Wednesday 15 June 2011

Yet more words of wisdom from a sensible politician

The BBC reports that Cameron has stated the UK can stay in Libya as long as is needed. In answer to that belief perhaps I might once again be allowed to quote Enoch Powell, as what he said about Iraq has just as much relevance when used about Libya:
"The world is full of evil men engaged in doing evil things. That does not make us policemen to round them up nor judges to find them guilty and to sentence them. What is so special about the ruler of Iraq that we suddenly discover that we are to be his jailers and his judges? ... we as a nation have no interest in the existence or non-existence of Kuwait or, for that matter, Saudi Arabia as an independent state... I sometimes wonder if, when we shed our power, we omitted to shed our arrogance."
Cameron most definitely does not appear to have shed any arrogance!

3 comments:

GoodnightVienna said...

I came in hope, MrW, only to have it dashed. I should have known it would be a dead politician!

TomTom said...

Britain has always had this Moral Smugness from Liberals in foreign policy - look at Gladstone - he would not spend on Defence but provoked over Egypt in 1880s and after a period in Opposition his party returned in 1906 to join France in encircling Germany.

It is a hallmark of British Smugness that they provoke but cannot fight and without consultation dragged their Imperial Dominions into European War TWICE. Why did Indian soldiers die in North Africa and Italy ? Why New Zealanders and Canadians ?

For some reason the British have a reputation as insufferably smug and condescending, but always need someone else to pull their chesnuts out of the fire






Unrelated, but those interested in High Speed Train (EU) Protests should look at the Stuttgart 21 protests Stuttgart 21

WitteringsfromWitney said...

GV: Sorry about that - It is often said that Rab Butler was the best PM we never had, but I feel the honour must go to Enoch!

TT: I'm in the middle of this Stuttgart 21 thingy