Britain can attack Iraq without a UN mandate: Hoon

Agence France-Presse ^ | 3/25/02

[Husker24]

I keep thinking about those 500 Iraqi officers that were sent to Lincoln and the other 800 or so that were sent to Oklahoma. I wonder if some of these arnt still working for Saddam.

[GeronL]

Uh Oh! How can you let these uppity provinces have their own military and foreign policy?? The EU should be ashamed to call itself a country, pitiful thing. =o)

[monkeyshine]

Britain can attack Iraq without a UN mandate

Any country can attack any country at any time without permission from outsiders. That's the way the world works.

[Timesink]

His remarks appeared to be at odds with those of Britain's International Development Secretary Clare Short, who on Friday insisted that any military action against Saddam's regime would require a specific UN mandate.

Can some Briton please explain to us why this little peon of a woman is allowed to publicly spout her political BS against one of the most important members of Blair's cabinet? Why can't Blair summarily fire this bimbo for her fifth columnism?

[Kate22]

Geoff Hoon is commonly known in Britain as Geoff 'Who' because he is such a Blair stooge who nobody respects, and Clare Short actually has more influence in the party than he ever had (so you have that the wrong way round). I have no time for the likes of Short because they were the loudest supporters of bombing fellow Europeans in Serbia and now suddenly they're antiwar (again?). Such hypocrites.

What I would point out as a matter of fact is that there would be mass protests and even riots on the streets of Britain if the UK is involved in attacking Iraq. The Home Secretary David Blunkett has already warned about this - it is no secret. It should not be overlooked as a 'few' people - we're talking hundreds of thousands, if not millions, who are against the action. Blair just buries his head and pretends it's okay.

[Leisler]

Hey, take it easy on the frogs. Do you have any idea how much it would cost the sissys to retro fit their armor columns with forward gears?

[spitz]

Mass protests? Sure, the same old faces from the 80’s protesting because everybody loves to protest. Of course they will have their new (university left wing socialist) conscripts thinking they can change the world.

You gotta be a Guardian Reporter, Serb or both. Serbia has always been a hot bed for anarchists, a couple of D5’s would have solved the problem - ahh well missed opportunities.

[T Ruth]

Re your #25: Maybe (??) her public comments are intended to keep the Iraquis off balance. If the US & UK really intend to attack, it would not do for there to be no ambiguity in our position. Otherwise the Iraquis would know just what to expect and when to expect it.

[Kate22]

I am neither - what are you?? I am merely telling it like it is in Britain - it's just that it's not reported on your side of The Pond. I am sorry that I even tried to offer a British perspective - nice to know that in such a 'healthy democracy' I'm not even allowed to do that without someone like you responding impolitely and suspiciously. Thank you for being so welcoming and all encompassing.

Our whole country has become the 51st state of the US, and just because I paint a more realistic picture I am branded as not being British or working for The Guardian. I am an English free thinker - they do exist you know. If I was Serbian (which I'm not) I would be proud of the fact despite bigoted attitudes from people like yourself.

My comments about there being mass protests was not an opinion, it is a widely held prediction on both the left and right in Britain.

[Kate22]

This is from The [Tory] Telegraph, not The Guardian, and covers the report issued recently about the potential of civil disturbances in Britain.
Perhaps now you can see that this is not some 'Serbian anarchist' plot (??!) - it is a real fear.

Blunkett warns Blair of riots in Britain over Iraq
By Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor (Filed: 17/03/2002)

DAVID BLUNKETT, the Home Secretary, has warned Tony Blair that military action in Iraq could provoke serious civil disorder in Britain.

His message to the Cabinet came amid increasing unease among Labour MPs and European Union leaders at the Prime Minister's support for the US stance against Saddam Hussein.

A senior minister told The Telegraph that Mr Blunkett was concerned that an attack on Iraq would spark riots in the Middle East that could spread to Britain. Mr Blunkett reportedly told colleagues: "We cannot separate Iraq from the Middle East or we will have major disturbances both internationally and in Britain."

He briefed the Cabinet on the domestic consequences of joining a US military strike at a recent meeting. Muslim leaders last night backed the suggestion that tensions raised by the continuing violence in the Middle East could lead to rioting in the event of a UK attack on Iraq.

(see link for rest of story)

[OldPossum]

My apologies for spitz. Not every freeper has his attitude. I appreciate your input and concern. Sometimes I think that the only true friends we have in this world are Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. Notwithstanding some unkind remarks by some on this forum, lots of us are interested in hearing from those "on the scene."

[Schweinhund]

how come that the countries you support and build up as powers against your enemies almost always are your worst enemies some years later? how come that every time the UN comes into play, some moron has to say: but [insert commiefascist here] does not need the UN and we ought to have the same options. its quite simple, isnt it? ethics do only exist when there is somebody to enforce them. any other way everybody can sell and bend ethics and morals like ballon animals. in nations, ethics are upkept through the people's representatives, whatever we might think of them. but in the inter-state-relations there still was the need for an instance to control and judge in times of argument. but the biggest animal in the woods does not want somebody telling him that theres no actual reason to drop nukes on old starving enemies with unemployment rates of 60-80% and unbelievable death rates because of the medicine embargo held up for about 11 years. if they still have anything, that will most likely be weapons, right.

[Kate22]

Thank you - I really appreciate that. It is true that our cultures have different perspectives on things. I follow both the US and the European (mainly UK) press and sometimes it is hard to tell that we are even hearing about the same thing.

Britain is a case apart, because we are much closer to America and yet part of Europe. There's what you could call an ID crisis going on, especially with the English. Things are getting truly bad under Blaaair.

[Wraith]

Shades of the Bay of Tonkin incident. Looks like the reason for attacking Iraq has been put in place and all that is to do is develop it in order to get public support and of course topple Sadam. Like Mugabe in Zimbabwe Hussain needs to be brought down. I do hope that nuclear weapons are not used. What message will it send to the rest of the world who has them? An excuse like "Well the US and Britian used them (nukes) why can't we?"

[pabianice]

"Having your own essentially invulnerable nuclear powered thermonuclear warhead ballistic missile submarines means never having to ask permission."

[Anamensis]

I'm still trying to remember who Kofi Annan was before he joined the UN. Is he Egyptian?

[Anamensis]

Oh please lock and load; and watch the Frogs go positively ballistically bat$h1t. .

No, no, we mustn't... they might.... they might.... they might (gulp) go on strike!!!

[Husker24]

Why are the British people so against such an attack, just curious....no need to get pissed off.

[chimera]

While I appreciate the unambiguous and independent position espoused by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, I am wondering if his surname has aroused anyone else's curiosity? Its similarity to a slang down-under word has compelled me to check my Kiwi-Yankee dictionary (I'm a Yank myself) for the following definition:

hoon: TURKEY (human variety). This expression is largely confined to the southernmost part of the South Island (syn.: prawn, drongo). (c.r. 1980, L. S. Leland Jr., A Personal Kiwi-Yankee Dictionary)