interlopers pretending to be one of us), given their fawning and wanton pandering to all things Western and their assumption that those of us critical of the arrangements regards running our own country are foreigners/haters/asylum seekers/Muoozlams/self haters/etc.
Hitler’s birthday and so far no “Rivers of Blood” speech on the bbc or is that ceebeebee, what is up? The traditional official fanning of the flames of hatred has fallen behind K. Hopkins, the standards are slipping, tut! tut!
I don’t think you are an asylum seeker, Fedup. I think you are a resident.
Police Scotland – “Please be aware that we will continue to monitor comments on social media and any offensive comments will be investigated.”
Think carefully before signing.
Chilcot Iraq War inquiry delayed again, may not report until 2016
http://rt.com/uk/251553-iraq-chilcot-delay-2016/
Dreoilin
Possibly they are waiting until Blair has dementia?
See also:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/04/a-horror-we-made/comment-page-1/#comment-521250
I get the impression no-one’s very surprised that Chilcot’s heading for the long grass.
Blair maintains he is not delaying it, though it is a perpetual mystery to me that anyone should believe Blair on any subject at all.
“For as long as Scotland remains part of the Westminster system we have a shared interest in making that system work for the many not the few,” she [Sturgeon] said, making clear that the SNP would back Labour on higher taxes on the wealthy. “It’s right that those with the broadest shoulders pay a little more.”
Yes, only a little, Nicola. Bearing in mind you are the sixth highest paid politician
IN THE WORLD.