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we were encouraged to vote Tory, the party that looks after the military (they didn't). Today Sky News are reporting that service personnel are being forced to use food banks. Rool britanya.
During my time in HM forces on 12:18 - Jun 12 by Lord_Lucan
How did he join the dots up with 9/11 and Iraq?
Id have to listen to it again, but I think the link was there because essentially they'd tried to contain the Al Qaeda threat for many years and of course 9/11 happened.
So there was then huge concern in the US about being open to attacks from other areas.
Rory Stewart is very critical of our own intelligence as that was saying Iraq had this stuff still. Which you can kind of understand as he'd used it against the Kurds.
During my time in HM forces on 12:26 - Jun 12 by nodge_blue
Id have to listen to it again, but I think the link was there because essentially they'd tried to contain the Al Qaeda threat for many years and of course 9/11 happened.
So there was then huge concern in the US about being open to attacks from other areas.
Rory Stewart is very critical of our own intelligence as that was saying Iraq had this stuff still. Which you can kind of understand as he'd used it against the Kurds.
[Post edited 12 Jun 2023 13:44]
Problem is it's a load of rubbish.
Bush junior used 9/11 as an excuse to do what Bush senior didn't have the backing to do.
I'm not suggesting that Saddam wasn't a bad man and did terrible things but that is technically besides the point.
Also, let's not forget that UK and USA massively backed The Mujahideen in many many ways only a few years before when they helped The Afghans kick Russia out of Afghanistan.
For Alistair Campbell, director of communications and strategy to Tony Blair to hold a straight face while discussing the invasion or Iraq is quite frankly mind boggling.
“Hello, I'm your MP. Actually I'm not. I'm your candidate. Gosh.”
Boris Johnson canvassing in Henley, 2005.
During my time in HM forces on 12:22 - Jun 12 by GlasgowBlue
2 Episodes.
It's been a month since I listened to them but from what I recall Campbell is very confident and single minded in making the decision to invade, which is covered in the first episode, but is very much on the defensive as Rory Stewart tears him apart over the lack of planning for what happens once Saddam is gone.
There is also a very good exchange between Rory Stewart and Jonathan Powell at 33.04 on the subject. One of the few times I've heard Rory Stewart get angry.
Of course Rory Stewart has personal experience of Iraq.
[Post edited 12 Jun 2023 12:53]
I think the lack of planning for the outcome is the one thing everyone can agree on, irrespective of whether they supported the invasion or not. It was criminal really and so foreseeable (it's basic create a power vacuum stuff). We didn't learn our lesson either given how we withdrew from Afghanistan with no thought for the after effects. It's like these things are being run by toddlers.
During my time in HM forces on 13:09 - Jun 12 by Lord_Lucan
Problem is it's a load of rubbish.
Bush junior used 9/11 as an excuse to do what Bush senior didn't have the backing to do.
I'm not suggesting that Saddam wasn't a bad man and did terrible things but that is technically besides the point.
Also, let's not forget that UK and USA massively backed The Mujahideen in many many ways only a few years before when they helped The Afghans kick Russia out of Afghanistan.
For Alistair Campbell, director of communications and strategy to Tony Blair to hold a straight face while discussing the invasion or Iraq is quite frankly mind boggling.
Yes sure.
I was opposed to it at the time because it felt like a tinder box ready to explode. You only had to watch Laurence of arabia to get a feel for that. A minority (Sunnis?) ruling over a majority. The idea that some sort of democracy would just bloom was madness.
During my time in HM forces on 13:42 - Jun 12 by nodge_blue
Yes sure.
I was opposed to it at the time because it felt like a tinder box ready to explode. You only had to watch Laurence of arabia to get a feel for that. A minority (Sunnis?) ruling over a majority. The idea that some sort of democracy would just bloom was madness.
But the podcast is interesting to listen to.
To be fair I have the podcast on my hit list but I'm just about to listen to this.
I wasn't totally against going into Iraq but I just knew they would feck up the rebuilding of the place. I mean, what's the point of changing something for the worse? You spend billions taking the place and then leave it to a load of nut jobs to screw it up even more.
“Hello, I'm your MP. Actually I'm not. I'm your candidate. Gosh.”
Boris Johnson canvassing in Henley, 2005.
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