Why come straight to the Balkans threads and launch into history lessons? You must have been lurking for some time to know the tone, subjects and levels of specific discussion areas. You immediately launched into trying to disprove some of the posters who have been on here for years. Whether you agree with them or not, there are some very knowledgable people here.
Unfortunately, very few of us in Britain care about Kosovo or Serbia especially as it's hardly mentioned, and those who do still care tend to have been against it and still reeling from shock that we dropped bombs on Belgrade (which was like bombing Paris or any other European capital to some of us). That is unless (a) you're one of Tony's cronies/ in the military; (b) you work for The Guardian and are frustrated because no-one wants to read your stories anymore; or (c) you have some other personal involvement (eg. you're an Albanian, Slovenian, Croatian who has a personal agenda or hates Serbs - in which case you have some company here on FR who I believe that you've met already). Maybe you're a renamed former poster?
Most of the British people who know anything about it, were disgusted by the attack on Serbia which fought alongside our own nation in WWII. My own grandfather and uncles met Serbian troops during the war and praised them (well before March 1999) for their bravery, humility and 'streak of madness' when facing battle (rich coming from the English). My relatives were terribly ashamed by the British betrayal by Toby Law - but that's a whole other story.
The 'fellow travellers' that you describe in Britain who are old and wise enough to remember these facts, and to have been disgusted by Britain's participation in an unprovoked attack against a non-threatening nation on our own Continent, were not just Left Wingers. Lord Skiddalsky, Peter Tapsell, Alan Clark… there were plenty of others who spoke against the bombing and were horrified by it.
New Labour stemmed any democratic discussion and slammed a 'D Notice' on the media to prevent the 'facts' coming out. This despite the fact that such measures are only used in times of war, and we were repeatedly told by Chairman Blaair that this was 'not a war'.
The fact that Britain's main role under Blaaair was to advise on the lying which came out of Nato HQ (Alastair Campbell was Eurostarred to Brussels when Jamie 'O'Liar' Shea couldn't get dirty enough) is totally repulsive. Mark Laity, the BBC's own correspondent based at Nato HQ was given a job as the Nato spokesman because he did such a 'good job' on the Serbs, um, I mean on his 'unbiased reporting during the conflict'.
I am English and joined FR because I stumbled across a certain thread in 1999 which was linked to a news index. I was against the bombing of Serbia and horrified that Britain, under the wannabe- dictator Chairman Blaair, played such an active role. There are plenty of people here who know much about the subject. Clinton and Blair were in bed together (who knows??!) on the Third [Reich] Way concept which somehow led to the 'humanitarian war'.
At least I note that you don't disagree that it was illegal, but your notion that law should be ignored when something is 'morally right' is deeply disturbing. Such a concept of who is 'morally right' is the sort of drivel that Alastair Campbell dreams up and the lightweights in New Labour lap up. What next? Hanging a shoplifter because you feel that it is your 'moral' obligation? Don't be ridiculous.
Laws can be changed through the appropriate channels, not altered to suit the moment or the political agenda. Nato breached the UN Charter, Nato's own Charter, the Geneva Convention, Helsinki Agreement etc. Those agreements were drawn up so carefully and have provided the structure for international law and security very effectively since WWII.
It is certainly not 'morally right', to any sane person, to launch state terrorism against a nation to try and force it to give up part of its land, especially when your land army and 'Allies' are known narco-terrorists who have been fighting a separatist battle against the state in which they live (and still live, because Kosovo remains part of Serbia).
[By the way, for your reference and as JMS has told you: Yugoslavia was not part of the Communist bloc, and never signed the Warsaw Pact. It was part of a different non-aligned movement and it was this very independence which was so disliked by the 'West'.]
Now, here she is…
…that "crypto communist propaganda source" behind the Committee for Peace in the Balkans. None other than Alice Mahon, MP for Halifax in Yorkshire, member of the North Atlantic Assembly and Chair of the Committee for Security and Cooperation in South East Europe. Here is a link to her stance on the bombing of Serbia. She actually bothered to visit the country (unlike Keith Vaz that bloated corrupt Minister for Europe who has now been sacked) and went out of her way not to meet Milosevic during her visit.
Nobody in Britain would describe her in the way that you did. Like Tony Benn she is respected throughout parliament on Right and Left (and I've never met a British person yet who had a bad word to say against her). It's true that she hates war (who except total morons, teenagers and Blaaair would like war for the sake of it?) but she is well-respected for her knowledge and expertise - hence her position in, and involvement with, various internationally-respected groups.
Your question 'what's wrong with Kosovo?' gives you away. For someone with so much background info (even though much of it has been debunked by my fellow posters), you could not seriously ask that question unless you are a supporter of the KLA. I hope for your sake that you're not in Kosovo, because the 'peace' isn't going to last very long.
"As far as independence for Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Croatia, Kosovo, Slovenia, Bosnia, (even the USA), I am all for it, as long as it represents the freely expressed will of the people."
You know, 'ABrit', it takes more than the anglicising of words to make a convincing English person. I notice that the only country which you have missed off the above list is England!! As you will know, Scotland is more or less independent now, Ireland (Eire) is independent (again, strange that an English person of your knowledge would not draw a distinction between Eire and Northern Ireland), Wales has full autonomy (but there is a big difference between devolution and independence).
England does not have its own parliament. Anyone that I've met with the pro-independence attitude that you're displaying, does not forget the role of their 'own' nation. You don't cut off all your surrounding nations and then just 'float' on your own with no written constitution or parliament. Besides which, how would you have an 'English' passport without these things?
[By the way, it is against British interests to have full independence for Scotland… we would lose the North Sea oil which could not be permitted to happen.]
There is a big difference between Wales, 'Ireland', Scotland, England and Croatia etc. - the British nations are 'our' business, but the others are not. Why would 'we' have an interest in securing independent for the Albanians who live in Serbia? What the heck has it to do with 'us'?
Finally, I would be most interested to know, if you are prepared to share your personal insights:
- what you think of Blair;
- what you think of the KLA;
- whether you agree that a Greater Albania should be formed with Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and more of Serbia;
- why you would support Islamic fundamentalism and the Albanian mafia in the heart of your own continent;
- why you appear to be the last remaining 'Briton' who is pro Albanian independence and virulently anti-Serbian. Strange that! And for apparently no reason at all!