Britain's army is simply too small and meagerly funded to continue a fight on two fronts.
it is better that Britain concentrates on one, and the one might as well be the front with the most public backing.
Re: Brits Out!
Britain's army is simply too small and meagerly funded to continue a fight on two fronts.
it is better that Britain concentrates on one, and the one might as well be the front with the most public backing.
Re: Brits Out!
Just to further illuminate what Pannonian has already written, the power to declare war is a royal prerogative - that is, a power retained by the monarch but invariably exercised by the Prime Minister (who supposedly shares the decision with Cabinet, but not necessarily in recent regimes). The Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament, but since by definition, he/she is the leader of the largest party, the PM can usually rely on their support. (To hold the PM accountable would, as Pannonian notes, lead to them putting their own seats at risk via the inevitable general election).Originally Posted by Odin
Tony Blair asking Parliament to support his action before taking it was a fairly major breach of convention. Oddly, he never actually needed to make up dossiers to convince MPs - he could just have gone ahead anyway.
In brief, for this and several other purposes, the Prime Minister of Great Britain has monarchial powers. They also own several kinds of fish.
"If there is a sin against life, it consists not so much in despairing as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this one."
Albert Camus "Noces"
Re: Brits Out!
I was not being facetious.
If they do not wish to continue supporting this mission, then they should be allowed to leave.
We should not unduly exert ourselves to persuade them to remain.
Sorry, "force" was a poor choice of phrasing.
"The only way that has ever been discovered to have a lot of people cooperate together voluntarily is through the free market. And that's why it's so essential to preserving individual freedom.” -- Milton Friedman
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." -- H. L. Mencken
Re: Brits Out!
Well, anyway, if the new French President carries on his way, US will have the Foreign Legion and the Chasseurs Alpins soon as the British troops will be leaving…
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. Voltaire.
"I've been in few famous last stands, lad, and they're butcher shops. That's what Blouse's leading you into, mark my words. What'll you lot do then? We've had a few scuffles, but that's not war. Think you'll be man enough to stand, when the metal meets the meat?"
"You did, sarge", said Polly." You said you were in few last stands."
"Yeah, lad. But I was holding the metal"
Sergeant Major Jackrum 10th Light Foot Infantery Regiment "Inns-and-Out"
Re: Brits Out!
I believe that Gordon Brown has given up the power to be able to use the Royal Perogative. Damn good thing too.
The British Armed Forces needs massive investment. I would suggest a large slice of Social Security budget gets given to them. With the money wages, equipment and personnel numbers can be increased, as well as encouraging people to go for the jobs in the first place.
An enemy that wishes to die for their country is the best sort to face - you both have the same aim in mind.
Science flies you to the moon, religion flies you into buildings.
"If you can't trust the local kleptocrat whom you installed by force and prop up with billions of annual dollars, who can you trust?" Lemur
If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter. Winston Churchill
Re: Brits Out!
Have you a link to that?
As far as I recall, he has agreed to allow Parliament a prior vote (and to be bound by its decision) should there ever be a need to declare war - but that's his choice only. In my understanding of the constitution, he cannot give up any aspect of the Royal Prerogative because it is not a power he has unto his office. The power belongs to the Crown, and as PM he merely exercises it on her behalf (by advising Her Majesty to go to war).
Thus a future PM is not bound by his decision.
"If there is a sin against life, it consists not so much in despairing as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this one."
Albert Camus "Noces"
Re: Brits Out!
In that case I might be misinformed... So he's promising us that he'll choose to ask... unless he doesn't want to for reasons such as they might say no...
An enemy that wishes to die for their country is the best sort to face - you both have the same aim in mind.
Science flies you to the moon, religion flies you into buildings.
"If you can't trust the local kleptocrat whom you installed by force and prop up with billions of annual dollars, who can you trust?" Lemur
If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter. Winston Churchill
Re: Brits Out!
I'd rather France send excellent units like that to Afghanistan to reinforce their current troops there.Well, anyway, if the new French President carries on his way, US will have the Foreign Legion and the Chasseurs Alpins soon as the British troops will be leaving…
"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?"
-Abraham Lincoln
Four stage strategy from Yes, Minister:
Stage one we say nothing is going to happen.
Stage two, we say something may be about to happen, but we should do nothing about it.
Stage three, we say that maybe we should do something about it, but there's nothing we can do.
Stage four, we say maybe there was something we could have done, but it's too late now.
Re: Brits Out!
I don't know, he's also said he's going to hand over the power to create Bishops to the Church. That probably has something with the previous holder of his office being as Catholic as Charles II.
"If it wears trousers generally I don't pay attention."
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