Anyone here bought Olympics tickets?

[BUSHWHACKER]

Oh no sorry you can't, somebody else has bought them all..........

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/govt-splash...094200388.html

[JD_975]

To be fair the government have said the tickets would benefit th UK economy....... I'm really pleased about that, I'd hate for the economy to suffer due to a government department squandering funds...

[che2318]

Benefit the economy?................

[flounderbout]

Yes for the good of the economy.
You sit a fat Saudi prince in the box seats for the 100m final. He orders £250bn worth of BAE planes and assorted armaments for the purpose of suppressing his people. Simples.
It's called greasing the wheels, and sadly it is a) standard, and b) necessary.

[Vultch]

See if Gaddafi had of done that he would still be in power

[Chillitt]

See if Gaddafi had of done that he would still be in power

Gadaffis son was greasing the wheels at the London School of economics for years and all he got was a Mickey Mouse degree, a nice mention from Ed Milliband at a speech and a target painted on his back. You have to grease the winners wheels....

[flounderbout]

See if Gaddafi had of done that he would still be in power

Why do you think Gadaffi was in power for so long...?

[John h]

Why do you think Gadaffi was in power for so long...?

I recognise that Graph.....

[flounderbout]

Gadaffis son was greasing the wheels at the London School of economics for years and all he got was a Mickey Mouse degree, a nice mention from Ed Milliband at a speech and a target painted on his back. You have to grease the winners wheels....

As for that, it was a prett mutual arrangement IMHO. The LSE gave Saif some academic legitimacy (albeit the way smoothed by £1.5m), and in return the UK government looked forward to continuing cosy relations with Libya and its large oil fields when lunatic junior took over from lunatic senior...

[Apache]

A Mickey Mouse degree? Christ, you can do courses in ANYTHING these days.

[Chillitt]

As for that, it was a prett mutual arrangement IMHO. The LSE gave Saif some academic legitimacy (albeit the way smoothed by £1.5m), and in return the UK government looked forward to continuing cosy relations with Libya and its large oil fields when lunatic junior took over from lunatic senior...

Yes it was more one hand washing the other. that comes after the wheel greasing. Sorry, my mistake..

[Vultch]

Libya was a terrible dictatorship

For the majority:

Electricity was free
Healthcare was free, if they could not cure you - you were flown to a county that could and the bill was picked up.
You got a $50,000 grant towards your first property when married (1 off)
you also got grants towards your car and land if you wanted to farm
Gaddafi want to tell the IMF in Africa were to go he proposed the African Dinar challenge the dollar and Euro.
Muslim banks dont charge interest on loans, in Libya your mortgage would be considerably less, which ####ed off western banks
Libyan banks had no bad debt...nor required bail outs

Its had oil and blue oil (vast water reserves underground)

Gaddafi told the french were to stick their fighter jet contract and he cancelled a french nuclear reactor programme
I'm sure the fact that the rebellion by dissidents started in france and the French were the first to bomb him was a coincidence.

the media never showed footage of millions protesting against Gaddafi as in Syria and Egypt ?? even mobile phone footage. perhaps because they did not.

In the final days 1.7 million approx 1/3 of the population came out to support him in tripoli. all we were ever shown was say 50 rebel fighters shooting ..no shots of Nato aircraft bombing the shit out of the place.

Now if you crossed him I am sure he was a brutal as any other dictator but his people seemed to like him.

[slobodan]

Some countries need a dictatorship.

Until The U.S. decides they don't.

[flounderbout]

Libya was a terrible dictatorship

For the majority:

electricity was free
Healthcare was free, if they could not cure you - you were flown to a county that could and the bill was picked up.
You got a $50,000 grant towards your first property when married (1 off)
you also got grants towards your car and land if you wanted to farm
Gaddafi want to tell the IMF in Africa were to go he proposed the African Dinar challenge the dollar and Euro.
Muslim banks dont charge interest on loans, in Libya your mortgage would be considerably less, which ####ed off western banks

Its had oil and blue oil (water vast reserves underground)

Gaddafi told the french were to stick their fighter jet contract and he cancelled a french nuclear reactor programme
I'm sure the fact that the rebellion by dissidents started in france and the French were the first to bomb him was a coincidence.

the media never showed footage of millions protesting against Gaddafi as in Syria and Egypt ?? even mobile phone footage. perhaps because they did not.

In the final days 1.7 million approx 1/3 of the population came out to support him in tripoli. all we were ever shown was say 50 rebel fighters shooting ..no shots of Nato aircraft bombing the shit out of the place.

Now if you crossed him I am sure he was a brutal as any other dictator but his people seemed to like him.

Hang on though. Just because the country had vast wealth and could afford considerable largesse to its people doesn't mean that it is a commendable system of government... The same can be said of Saudi Arabia, but a benevolent place it ain't...

Having said that, don't get me wrong; every single war we have entered into since the Falklands (and some would argue that too) has had precisely f all to do with the welfare of the populations of the countries in question. The so-called regime change excuse for conflict is transparently thin and intelligence-insulting.

I for one don't know why the powers that be are so coy about the real reasons. I am not convinced that if they said "we are going to war here because international power politics and access to oil demands it" people would necessarily be that anti (well except the usual suspects, but they are going to moan anyway)..

[shokenore]

Sitting quietly in the back and happy to let the discussion take it's course...