British Disgrace Becomes Fiasco
UPDATED below: Iran plans book, CD on Britons’ detention
Another great take on the hostage drama, this time by Toby Harnden, blogging for the Telegraph.
It took just two blubbering sailors spilling their guts before the Government realised its nifty PR strategy to hide the ignominy of what happened to the Tehran 15 had backfired badly. Now the original ban on getting paid for newspaper stories has been restored.
Bit late now, eh? The two sailors, about as much use in a combat situation as chocolate teapots, have got their dosh. They have cheerfully detailed their craven wimpiness. And the Iranians have released more video footage for the world to laugh at. What a fiasco.
In case you missed it, let me give you the highlights of what our brave sailors had to say. Leading Seaman Faye Turney opted for The Sun and ITN (“I chose The Sun because it is the Forces’ paper. You are always on our side. I trust you.” – Oh, nothing to do with the reported check for the sum of £100,000 then?)…
Meanwhile, it seems to be dawning on Captain Chris Air of the Royal Marines that he and his men might not have covered themselves in glory. In an unpaid interview with the Manchester Evening News , he said: “Some people probably did co-operate a bit too easily and were sucked in by the promise of better facilities.” Ouch…
OM Batchelor? You’re a chirpy, sensitive chap. Maybe you could work in a pet grooming salon or start a window-cleaning service – if you’re not afraid of heights.
Read the whole thing.
UPDATE
As if Britain hasn’t been humiliated enough:
Iran plans to release a book and CD detailing the arrest and detention of 15 British sailors and marines whom Tehran blames for illegally crossing into Iranian waters, an Iranian military spokesman said.
The book and compact disc are “being prepared and will soon be distributed,” Gen. Ali-Reza Afshar said in a written statement.
This is… there are no words for this. What a fiasco.
55 Responses to “British Disgrace Becomes Fiasco”
No, it took Realists.
Go read some books on the founding of our country, the internal fights and politics, the compromises (many of them quite venal by today’s standards), by primarily an elitist group of educated, wealthy, slave-owning landowners with strong ties the the Masons.
Not Idealists. Realists, with an agenda driven by a combination of Idealist goals and very pragmatic politics, and without the blinders you have on.
AR,
I love how you’re willing to whitewash anything US/Britain does because they are on our side, and yet I’m the one supposedly engaged in moral relativism.
I think it’s funny that you want to start another Middle East war while our military is already embroiled in 2 wars that we are losing, and yet you want to call yourself a realist.
Chris -
And I love how you continually claim I said things I did not, and then attack me for them. Typical Leftist bullshit.
And I never whitewashed anything we have done. Quite the opposite, I have fully acknowledged them. As a Realist, however, I understand that countries do bad things, ours and others. I just don’t buy into your Idealist doctrine that it negates the good we do, nor eliminates any right to feel nationalistic, or believe that I still support our actions and policies over those of Iran.
In short, they don’t create a need in me to become an apologist.
Anyway, it is obvious that we will never see a common middle-ground on this, so I am going to follow Bob Smith’s advice.
Perhaps you should take your own advice, since you have not provided anything more than a declarative statement yourself.
Iran is responsible for the 2nd worst terrorist attack against Americans, the kidnapping the murder of US military personnel and diplomats, attempted coups against Bahrain, the seizing of disputed Islands in Persian Gulf from UAE, direct funding and military support to Hezbollah, including advanced weaponry, illegal mining of international waterways, continuing threats calling for the end of Israel as a state, kidnapping another nation’s military personnel in Iraqi waters, and a host of human rights abuses too lengthy to name here. There are undoubtedly others, but those are the ones I can think of off hand.
MvdG, given the lies that so many Muslims are already force-fed and believe about the West and about themselves, I’m not sure that a bit of truth about our foolishness amounts to much.