HMS Cornwall

[Real Madron 6]

OK Firstly, from what i gather, they will release the servicemen & women if Britain admits to going into Iranian water.

 

so why don't they?

 

Secondly. We aren't even at war with Iran are we? Why did Iran even take them hostage? even if they did stray into Iranian waters. Surely a 'you're in the wrong water mate, turn around' would have sufficed?

 

Is this the Iranian govenment that have done this? I dont quite get it. especially photos like this..

 

Can anyone shed some more light on this?

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

If you believe the British claim that the boat wasn't in international waters, then the starting point would be to ask oneself, "Is it worth lying to the world community, making ourselves look foolish for claiming they were in Iraqi waters, and suggesting to the Iranians that illegal kidnapping can be effective, just to release 15 military personnel whom the Iranians are probably going to have to release eventually?" It would seem the British government's answer to that is no, it's not worth it at this point.

 

The Iranians didn't exactly help their own cause by initially giving the location of the British ship as somewhere in Iraqi waters, then saying the next day, "Oh, sorry, we meant to say it was 2 miles away from that, in Iranian waters. No, really. It was." And very heroic of them to focus on the one female crew member in their propaganda film.

 

As to Iran's motivation, it would appear to be all about bolstering credibility in the Middle East. "Look at us, we can stand up to the Western imperialist pig dogs". Ahmadinejad's original claim to fame is as one of the kidnappers of the US Embassy hostages in 1979, feels that episode did a ton to help Iran's world standing and harm the US's, and probably feels this is an easy way to make Britain look weak.

 

I say negotiate politely and tirelessly, get the troops home, then bomb the hell out of the six largest Iranian nuclear sites the next day.

[Tuber Mirum 125]

Perhaps Bliar is living up to his name and the HMS Cornwall was in Iranian waters and up to some sort of spying (intelligence gathering) activities. Did anyone consider that possibility?

[TLC 9]

Perhaps Bliar is living up to his name and the HMS Cornwall was in Iranian waters and up to some sort of spying (intelligence gathering) activities. Did anyone consider that possibility?

I did, but I'd like to think we've got stealthier ways of doing that.

 

From what little I've read of the story in the paper today, weren't we checking another vessel at the time under the remit of UN anti-smuggling operations in Iraqi waters? If so, why would we do that on the wrong side of the border, seems like an odd situation to use as a spying method as we'd be advertising ourselves and sitting ducks.

 

I certainly don't put it beyond us from a moral point of view. Maybe when I hear the story from a more neutral viewpoint than the chest beatingly jingoistic Currant Bun I'll make my mind up. I hope it's fairly easy for a third party to ratify our GPS reading, that should settle it beyond much doubt one way or the other.

[Tuber Mirum 125]

Aye, at the risk of underestimating the stupidity of the British Military, I daresay you're right,

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

Part of the problem is the disputed border at sea, which in turn was part of the reason Iran and Iraq had a lengthy rumble in the eighties; not that they needed much excuse, mind.

 

The border matters now because - despite where Bliar and the UN say it is - there's a committment in an Iran/Iraq treaty from the seventies to consistently review it. Given their mutual hostilities over the past few decades neither side has been in a position to deliver on this joint agreement.

 

The exact spot was a mere 1.7 nautical miles inside the UN agreed border, not necessarilly a place the Iranians would regard as Iraqi waters.

 

Add to that Iranian concerns over forthcoming sanctions and their - probably accurate - guess that a country stretched militarily to the point the UK currently faces wouldn't dare take on Iran and those 'arrests' aren't such hot-headed lunacy after all. I'm guessing we'll get 'em back but the price may include us agreeing that their claims to have the border at sea re-examined are legitimate. Who knows, they might rub our noses in it a bit more by getting that blonde lassie with the hijab and a fag to announce she's now a Halibut, called Fiha and she rejects western decadance in all its forms.

[Tuber Mirum 125]

Wasn't there a bit of a thingy a few years ago about the exact position of some ship or other?

[Josco 49]

Aye, at the risk of underestimating the stupidity of the British Military, I daresay you're right,

As an ex member of HM's forces (reaching the dizzy heights of corporal) I could take exception to that. It's our masters in Whitehall who are stupid.

 

Heard on Radio 4 this morning: "I don't know why they call it the Westminster village, every village I know only has one idiot."

[Dr Hackenslash 25]

Wasn't there a bit of a thingy a few years ago about the exact position of some ship or other?

 

My thoughts now are what they were then - that woman asking the questions was a bleeding-heart liberal who should have been shot

[halleluyahjohntudor 5]

Aye, at the risk of underestimating the stupidity of the British Military, I daresay you're right,

As an ex member of HM's forces (reaching the dizzy heights of corporal) I could take exception to that. It's our masters in Whitehall who are stupid.

 

Heard on Radio 4 this morning: "I don't know why they call it the Westminster village, every village I know only has one idiot."

 

The speaker had obviously never visited Great Horkesley.

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

Just watching highlights of the mob outside the British Embassy in Tehran. And what an organised mob - they even drove up a dump truck full of rubble to lob over the fence.

 

Are any death pools which allow in-season picks getting any of the sailors as candidates?

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

Not that I can think of, if you're in Handrejka's pool of death you might negotiate an; 'Any one from the crew of HMS Cornwall' modification to the existing list.

[Paul Bearer 6,109]

Not that I can think of, if you're in Handrejka's pool of death you might negotiate an; 'Any one from the crew of HMS Cornwall' modification to the existing list.

 

The Iranian version of 15 to 1?

[Real Madron 6]

Just watching highlights of the mob outside the British Embassy in Tehran. And what an organised mob - they even drove up a dump truck full of rubble to lob over the fence.

 

Are any death pools which allow in-season picks getting any of the sailors as candidates?

nah - not going to bother. great timing for me as the April Transfer Window is open right now in the PZ Death Game. not famous though.

[Josco 49]

Just watching highlights of the mob outside the British Embassy in Tehran. And what an organised mob - they even drove up a dump truck full of rubble to lob over the fence.

 

Are any death pools which allow in-season picks getting any of the sailors as candidates?

nah - not going to bother. great timing for me as the April Transfer Window is open right now in the PZ Death Game. not famous though.

Not famous? What is the definition of famous? I should think that Faye Turney has had more exposure (ooh er missus!) than some of the candidates on many a death list.

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

Indeed, as we tend to learn the hard way with inept DP picking - witness my pathetic attempts at the current CP and last WDP - fame varies depending on rules. So, for example, Fay would get DDP points on the basis of press coverage of a death, she'd be a non-starting WDP on the basis of no Wiki page and might sneak a CPDP because a broadsheet or the Beeb, especially via their Radio Four show on a Friday, might cover her (ooh 'er missus!)

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

Looks like this sorry little episode is coming to a close.

 

Here are your sailors back

 

It's the diplomatic equivalent of a school bully nicking a bag of sweets off a six year old, saying the six year old left them in the hallway, then returning them and expecting a reward for good behaviour.

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

Now they're home safe and that, how about:

 

If the Iranians want to get their message over so bloody much we round up the usual Z-list tossers who think they're somebody - ex-boy banders, that pin-head who's shagging Vanessa Feltz, unemployed and minging ex-tv presenters and lard-arse former Premiership stars - offer them to the Iranians and combine the usual low grade 'reality' tv shite with liberal doses of Islamisist ranting as the sorry crowd are put through their paces by hard-line clerics.

 

We could call the show.......Mullahed!

 

 

I'll get me coat.

[Harvester Of Souls 40]

Now they're home safe and that, how about:

 

If the Iranians want to get their message over so bloody much we round up the usual Z-list tossers who think they're somebody - ex-boy banders, that pin-head who's shagging Vanessa Feltz, unemployed and minging ex-tv presenters and lard-arse former Premiership stars - offer them to the Iranians and combine the usual low grade 'reality' tv shite with liberal doses of Islamisist ranting as the sorry crowd are put through their paces by hard-line clerics.

Yeah. 15 Z listers get to spend three weeks on a decomissioned frigate, in the Persian Gulf. They can be shot at. Beaten. Tortured and starved.

 

The men can write books on what it was like to be in a war zone and the women can write books on how they lost 16st on the Mullah Plan.

 

It's fuppin genius. We should patent it before Endemol do.