Rock Apes and Tars don't come from Mars!

Alright, I know, my headline titles are becoming more and more obscure.  Let me explain.  "Tars" should be known to all Brits with a minimal sense of history as standing for 'Jack Tars', that is, sailors; however, "Rock Apes", I admit, does require slightly more specialist knowledge in that it was (and maybe still is) the deliberately insulting name my regiment gave to all members of the Royal Marine Commandos. (I never did discover what they called us!)  From this introduction you can probably guess the subject matter of this post. Apart from my brief comments below, I had intended to refrain from any further mention of the subject that the great Richard Littlejohn calls "Up the Shatt al Arab without a paddle". My reason was simple - deep and abiding shame.  I just wanted it all to go away and be forgotten.  Then we had the horror of the sailor and 'sailorette' selling their shameful stories for cash whilst fellow servicemen and women died in the front line.  Despite this provocation, I still could not bring myself to to comment further but earlier today an extraordinary event occurred.  A very dear friend, a lady of the 'old school', by which I mean some one who has lived their life by a simple but very clear code of ethics and honour, rang me in a frightening state of distress, literally sobbing her heart out. To begin with I thought a mutual friend had died, or that perhaps she had been informed of some dreadful medical condition, but gradually, between the sobs, she managed to gulp out that she had only just heard the story of the conduct of those British service personnel - she is a wise woman who never reads newspapers or watches television. 

Hers was, perhaps, an extreme example of how many British people felt, but I can't help wondering exactly how many?  I have a sinking feeling that it was probably not a majority and, even worse, I suspect it was a rather small minority.  If so, what does it tell us of 'The State of the Nation'?  Mostly, I think, that we have completely lost our way.  It also confirms the worst prognosis of Mark Steyn, and others, that the Europeans in general, and now the Brits in particular, are gutless, soft fruit ready for Islamic plucking.  Once upon a time, I loved my country.  I recognised its many faults of omission as well as commission but reckoned that in the long view of history we were, in the words of Sellars & Yatemen, "A Good Thing"!  All that was, and is, in the past.  Today I look at my country and see it filled with strangers.  They are either fellow Brits whose selfish, nihilistic anarchy is displayed daily in the accelerating murder rates, or foreigners whose Muslim creed is abhorrent to me. 

Do I care?  Well, no, at least, not as much as my terribly distressed friend who has just woken up to what has been obvious for many years.  I do have regrets, because the 'old England' had much to recommend it, but "that old common arbitrator, Time" is inexorable.  Athens fell, Rome was sacked, the Holy Roman Empire fractured, so now it is our turn.  We have handed on, not so much a torch, as a flickering candle to that great democracy across the ocean.  How they will fare, I cannot tell, and I won't live long enough to find out.  If they fail and the candle is extinguished, does it matter?  Well, perhaps that will have to be the subject of another post some day.  For the moment, I'm off for a large Laphroaig!

Comments

[Larry Teabag]

Yup, we've handed our torch to the great democracy across the ocean, whose selfish, nihilistic anarchy is displayed in their vastly higher murder rate.

Meanwhile our fair England is full of gutless old soft-in-the-head fruit whose agnostic-Creationist creed is abhorrent to me.

[David Duff]

'And the dimly uncomprehending shall inherit the earth' - and they're welcome to it!

[Planeshift]

Well the issue of story telling to the mdeia is one thing, but in terms of the sailor's conduct whilst captured then one thing is obvious: it worked.

The Sailors are home now, none of them are dead, rotting in Iranian Jails, or visiting terry waite's old room.

I should declare an interest here; I discovered over the weekend that I personally knew one of the Sailors concerned (not one of the one's who sold their story), and frankly the commentry from armchair generals who've never seen action is vomit-inducing. The person I knew is virtually a model soldier. Don't judge the behaviour of people you don't know who found themselves in situations you've never been in.

[Hank_F_M]

If asked to surrender, here is something to be said for just saying http://www.infowars.com/articles/ww3/iran_deadly_us_iran_firefight.htm>NO!

[David Duff]

"in terms of the sailor's conduct whilst captured then one thing is obvious: it worked".

Indeed it did, 'PS', er, the Iranian interrogation method, that is. In fact, so similar was it to the sort of techniques we used to employ I couldn't help wondering if we hadn't trained them - there always a few swarthy gentlemen on the courses we used to run. Unfortunately, the navy never trained their people in resistance to interrogation but the marines should have been and if so, the officer, in particular, should be court martialed. However, Sky News pointed out a couple of very sullen-faced characters in the charade that took place on the hand-over and my guess is that they were marines who had refused to co-operate.

This was an unmitigated cock-up from the top to the bottom. Our government should never have agreed to UN policy forbidding us to open fire first. The small boats should have had a heavily-armed helicopter in attendance at all times if the destroyer was incapable of getting in close. Senior officers in the Navy should have threatened resignation if the government, run by planks like 'Des' Brown, had issued orders they considered to be irresponsible.

The only good thing to have come out out of it is a *demonstration of the effectiveness* of psychological interrogation methods (not involving physical torture) of the sort that I have advocated for use here when homeland terrorism becomes a campaign rather than a few isolated efforts.

As for selling their stories - it was vomit-inducing!

Hank, I am told by a naval officer friend that when the Americans carry out these searches they go out with enough *personal* weaponry to start WWIII and any Iranian gunboat approaching them would have a real fight on its hands.

[N.I.B.]

David, don't you think it would be quicker just to write about the people who have *not* made it on to your shit list?

This blog is like watching someone falling over in slow motion - I can imagine the final ever Duff and Nonsense post before the paramedics are called in will be something along the lines of "All the world's problems are caused by everyone in the world but me, so damn you all, you back-stabbing bastards!"

[barry bananas]

The Waterboys: "Old England"

Man looks up on a yellow sky
And the rain turns to rust in his eye
Rumours of his health are lies
Old England is dying

His clothes are dirty shade of blue
And his ancient shoes worn through
He steals from me and he lies to you
Old England is dying

Still he sings an empire's song
And he keeps his navy strong
And he sticks his flag where it ill belongs
Old England is dying

You’re asking what makes me sigh now
What it is makes me shudder so
Well...
I just freeze in the wind
And I’m numb from the pummeling of the snow
That falls from high in yellow skies
Where the time stained flag of England flies
Where the homes are warm and the mothers sigh
Where comedians laugh and babies cry
Where criminals are televised! Politicians fraternize! Journalists are dignified and everyone is civilised!
And children stare with heroin eyes
Old England!

Evening has fallen
The swans are singing
The last of Sunday's bells is ringing
The wind in the trees is sighing
And Old England is dying