And I regard it as infelicitous and culpable.wemyssSeptember 2 2013, 16:51:48 UTC
Look, over the years we've had to join hands with the Frogs to see off the Spanish, with Russia and Prussia to see off Boney, with Russia and France to see off the Kaiser, with the Soviets to see off Little Adolf.... Yes, every victory has meant we have then been forced to settle accounts with our then ally in the next round. But the fights were worth fighting all the same.
From butcher-and-bolt to counterinsurgency, we are the nation that wrote the book. Yes, we're in a bit of cleft stick, with few attractive options: but that is the consequence of earlier inaction, which in never an excuse for further inaction.
And there is this: historically, from Malaysia to the Maghreb, the Levant to Lahore, there is one thing these gentry cannot face, indeed which causes the buggers to flee in panic, all hopes of earthly power and eternal paradise abandoned. It's not Them, or HM Jollies, though these have their role; it's not the Yanks or Johnny Turk or even the Princess Pats and the Anzacs. The levies we shd be facing shit themselves, every time, when facing Highland troops and the Brigade of Gurkhas. When they hear pipe music and shouts of 'Ayo Gorkhali!', when they face kilts and kukris, you don't see this lot for dust.
Re: And I regard it as infelicitous and culpable.pathology_docSeptember 3 2013, 18:15:57 UTC
In our previous fights, the sides we were taking were substantially clearer. Mr Andrew Bolt, of whom I'm sure you're familiar, has asked the question "Should we be Al Qaeda's air force?", and I must admit he has a point.
It is one thing to dance to the tune of a more powerful ally; it is quite another to dance to the tune of one who might yet leave those Scotsmen and those Gurkhas to hang out to dry if the going gets rough and the political situation inconvenient. The worst-case scenarios posited re. the fates of a few brave men in Benghazi strongly suggest that he has form in this regard. And unlike previous wars, we have not the Royal Navy and complete command of the seas to use as leverage. My desire for action is strong; my desire for caution in the context of an extremely duplicitous and mercurial ally is in this case somewhat stronger.
I would support action which was taken in parallel with our US ally, so long as individual actions of HM Forces (under any national flag) were in no way absolutely dependent on US military assets and the overall Commonwealth Theatre commander(s) had right of appeal to their respective governments. In this regard, I would wish Australia to stay well out unless there were a change of government this coming Saturday - the current lot are characterised by their invertebrate nature whenever they are not characterised by their utter incompetence.
From butcher-and-bolt to counterinsurgency, we are the nation that wrote the book. Yes, we're in a bit of cleft stick, with few attractive options: but that is the consequence of earlier inaction, which in never an excuse for further inaction.
And there is this: historically, from Malaysia to the Maghreb, the Levant to Lahore, there is one thing these gentry cannot face, indeed which causes the buggers to flee in panic, all hopes of earthly power and eternal paradise abandoned. It's not Them, or HM Jollies, though these have their role; it's not the Yanks or Johnny Turk or even the Princess Pats and the Anzacs. The levies we shd be facing shit themselves, every time, when facing Highland troops and the Brigade of Gurkhas. When they hear pipe music and shouts of 'Ayo Gorkhali!', when they face kilts and kukris, you don't see this lot for dust.
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It is one thing to dance to the tune of a more powerful ally; it is quite another to dance to the tune of one who might yet leave those Scotsmen and those Gurkhas to hang out to dry if the going gets rough and the political situation inconvenient. The worst-case scenarios posited re. the fates of a few brave men in Benghazi strongly suggest that he has form in this regard. And unlike previous wars, we have not the Royal Navy and complete command of the seas to use as leverage. My desire for action is strong; my desire for caution in the context of an extremely duplicitous and mercurial ally is in this case somewhat stronger.
I would support action which was taken in parallel with our US ally, so long as individual actions of HM Forces (under any national flag) were in no way absolutely dependent on US military assets and the overall Commonwealth Theatre commander(s) had right of appeal to their respective governments. In this regard, I would wish Australia to stay well out unless there were a change of government this coming Saturday - the current lot are characterised by their invertebrate nature whenever they are not characterised by their utter incompetence.
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