On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:36:26 +0000, Graeme Wall
wrote:

In message
"Brian Watson" wrote:


"Clive Coleman." wrote in message
...
In message . com, Mizter
T writes
Dare I suggest that we buggered up Suez by having such a ridiculous
plan in the first place.
I know exactly where you're coming from and I whole heartedly agree with
you, but that doesn't change things. Our trying to take back the Suez
canal was a half baked idea, and was opposed by the Merkins who threaten
to bring us down financially if we didn't do as they said,

...by insisting on repayment of our War Loans...

Rather more direct, they deliberately started selling Sterling on the
international currency markets to devalue the currency.


it was no special relationship then,

That IS the special relationship.


The Special Relationship is a British political fantasy, the Americans have
no concept of it and don't know what we are talking about.

Didn't some old-school politician once compare the "special
relatonship" with that between a prostitute and her client ?

On 25 Feb 2007 12:53:28 GMT, Alistair Gunn wrote:

I don't ask you to believe it, be gullible if you want.

Well, if you want to believe that 100% independence (which I'll
certainly grant the UK deterrent isn't 100% independent) is logically
equivalent to 100% lack of independence that's up to you ...

Independence is an absolute state. Something is either independent, or
it's not. It's not possible to be 50% independent. Phrases like "A is
more independent than B" don't make sense (although you could
correctly say that "A is closer to independence than B").

In message
Charles Ellson wrote:

On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:36:26 +0000, Graeme Wall
wrote:
[snip]

The Special Relationship is a British political fantasy, the Americans
have no concept of it and don't know what we are talking about.

Didn't some old-school politician once compare the "special
relatonship" with that between a prostitute and her client ?

Sounds like it should be a Churchill witticism, but he is probably the only
British political leader to have had a genuine special relationship with an
American President.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 20:45:57 +0000 (UTC) someone who may be
(Nick Leverton) wrote this:-

If the entire police force of a county can't stop a couple of hundred
ravers from getting together in one place to have a party (a confrontation
which still happens in most counties most weekends), I'm not sure how even
the police+army is going to stop millions of people from leaving London.

Indeed. Such ideas may seem fine in television programmes, but it's
difficult to see how to stop human waves. I suppose one could try
using area weapons, like Saddam Hussein did using the weapons of
mass destruction we had sold him against the Iranians, but I suspect
that would simply make the public more determined and I'm not
convinced that most of the police or armed forces have forgotten
that they are not in the SS. Even if the armed forces were withdrawn
from imperial wars overseas I doubt if there would be enough of them
to stop the public in other ways.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

In message
David Hansen wrote:

On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 20:45:57 +0000 (UTC) someone who may be
(Nick Leverton) wrote this:-

If the entire police force of a county can't stop a couple of hundred
ravers from getting together in one place to have a party (a confrontation
which still happens in most counties most weekends), I'm not sure how even
the police+army is going to stop millions of people from leaving London.

Indeed. Such ideas may seem fine in television programmes, but it's
difficult to see how to stop human waves.

It wasn't an idea in a TV programme, it was official governemnt policy for at
least 30 years.

I suppose one could try using area weapons, like Saddam Hussein did using
the weapons of mass destruction we had sold him against the Iranians, but I
suspect that would simply make the public more determined and I'm not
convinced that most of the police or armed forces have forgotten that they
are not in the SS. Even if the armed forces were withdrawn from imperial
wars overseas I doubt if there would be enough of them to stop the public
in other ways.



You are making the mistake of talking about the present day, the policy was
in place throughout the 50s 60s and 70s. And they weren't planning on
stopping the whole population of London, they were talking about the weak,
radiation sick survivors of one or more multi-megaton blasts over the London
area.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:21:35 +0000 someone who may be Graeme Wall
wrote this:-

You are making the mistake of talking about the present day,

I am making the "mistake" of talking about the subject under
discussion, "a dirty biological bomb in London".


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

In message
David Hansen wrote:

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:21:35 +0000 someone who may be Graeme Wall
wrote this:-

You are making the mistake of talking about the present day,

I am making the "mistake" of talking about the subject under
discussion, "a dirty biological bomb in London".



Ah, your subject under discussion, not everyone elses.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:40:59 +0000 someone who may be Graeme Wall
wrote this:-

I am making the "mistake" of talking about the subject under
discussion, "a dirty biological bomb in London".

Ah, your subject under discussion, not everyone elses.

Nice try. However, it is the subject which was put at the start of
this little bit of the thread by another poster.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:25:43 +0000, David Hansen wrote:

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:40:59 +0000 someone who may be Graeme Wall
wrote this:-

I am making the "mistake" of talking about the subject under
discussion, "a dirty biological bomb in London".

Ah, your subject under discussion, not everyone elses.

Nice try.

YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!


Ian

On Sat, Feb 24, 2007 at 08:14:37AM -0000, Brian Watson wrote:
"Alistair Gunn" wrote in message
. ..
People are always claiming that the UK Tridents can't be fired without
the USA authorisation (or even that only the USA controls them), but they
never seem to be able to provide any evidence for this (or any evidence
as to why the UK would be foolish enough to sign up to such a deal).
Might be something to do with incurring HUGE debts to the US during WW1 and
the rematch between 1939 and '45.
It's call the "special relationship" - either we site their missiles or they
bankrupt us.

No can do - the last payments on those debts were made some time in the
last year IIRC.

--
David Cantrell | top google result for "topless karaoke murders"

There once a a tramp with "enable"
Whose router used proprietary cables.
When he got ****ed on meths,
He thought "screw IOS",
"Let's apt-get install iptables"