Scoplin:

You’re worth your weight in gold. You gave me my first bellylaugh of the week. People talk so much sense on this blog, I wonder why Sky News sounds so ludicrous by comparison …
I tell a lie. I know very well.

Steven_L:

“Les escargots” may be available somewhere “a la (why feminine?) rosbif”, but I can’t imagine you using a derogatory French term for an English person, most of whom don’t cook snails anyway. So not sure what you meant … !

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it certainly isn’t the war on terror if that’s what you’re implying, the ‘terrorists’ are running away with that one!

Iraq is on the verge of civil war (it’s only a matter of time before the Yanks are driven out with their tails between their legs as per Vietnam); Afghanistan is a constant problem; Lebanon is in ruins (as the result of an incursion by a ‘terrorist state’); British and US citizens have had their civil rights cut to the bone and all any terrorist has to do to send the oil price orbital and the stock-market into a tail-spin is to make a phone call to Ryanair in a comedy accent.

Sorry Steven, if you think the US and Britain are winning this fight you must be on some phenomenally good gear or have the odd chat to Elvis and Bigfoot.

It’s so bad one might almost consider gift-wrapping Bush & Blair and posting them to the head terrorist with a little note saying: “Really sorry about being so twattish recently, here’s a little peace offering. Love & XXXX, the West”

It’s a long shot but it might just work.

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Was that wrong, I though it might be, I haven’t done french since early 1996, she still like snails more than the English mind!

Auntie Flo’

said ‘The Swiss also supply Israel’

Israel are good buyers, last thing I heard they want to buy the F-22 Raptor, like the UK, Japan, Australia and Isreal do (well who wouldn’t). The Saudi’s are biting our hand off for the Eurofighter and we scored more F-35 contracts in May!!

Don’t be so down, we’re winning.

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Although public bodies are generally considered to be immune (except in certain circumstances) from claims arising out of tort, the Human Rights Act 1998 has been interpreted in Osman as imposing positive duties to act rather than allowing mere powers and discretions to be an excuse for inactivity. The current state of the law seems to be that there will be no general right to claim damages from a public body unless the body has assumed a separate duty of care, e.g. in the fire brigade, education services, and NHS. It is my view, however, that The Human Rights Act 1998 provides the motive force for this action and the legal mechanism to lift the veil of impunity under which the government is shrouded. In particular, the 1998 Act makes it unlawful for any public body to act in a way which is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, unless the wording of an Act of Parliament means they have no other choice. The Act makes available in UK courts a remedy for breach of a Convention right. This latter extension of the British courts has caused a furor in the press recently and allegedly made Dr. Reid blow a gasket (deportation of Afghan hijackers).

The worst is yet to come I’m afraid; the Act provides the best tool for exploitation of the British government since Harold Wilson.

Which is why Cameron wants to set up a panel of experts to work on a British Bill of Rights. That makes sense to me. Thank you for your excellent and most informative reply to my query, Kdapt.

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*should have said ‘anti- Apartheid’

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With great respect, Steven_L, that’s precisly what Switzerland did when the Swiss government turned a blind eye to their arms industry breaking the anti-Aparteid arms embargo on South Africa in the 1980s.
The Swiss also supply Israel.

Unlike here, the Swiss arms industry isn’t government subsidised. Remind me, exactly how much has our arms industry contributed to the economy over recent years, £1-4 billion depending on the economic climate? How much of that is wiped out by government subsidy? Almost a £billion.

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Cripes, Steven_L, your French is atrocious.

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People called Romans they go the ‘ouse? What’s all this then?

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