The Freedom They Died For

Citizens of Manchester, and I definately include here members of the local Labour party, you should be protesting about your local council's pandering to NuLabor by stifling democratic protests.
Members of these families have made the highest sacrifice by giving their lives. We, especial leaders of this government, should be honouring these people. Not trying to hide behind mealy-mouth health & safety excuses.
If the poddle cannot have the decency to meet the returning coffins. He should do the next best thing, indicate to Manchester council that this protest is part of his penance.
On another note, it is reported that the Home Office is giving in the region of £40million (of our money!) towards the extra costs of security.
I would have thought it more logical as the leader of NuLabor has caused the need for heightened security measures the bill for these should be directed to NuLabor.

Reg Keys' speech new to me . Many, many thanks to you, Q.

The expressions on the faces of the Blair Pair are among the most GHASTLY I have ever seen .

Ten minutes , maybe a little more, after watching that father, it sank in. Rage, and a certain prickling behind the eyes.

I thought back to the first of my fellow recruits to go, in Aden early 1966 , and my relief when my son just missed conscription here. Long before I'd offered to pay his fare anywhere, to get away, but Chirac then abolished the thing.

Does a good photo of the Blairs at that moment exist ? For utter ghastliness it just beats the one of Condi and Angela Merkel. The expression on Merkel's face is one of the deepest sadness, Condi an Angry attack dog exposed.

So Albert Square has already been 'booked' for two days for another demonstration, AND there are no 'camping facilities'.

Rubbish.

photo and text of Reg Key's speech.

I would love a high quality film of that, I remember watching it and the blairs were shitting themselves, a look of real fear when he turned round to them.

Qarsan --- just a still of that moment when both of them are really under pressure, please !

Does anyone have the technology to turn anologue recordings off the TV into digital?
Sad bloody anorak that I am, I have parts of the election run up and actual night on video...especially the Reg Keys speech.

Does anyone have the technology to turn anologue recordings off the TV into digital?
Sad bloody anorak that I am, I have parts of the election run up and actual night on video...especially the Reg Keys speech.

Qarsan, you said;
"Why are soldiers dying in Afghanistan? Because Bush and Blair failed to complete the mission and diverted resources to Iraq."

The real reason is that Bush, Blair and the military brass on both sides of the Atlantic failed to read their history books. The last man to bring any real order or unity to Afghanistan was Alexander the Great - and that achievement didn't last very long. The British army should know better - but doesn't - having been severely trounced several times in Afghanistan.

Yes, Alexander's regime fell apart shortly after he himself left the country, and certainly by the time of his death quite soon after. It is worth recalling that what success he did have in unifying and pacifying the warring tribes was based entirely on their personal admiration for him as a man. His bravery, determination, and honesty corresponded with their own values - what a contrast to the British and American leaders of today, who never go anywhere near a battlefield, travel under heavy armed guard, change their policies with every opinion poll, and never hesitate to lie or change allegiance.

Talk of "completing the mission" misses the fundamental point that there was never any reason to attack either Afghanistan or Iraq in the first place. The Americans were shocked and frightened by 9/11, which demonstrated that they were no longer immune to violence. Their government reacted by pandering to the people's worst instincts - it found a couple of weak, backward countries and smashed the hell out of them, killing in the process at least 30-50 times the number killed on 9/11 (and possibly many more).

In the recent sentimental commemoration of 9/11, we heard many times of the thousands of bereaved relatives. Not once has anyone mentioned the hundreds of thousands of bereaved relatives in Afghanistan and Iraq. The other day the UK media related, with a touch of pride, that some 200 Afghan "fighters" had been killed - a throwback to the days of body counts. No one stopped to wonder how many survivors would now be burning with anger and a lasting desire for revenge. Why is it so hard to understand that everyone - even foreigners - hates invasion by armed force?

Winston Churchill said "...we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender..." Why would anyone think that Afghans and Iraqis - and Lebanese, Iranians, and others - do not feel exactly the same?

I seem to remember the taliban offered to extradite OLB on production of proof ?

Just sent the email to Manchester City Council. Added a comment about Condoleeza Rice's comments telling us that democracy must be emerging in Iraq as now you can see people demonstrating against conditions there. So what does that say about democracy here ?

I am disgusted yet again that here at home our democratic rights are being denied to us yet again under the guise of safelty.

The families of those kids who died in Afghan are being denied their rights of democracy, yet their sons are meant to of died fighting to being democracy to Afghan? How in the world can the coucil sleep at night knowing it is nothing but a mouth piece for the Bush crime junta.
We fight and die bringing democfracy elsewere yet we are denied it at home. If labour win the next election then we deserve all we get.