Gordon Brown has no spine.

**rory_20_uk** · 09-07-2009, 20:39

I thought the who deal was for lubricant...

Pride is a very expensive thing to have. I'd rather Britain went back to basing everything foremost on the economic benefits and then worry about everything else. Getting oh so concerned with the rights of everyone else and the tangles this gets our country in needs sorting out.

Bring back enlightened self interest to the fore.

**Louis VI the Fat** · 09-07-2009, 21:41

Originally Posted by Rory

I'd rather Britain went back to basing everything foremost on the economic benefits and then worry about everything else. Getting oh so concerned with the rights of everyone else and the tangles this gets our country in needs sorting out

What rights of everybody else? Surely no Briton can be so busy with not caring less about everybody else's rights that he forgets that the UK has a sovereign airspace? It is not about everybody else's rights, it is about British rights.

So I would respond with a tirade about perfidious Albion, but that would be entirely misplaced. Because I think you've got it all backwards, Rory. It is not a matter of Britain giving preference to its profit over its pride. It is everybody else giving preference to their profit over Britain's pride.

The Libyans bloody brought down an airplane above Britain. Then stalled for fifteen years. Then gave up the wrong guy(?). Then got him back for a publicity stunt. And ended up being paid 500 million quid for their efforts. Just so British Petroleum could make its profits. Its not about profits for the average Briton, but for that international clique of billionaires in London, and possibly some scraps for their lackeys in Westminster too. I'm sure they'll throw you all a footy player or two to keep you quiet.

Brown lied about it too, as emerged later:

Originally Posted by guardian, Saturday 5 September

The row over the release of the Lockerbie bomber was reignited last night when Jack Straw, the justice secretary, directly contradicted Gordon Brown by saying Britain had been partly motivated by the need to secure fresh oil contracts when ministers tried, in 2007, to make it easier to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Straw accepted in an interview that he had decided in 2007 to drop his plan to exclude the bomber from a prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) with Libya after lobbying by UK oil interests, notably BP and the Libyan government. Straw was lobbied on 15 October and 9 November 2007 by Sir Mark Allen, a former MI6 officer, who was by then working for BP as a consultant. Libya was stalling on a £500m-plus oil deal with BP.

Brown, in a statement on Wednesday, said Megrahi's release had nothing to do with oil and was solely motivated by the desire to bring Libya back into the international fold after the country agreed to abandon its programme of weapons of mass destruction.

The revelation will be damaging for the prime minister who has been accused by Lockerbie victims' families and by some American politicians of putting Britain's trade interests before justice. In the face of international criticism, Brown said on Wednesday: "There was no conspiracy, no cover-up, no double dealing, no deal on oil, no attempt to instruct Scottish ministers, no private assurances."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009...-megrahi-talks

**Tribesman** · 09-07-2009, 21:48

How about another issue?
Should the UK government be involved in attempts to get compensation for victims of IRA attacks involving guns and explosives that came via Libya?
I would suggest that you think very carefully about the question before replying

**Mooks** · 09-07-2009, 23:01

In my long 17 years of life, iv been reading about foreign politics every now and then (through topics like this and news stations like bbc) for about the last 5 years of my life. All thoughout those many, many, many years iv ALWAYS read how british politicians are scumbags, cowards, double-dealin con-artists. Whats wrong over there? Is it the people that vote for the party and not the people (because they always have) ?

**Tribesman** · 09-07-2009, 23:06

All thoughout those many, many, many years iv ALWAYS read how british politicians are scumbags, cowards, double-dealin con-artists. Whats wrong over there?

Politicians are the same the world over, in your 17 years you should have discovered that it is not just British politicians who are.

**Mooks** · 09-07-2009, 23:11

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Politicians are the same the world over, in your 17 years you should have discovered that it is not just British politicians who are.

Ya, but other politicians dont always do such a horrible job at what they do; or at least arent described as such as other politicians. I shouldve added that up there and actually came back to this thread to edit.

**Beskar** · 09-08-2009, 04:02

The British are far more critical then other nations. Many people of nations hold a "You must respect your politicians." and that sort of deal. In Britain, it is a mud-slinging contest between the Sun, Daily Mail and other taboid papers.