No doubt Bertie will try and claim the credit for this good news as well. He hardly flew over there for the good of his health!

Bravo!!

As soon as Bertie arrived they called a cease as they didn’t want to see him showing up again and again. They should send him to Afghanistan. .

what i dont understand is that people fightong for freedom in libya ar revolutionaries but people who fought against Franco to try get freedom for their country are terrorists

And people who fought for basic civil rights for Catholics in the north are terrorists?

That’s because you’re only a terrorist if you are on the minority or losing side. If you inflict enough deaths and win then you are called a freedom fighter. Basically, the logic is this: the more people you kill and the more superpower countries you get on your side, the more likely you are to be accepted by society. Stupid logic but that’s how it works. The 1916 – 1922 IRA were regarded as terrorists in their time. We gain independence and they are suddenly regarded as freedom fighters and worshipped as heroes. The armed group UÇK was regarded as a terrorist group by most of the world until Kosovo seceded from Serbia. Now suddenly the world (excl. Russia, Serbia, etc.) looks on them as freedom fighters. The Tamil Tigers fought a similar war in Sri Lanka for the Tamils who were even more oppressed than the Basques in Spain under Franco or the Albanians in Kosovo under MiloÅ¡ević, but they lost and so are still regarded as terrorists.

Derek, I agree that the killing of innocents is wrong, no matter what the circumstances. I am simply pointing out the hypocrisy in nomenclature. “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” and all that. After all, the (P)IRA were regarded as terrorists by the UK, the Irish government and many in the Western World. However, they were regarded as freedom fighters by the Soviet Union. UÇK was regarded as a terrorist organisation by the entire world until Kosovo seceded from Serbia, then suddenly most of the Western World looks on them as freedom fighters, not as terrorists. Their actions hadn’t changed. They were still killing innocent civilians. They were still actively involved in ethnic cleansing, yet suddenly we were treating them as if they were a benevolent force! Nelson Mandela is often hailed as a hero, and as a great liberator of the African people in South Africa. However, the USA had him in their terrorist list as late as 2008! His ANC were regarded as terrorists in South Africa and regarded as such by many Western Countries (incl. the UK and the USA). Suddenly, the ANC comes to power in South Africa and Apartheid collapses and the entire Western World has amnesia about their actions. Suddenly they are no longer referred to as terrorists but as liberators. Even the Free French forces were regarded as terrorists by Nazi Germany. If we agree that all terrorists are bad and all states that suppress terrorists are good, then logically speaking you are suggesting that the Free French were bad and Nazi Germany was good. There is no other way to look at it unless you are a hypocrite. ETA are a terrorist organisation – they strike terror into the hearts of many. But their existence was as a direct result of Spanish governmental policies under Franco. The Basques happily lived as part of Spain until Franco and the Civil War as they were allowed to retain their customs, their language and a large degree of independence, albeit within the Spanish state. Franco banned the use of Basque everywhere, including in the home (though this part was not policeable. He banned their sports (including pelotta), he even banned the use of Basque names which had long been used in the likes of sports clubs, etc. Their dancing and music was prohibited. Everything had to be Spanish. Basques were discriminated against. Preferential housing was granted to Castillians moving into the Basque Country over the native Basques. Jobs were allocated on a preferential basis to Castillians. The Basques basically had no right to housing, no right to a job, no right to speak their language or dance or sing or practice their culture. They were not even allowed to engage in dialogue to improve their lot. Their only option was to fight. In this I agree. However, the death of innocents is not something I agree with, and when the Basque Statutes were implemented after the death of Franco ETA should have ended all conflict and entered into the democratic arena – something they were finally allowed to to. Not everything is black and white.