Libya

[slobodan]

I wonder what our government would do if someone somewhere started an armed revolution and took over parts of the country ?? Just thinking "out loud"

Great question. Like say Bradford says "we are no longer part of the UK" and sets up their own government.

mmmmn Kosovo seems to spring to mind, or maybe Northern Ireland.

Perhaps the Americans will set up a no-fly zone.

OH NO! how would people get to the Canary islands? Chaos would ensue.

[yoshie]

I wonder what our government would do if someone somewhere started an armed revolution and took over parts of the country ?? Just thinking "out loud"

Indeed.
Funny never heard anyone on TV ask that question as a way of gaining perspective.

[Sancho]

I wonder what our government would do if someone somewhere started an armed revolution and took over parts of the country ?? Just thinking "out loud"

Last time, I think they pulled his guts out with a hook.

[Bogus]

Now we have " killing his own " and Northern Ireland in the same thread.
Lots of things to think about, "

[Rustinho]

I wonder what our government would do if someone somewhere started an armed revolution and took over parts of the country ?? Just thinking "out loud"

As long as we have a democratic way of removing our government an armed revolution is not only completely un-necessary, it is also quite immoral.

Rather than looking at Guido Fawkes, a much more recent look at how the government handled an armed revolution would be to look at the last 40 years of Irish republicanism...

After many years of terrorism (on both sides) eventually the way the republican terrorists (in particular given that they were the best organised and funded "revolutionaries") were brought to the negotiating table was by the government "allowing" (make of that what you will) the unionist terrorists to kill 2 catholics in revenge for every protestant that was killed. The war of attrition became too much for all sides and the rest, as they say, is history.

Gadhaffi appears to several commentators that I have heard/read about over the years as being pretty much a psycopath with little value for anything other than himself. In comparing the Libyan situation to northern Ireland, however much opposed one may be to either republican or unionist points of view, there were no psycopaths wielding anything like as much power (or funding from oil) as Gadhaffi has. In fact, Gadhaffi was a major supporter of the IRA over the years and would no doubt do the same again given the opportunity.

It's an incredibly complex situation that is playing itself out and I think that as it stands at the moment we, the public, have to accept that there is little that we can do to influence things in the short term. We have elected our politicians to govern and that is what they are doing to the best of their ability...

[Sancho]

We have elected our politicians to govern and that is what they are doing to the best of their ability...

Yes, although I recall that during the G20 riots the police managed to kill someone, without anyone getting charged for it. There is also video evidence of a policeman beating a defenceless woman, for which he was subsequently, and astonishingly, acquitted (although the name Sergeant Smellie will haunt him for ever).

I think, although I may be wrong, that Bogus's point was that protest in this country is put down immediately with violence with no come-back, so it could be considered a little hypocritical to invade other countries for doing the same.

At least their rebels have guns....

[puddlesurfer]

Isn't there some rule where someone mentions Hitler about now?
Oh buggar

[Predictable Bob]

That'll be Godwins Law again !

[Hilux]

what ever happened to good old assassination.

no i am not coming out of retirement again.

[gwh200]

Now we have " killing his own " and Northern Ireland in the same thread.
Lots of things to think about, "

Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realise that killing people, who are under your direct rule was called something else!

[Rustinho]

I think, although I may be wrong, that Bogus's point was that protest in this country is put down immediately with violence with no come-back, so it could be considered a little hypocritical to invade other countries for doing the same.

I can't think of any genuinely peaceful protests that have been responded to that way. The trouble is that "anarchists" (or thugs as I prefer to call them) are usually intent on hijacking genuine peaceful protests for the buzz of a good old rumble with the rozzers.

(As it happens, I think that good old Boris Johnson has made a mistake by ensuring the eviction of Brian Haw from his anti-war protest in Parliament Square Gardens - but this has been done following due legal process taking from last July and he still has grounds to lodge an appeal before the end of the month)

Pushing someone over (albeit totally un-necessarily and probably, in my opinion at least, criminally) and thus (probably accidentally) killing them is a whole different ball game to taking a city "street by street, house by house, room by room and showing no mercy" to quote Gadhaffi's speech on Al-Libyia on Friday night...

[Sancho]

I can't think of any genuinely peaceful protests that have been responded to that way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5egm0maQlQ

Acquitted. Joke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdFBHxNjfD4

Bloke walking home. Dead now. Pathologist struck off for incompetence after his evidence in this case was accepted.

I don't actually have any respect for these protesters and haven't been to the protests but let's not kid ourselves we have any right to demonstrate in this country or any chance of justice should the police decide they've had enough.

[Rustinho]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5egm0maQlQ

Acquitted. Joke.

I seem to recall there being more to this than meets the eye from reports at the time (re: woman being hit) but the exact nature of what happened in the build up (which isn't included on the youtube clip but I have seen on, I think, C4 news) is a bit hazy in my memory. It certainly wasn't as one sided as the video clip indicates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdFBHxNjfD4

Bloke walking home. Dead now. Pathologist struck off for incompetence after his evidence in this case was accepted.

Absolutely spot on & bang out of order on the part of the police. I've been in a similar position in London when I accidentally got caught up in some football crowd related trouble in the late 90s and ended up with a badly twisted ankle and a long hobble back home! The phrases "cover up" and "lying to protect colleagues" springs to mind...

I don't actually have any respect for these protesters and haven't been to the protests but let's not kid ourselves we have any right to demonstrate in this country or any chance of justice should the police decide they've had enough.

I still maintain that if a protest remains peaceful you have every chance of carrying it off successfully - I've been involved with plenty before and no doubt will be again in the future, although I'm more than happy to agree to disagree.

[sabreuk]

well im not going to comment much on this thread purely cause i cant be arsed with snidey comments but my two pennith on libya is dont rely on the info your getting about it from the media whether its tv,radio,news papers there are reasons as to why there is un forces getting involved other than the oil involved. on iraq we have a very small interest in iraq from a military point of view now and afghan its not just british forces there, there are many nations deployed over there you just dont hear about it for example canadian forces are there, the belgium armed forces as are there the french and obviously us and uk forces, you cant compare any of the middle east theatres of operations to northern irealand that was a very different type of issue. back to libya and bahrain this all stemmed from egypt having there revolt now all the middle eastern countries are following suit if all there currant leaders are kicked out of power who is going to take control of the countrys involved????? there still needs to be some sort of authority running things unfortuanlty its fallen on the un to take it upon themselfs to take control. im not disagreeing that oil is 1 reason which is why our fuel prices are going mad through the unstability of these countrys breaking down but like i said there are a few more reasons to why the un are involved. from a military side on libya the problem is grater than is being released in the media but not at liberty to quantify on this.

[slobodan]

Maybe some hidden agendas we know nothing about.

So you agree with me then?