Iran has reportedly seized 15 Royal Navy sailors, off the coast of Iraq.
It is conceivable, I suppose, that the whole thing is a bit of a mix up. But, knowing the Iranian regime, I doubt that they'll be happy simply to return the sailors. They'll want to make political capital out of it, they'll want Britain to go begging on her knees for the sailors' return.
And the sad thing is, Blair will probably do it. Whereas Israel was prepared to go and fight for the return of its soldiers from Hezbollah terrorists, Britain's government - and, I think, most of her people - simply lack the stomach for a fight against Hezbollah's paymasters. The long drag through Iraq has drained the willingness of the populace to stand up to terrorist regimes like Iran's.
Nonetheless, I firmly believe that this is a fight that will happen sometime, and the sooner the better. The battle against Islam is not simply a question of keeping our own country free of Islamification - it is a question of cutting out the cancer at the root. Iran is a major backer of terrorism, and is working to destroy Christian Europe. It is also working to develop nuclear weapons, and, if it is not stopped, will eventually do so. The prospect of such people having their fingers on the button doesn't bear thinking about. For these reasons, I am hoping that our government - and America's - take this opportunity to hit Iran hard. This is something that needs to be done.
Update: Over at MPACUK, some Muslims are expressing their views on this matter. Essentially, they support what Iran has done, and feel that anyone who doesn't is a wicked Zionist.
Muslims truly are the enemy within.
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4 comments:
Time to get Her Majesty's Navy involved, and start an informal blockade. The Iranians are playing with fire here, and it's time they felt the heat.
Sorry chaps, you are stuck in the 1982 Falklands time warp; we don't have the same govt, confidence, leadership or, more crucially, a task-force Navy...
53% reduction since those heady days of 25 years ago.
Sorry bernard, I often say such things--I'm an American, and my first thought when it comes to crisis management like this is usually what the US Navy can do about it. I also have a very anachronistic, romanticized view of the British Navy, as do many Yanks.
In any case, it was a wish I was trying to express. It's not as though I really expect Blair to do anything especially honorable in these circumastances.
Surely we ought to have a military sufficient to stand up to Iran, though? If not, the country has gone even further downhill than I thought.
We do have the advantage of already having troops based both to the East (Afghanistan) and West (Iraq) of Iran, perhaps that'll help?
I probably share Sage's romanticised view of the Royal Navy, inculcated by the Boy's Own stories I read when I was 12 or 13. I would say this situation is definitely one for Hornblower!
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