I actually e-mailed the core of this blog to friends a while ago - before Eton Dave came second in the Parliamentary vote on Syria - but the feeling is still there. It is the feeling that someone, somewhere, is going to goof - and badly. Even as I right this, there are people calling for a re-think. These people include the Mayor of London - the Right 'Orrible Boris Johnson - who is, let me tell you, by no means the affable prat he pretends to be. No-one - but no-one - could have survived so many cock-ups and lies without being not only astute, but utterly ruthless - but I digress.
To take an objective look at our past military intervention, select a country we have intervened in - you know, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq - and then ask yourself which one you'd take the wife and kids to for a holiday. See what I mean? That works, doesn't it? No, of course not.
Dave has to stop the swagger, because he has nothing to swagger with. We cannot afford it. We cannot cut back on everything from the NHS, benefits for the elderly (that's me, folks!) and street lighting (not to mention the emergency services) and finance a war against an unknown enemy.
The author of 'The Devil's Dictionary' - Ambrose Bierce, said that war was a way of teaching Americans geography, a highly-accurate if cynical view. We are not turning the other cheek here. For years now, this country has given shelter and new opportunities to people whose countries were in turmoil - very often because they lacked the humanity to sort themselves out. We cannot right all wrongs, and sometimes it must be up to others, because we have always been the others, and we are tired, Mr Cameron and Mr Obama - we are tired.
Still, take heart chaps, in the knowledge that I trust you both at least as much as I do Mr Putin.
I fear that you may be correct about the USA, war and geography. Colleagues of mine were in the States when Reagan ordered a tactical strike against Libya in 1986. Coverage on the rolling-news channels was predictably frenetic with the pundits constantly pointing out that Libya was .....'south of Rome'. Ah! That narrows it down.
ReplyDeleteOld Ambrose was no fool! I seem to recall an incident in which Uncle Sam carried out a surgical strike on two Iraqui hotel receptionists. That's the Americans for you - from Jargon Boy to Obama, you mustn't give them anything sharp to play with.
ReplyDeleteTyphoo may have put the 'T' in Britain, but only I could put a 'U' in Iraq! Blast! (Yes, I know the one about Scunthorpe, thanks - I may as well live there!).
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