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Saturday, July 19, 2008
Brown: No Timetable for Iraq Withdrawal
Asked during a press conference to set a timetable for troop withdrawl from Iraq, Gordon Brown just said...
"I am not going to set an artificial timetable for this"
So basically you're saying the situation is still not improved enough for Britain to withdraw its troops from this unwinnable war and that your visit has nothing to do with trying to deflect media attention away from the present bad economic news at home highlighted yet again in the press to-day by your Chancellor, Alistair Darling ?
He's right to do this. It would be irresponsible to promise to withdraw troops without concern for what would happen to the area of Iraq under our responsibility. We started this, rightly or wrongly, and it would be a dishonourable disgrace not to see it through to an acceptable end.
Why is he there? What prompted this desire to visit the troops and say nothing of consequence?
Seems an awfully long way to go to say "I am not going to set an artificial timetable for this"
Couldn't he do this at home? The media would have been less interested of course so...Ah I see now. How foolish of me to think it was something other than verbal slight of hand to distract from the collapse of the Golden Rules.
"The Prime Minister was unable to comment on the complete disintegration of his economic reputation but a spokesperson said "Changing the borrowing rules? Its nothing to with Gordon. He's in Iraq"
Surely, iain, the conservative party could think up some wheeze to play during the Labour Party Conference?
Cameron to visit Afghanistan FRONT LINE troops criticising the lack of support for them from the EU? that would go down well within the country and also grab the headlines!
Cameron to call for coal mines to be re-opened to produce coal to manufacture gas (as in t'old days!) Bring back Gasometers! (He could share a platform with Arfur Scargill!!!) We cannot rely on Russian Gas!
Cameron calls for an English parliament. England for the English is the Cameron Cry!
A opinion poll showing that Brown is considered 'useless' by the country?
I am sure your readers could think up a suitable trick to play on Brown.
Given that we have 7,000+ troops in Iraq, the idea that we can secretly withdraw them without anyone realising is somewhat unrealistic.
We have to accept that, either we stay until the insurgents get board of attacking us and walk away, or if we can't wait that long, withdraw our troops and take the consequences. This being the case, we should simply set a date, with some obvious caveats, and take our medicine.
He didn't set a firm timetable then Iain. Just an aspiration with clear advice to anyone that was paying attention that draw down depended on advice from military on the ground.
Probably as it should be, unless we opt for the immediate Troops Out tactic.
Remind me Iain: How many Tory MPs voted against this war? And the dossier was transparently pants as many of us suggested at the time, so don't use it as an excuse.
PS The figures Brown quoted were very impressive actually. And I write this from a resolutely Anti-War perspective. From six incidents a day to one incident every six days. A fall in violent incidents off more than 97%. And he was cautious enough to recognise too that things might change. What would Dale's Tories do?
Chris Paul should realise that its only thanks to American intervention in Basra that there is the remotest prospect of it being stable enough for the balance of our forces being withdrawn. Thanks to the British having insufficient resources (and operating under a forced early withdrawal scenario by Brown) and our generals therefor following a policy of appeasement, its only with US supporrt that the Iraqi Army retook Basra from the criminal extremists that Britain tolerated.
What should we do? The Tories need to ensure that we have more soldiers in our army with the right equipment for todays wars not hypothetical future ones, at the expense of fatuous projects like the new aircraft carriers.
Your question is not very clever Mr Paul it merely exposes Labour incompetence. Of course the Tories are not in power so asking what they would do is pointless - heaven knows how bad things will be in two years time.
The war is not unwinnable - it is in fact being won. Sadly its with no thanks to the inept and politically constrained actions of the British Army.
Brown is going for a scorched earth policy with regards the economy. He will borrow and borrow and borrow to try to keep things looking rosy.
He'll pump fortunes of taxpayers cash to bail out banks that should be going to the wall - under the guise of 'commercial secrecy'. The BoE will gladly stump up the cash to unknown banks.
The economy is in freefall, absolute freefall. Many businesses, mine included, has seen turnover drop off a cliff over the last few months. Fortunately, I saw it coming, took action early and hope to have the wherewithal to ride this out.
But it's going to be brutal and this guy simply has to be removed before the UK is on an economic par with Zimbabwe.
"From six incidents a day to one incident every six days. A fall in violent incidents off more than 97%"
Yes, so that's all right then. Crap and deliberately deceptive statistical reasoning, the sort of thing one has come to daily expect from the cretins in Treasury.
One 'incident', eh?
Care to define 'incident'? 20 dead in Tal Afar market?
18 comments:
Prime Minister,
So basically you're saying the situation is still not improved enough for Britain to withdraw its troops from this unwinnable war and that your visit has nothing to do with trying to deflect media attention away from the present bad economic news at home highlighted yet again in the press to-day by your Chancellor, Alistair Darling ?
The English people set a timetable for Broon and McLabour "Withdrawal".
Here it is:
Damage limitation for two years and then throw them out by landslide by summer 2010.
I wonder whether we should expect a similar such announcement at this year's Tory conference? Is it too much to expect that he's learned his lesson?
He's right to do this. It would be irresponsible to promise to withdraw troops without concern for what would happen to the area of Iraq under our responsibility. We started this, rightly or wrongly, and it would be a dishonourable disgrace not to see it through to an acceptable end.
Why is he there? What prompted this desire to visit the troops and say nothing of consequence?
Seems an awfully long way to go to say
"I am not going to set an artificial timetable for this"
Couldn't he do this at home?
The media would have been less interested of course so...Ah I see now. How foolish of me to think it was something other than verbal slight of hand to distract from the collapse of the Golden Rules.
"The Prime Minister was unable to comment on the complete disintegration of his economic reputation but a spokesperson said "Changing the borrowing rules? Its nothing to with Gordon. He's in Iraq"
Surely, iain, the conservative party could think up some wheeze to play during the Labour Party Conference?
Cameron to visit Afghanistan FRONT LINE troops criticising the lack of support for them from the EU? that would go down well within the country and also grab the headlines!
Cameron to call for coal mines to be re-opened to produce coal to manufacture gas (as in t'old days!)
Bring back Gasometers! (He could share a platform with Arfur Scargill!!!) We cannot rely on Russian Gas!
Cameron calls for an English parliament. England for the English is the Cameron Cry!
A opinion poll showing that Brown is considered 'useless' by the country?
I am sure your readers could think up a suitable trick to play on Brown.
Iain. I don't think Gordon Brown looks well mentally. Are there any rumours that he's perhaps letting it all get a bit much for him?
anonymous said...
"He's right to do this."
Given that we have 7,000+ troops in Iraq, the idea that we can secretly withdraw them without anyone realising is somewhat unrealistic.
We have to accept that, either we stay until the insurgents get board of attacking us and walk away, or if we can't wait that long, withdraw our troops and take the consequences. This being the case, we should simply set a date, with some obvious caveats, and take our medicine.
What's an artifical timetable?
I don't take the view that we should withdraw. Let the army get strong and find an alternative to the poppies.
He didn't set a firm timetable then Iain. Just an aspiration with clear advice to anyone that was paying attention that draw down depended on advice from military on the ground.
Probably as it should be, unless we opt for the immediate Troops Out tactic.
Remind me Iain: How many Tory MPs voted against this war? And the dossier was transparently pants as many of us suggested at the time, so don't use it as an excuse.
PS The figures Brown quoted were very impressive actually. And I write this from a resolutely Anti-War perspective. From six incidents a day to one incident every six days. A fall in violent incidents off more than 97%. And he was cautious enough to recognise too that things might change. What would Dale's Tories do?
Chris Paul should realise that its only thanks to American intervention in Basra that there is the remotest prospect of it being stable enough for the balance of our forces being withdrawn.
Thanks to the British having insufficient resources (and operating under a forced early withdrawal scenario by Brown) and our generals therefor following a policy of appeasement, its only with US supporrt that the Iraqi Army retook Basra from the criminal extremists that Britain tolerated.
What should we do? The Tories need to ensure that we have more soldiers in our army with the right equipment for todays wars not hypothetical future ones, at the expense of fatuous projects like the new aircraft carriers.
Your question is not very clever Mr Paul it merely exposes Labour incompetence. Of course the Tories are not in power so asking what they would do is pointless - heaven knows how bad things will be in two years time.
The war is not unwinnable - it is in fact being won. Sadly its with no thanks to the inept and politically constrained actions of the British Army.
Re McAvity Brown in Iraq.
I am certainly no fan but I cannot believe he is stupid?
In the BBC web pics it appears that he is not wearing any protective equipment?
Yet the people following him -who I imagine are part of his staff- definitely are.
Equally in the helio shots the "real hero`s" have protective clothing on.
Is Brown trying to prove something??
Or,should he be accused of defying HSE regulations or military standing orders by trying to look "Macho ?"
JH
It makes me laugh when he uses identical language to Bush. No artificial timetables, but there is a "time horizon"..
Seriously Iain, when will Blair/Brown/Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice be charged with war crimes? And when will there be an inquiry into the wars?
anonymous 12.31
We don't have another 2 years.
Brown is going for a scorched earth policy with regards the economy. He will borrow and borrow and borrow to try to keep things looking rosy.
He'll pump fortunes of taxpayers cash to bail out banks that should be going to the wall - under the guise of 'commercial secrecy'. The BoE will gladly stump up the cash to unknown banks.
The economy is in freefall, absolute freefall. Many businesses, mine included, has seen turnover drop off a cliff over the last few months. Fortunately, I saw it coming, took action early and hope to have the wherewithal to ride this out.
But it's going to be brutal and this guy simply has to be removed before the UK is on an economic par with Zimbabwe.
Think I'm joking?
Politician talk: "I am not going to set an artificial timetable for this."
True meaning: "I am not going to set a timetable for this."
Why do they insist on using these meaningless WEASEL adjectives? They do it all the time. All of them.
@ Anonymous 12:41 PM
Since when has "dishonourable disgrace" ever concerned these NuLab apparatchiks?
Indeed it's clear that they do not even understand the meanings of either word.
@ Chris Paul
"From six incidents a day to one incident every six days. A fall in violent incidents off more than 97%"
Yes, so that's all right then. Crap and deliberately deceptive statistical reasoning, the sort of thing one has come to daily expect from the cretins in Treasury.
One 'incident', eh?
Care to define 'incident'? 20 dead in Tal Afar market?
Yes indeed, whoopee!
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