Party Lines
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 09:26PM Seeing as Gaza and matters pertaining to it is dominating both the MSM and our own ATW at the moment, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at where our political parties are officially positioning themselves via their websites. So, with all due weariness and foreboding, here we go...
Conservatives
Hague says Israel must stop attacking immediately, but once we have another of those wonderfully one-sided 'ceasefires' in place Hamas can carry on firing rockets while they are 'persuaded' by 'Arab Countries' to stop. Riiiiiight...
Labour
Well, Gordo's swallowing of the MSM line on all things Gaza has already been covered, but curiously not only there is nothing at all mentioned on their actual Party website, but there is also no Search Engine! Keeping up with modern times there guys, anyone would think you didn't want people to be able to see what you stand for too closely...
Lib Dims
Clegg is right off with the fairies, naturally. Not only is he calling for economic sanctions against Israel until 'things change in Gaza', but he then starts referring to cluster munitions and white phosphorus being used there, 'though denied' by Israel! Even the worst nutters on the Left aren't trying to claim that yet, but you can trust our good old Lib Dims to be the first to lead the way with totally unsubstantiated accusations against the Left's second favourite hate figure (the BNP being top of the list, naturally). He also then calls for an end to arms exports to Israel whilst not mentioning the teeny tiny fact that it is the same aid money he is perfectly happy to continue sending the money to Gaza that is paying for the rockets being used on...Israel. And of course he ends by telling us that the grand solution for the situation should be the strong presence of...you guessed it. The EU. Oh my.
UKIP
Quelle Surprise. Nothing. Zip. Nada. It can't be laid in any real way at the door of the EU, so it isn't happening and if they actually took a position on it it might offend a potential voter, after all. Pathetic as usual. In fact there is only one item coming up on a search of either 'Gaza' or 'Palestine', and it dates from July 2007.
FYI, you sad shower. This is why I left you. I may hate the positions of some of the other parties, but at least they've got the balls to have one.
BNP
With weary predictability, Nasty Nick is the only Party Leader offering a genuinely indepth analysis of the situation and naturally enough, as the core of that analysis, what British interests are affected by it. His conclusion - stay the hell out of it, it's none of our business. Ironically he offers probably the closest thing to an expression of support for Israel of any of them, simply by saying 'let them get on with it'. He also sideswipes rather effectively at the view that if only Israel was conveniently out of the way, all would be peace, joy and pink fluffy bunnies between Islam and the West.
"Indeed, the destruction of Israel (which is the generally stated aim of all the far-left and Muslim demonstrators screaming and on occasion rioting outside the Israeli Embassy in London, and the generally unstated aim of the far smaller number of neo-Nazi cranks siding with them on the Internet) would most definitely not placate a single hardline Muslim.
One of the fundamental lessons of the West’s long and at times desperate defence against Islam’s institutionalised aggression, sexual predation and imperialism, is that every victory for Islamic fighters reinforces the hysterical certainty in the word of the Prophet and in Islam’s self-proclaimed destiny to conquer the entire world.
The destruction of Israel would not send Islam back into a peaceful slumber, but would merely inspire and radicalise a whole new generation of Jihadist fanatics with the idea that the hour of their final triumph against the ‘Crusaders’ had been signalled by the collapse of the latter’s ‘Zionist outpost’ on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean."
Well, quite.
So there you have it, folks. Says a lot about British Politics, 2009. A hot button issue, and we have the Tories and Labour trying to outdo each other in following the MSM line, the Lib Dims inventing imaginary Israeli actions as they go along, UKIP with the usual blinkers on and the only genuinely sensible and intelligent insights coming from the 'knuckledragging Neo-Nazis'.
We are so screwed...
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Reader Comments (14)
I already posted on another thread the Tory position which is not entirely as you have stated it here. There are (as usual in that party) some quite straight up statements in support.
Happy to repost if you have not gotten them off Conservative Home.
Meanwhile the Times of all papers has written one of the sanest pieces on Israel and the current situation yet in any paper:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/daniel_finkelstein/article5461544.ece
DSD
You are good with this stuff so perhaps you could post up the UK relevants on the site. I posted it on another thread but it's all messy there.
Here are the events in Europe in support of Israel here and across Europe. Proving what we al agreed the other day about Hamas losing this one :)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Rome, Italy
Date: Jan. 10, 2009
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Location: Parco di principi hotle
Sunday, January 11, 2009
London, England
Rally of Solidarity With Israel
Date: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Trafalgar Square
Sponsoring organization: Board Of Deputies of British Jews and Jewish Leadership Council
Manchester, UK
End Hamas terror – Peace for the people of Israel and Gaza
Date: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Albert Square
Contact: Jonny Wineberg, T. 0161 720 8721, M. 07930 534422, jonny@jewishmanchester.org
Frankfurt (Main), Germany
Demonstration for Israel's Right to defend itself and against Hamas Terrorism
Date: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009
Time: 11 a.m. car corso
Time: 12 a.m. - a Solidarity Rally for the people in Israel
Location: we will (in all probability) meet at the Rebstock grounds (exact location will be disclosed after registration) and then drive in a silent car corso to the Old Opera – “Alte Oper” in Frankfurt where the rally is hold
Sponsoring organizations: DIG Frankfurt, Honestly Concerned e.V., Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland, Jüdische Gemeinde Frankfurt, „I LIKE ISRAEL“ (ILI) e.V., B'nai B'rith Schönstadt Loge, Jüdischer Jugend- und Studentenverband Hessen (JJSH), WIZO Deutschland e.V., Jewish Berlin Online (JBO), Pro-Israel-Initiative "neveragain", Koordinierungsrat deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen gegen Antisemitismus (Coordinating Council of German Non-Government Organizations Against Anti-Semitism), Jerusalem Zentrum, ICEJ-Deutscher Zweig e.V., Jüdisches Forum für Demokratie und gegen Antisemitismus, Prozionistische Linke, Jüdische Gemeinde Wiesbaden, Zionistische Organisation Deutschland, AKIM Deutschland e.V., et al.
Contact: for corso register by Email to: post@honestly-concerned.org or by phone: 069-975856-14
Web site: http://honestlyconcerned.info/bin/articles.cgi?ID=PR21909&Category=pr&Subcategory=16
Frankfurt am Main
Demonstration für Israels Recht zur Selbstverteidigung und gegen den Terror der Hamas
Datum: 11. Januar 2009
Zeit: 11:00 Uhr Autocorso
Zeit: 12:00 Uhr Demonstration
Ort: treffen in Rebstock (genauer Ort wird nach Registrierung bekanntgegeben) und dann fahren wir in einem stillen Autokorso zur Alten Oper in Frankfurt wo die Demonstration stattfindet
Organisatoren und Sponsoren: DIG Frankfurt, Honestly Concerned e.V., Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland, Jüdische Gemeinde Frankfurt, „I LIKE ISRAEL“ (ILI) e.V., B'nai B'rith Schönstadt Loge, Jüdischer Jugend- und Studentenverband Hessen (JJSH), WIZO Deutschland e.V., Jewish Berlin Online (JBO), Pro-Israel-Initiative "neveragain", Koordinierungsrat deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen gegen Antisemitismus (Coordinating Council of German Non-Government Organizations Against Anti-Semitism), Jerusalem Zentrum, ICEJ-Deutscher Zweig e.V., Jüdisches Forum für Demokratie und gegen Antisemitismus, Prozionistische Linke, Jüdische Gemeinde Wiesbaden, Zionistische Organisation Deutschland, AKIM Deutschland e.V., et al.
Kontakt: Für den Autokorso bitte registrieren per email: post@honestly-concerned.org oder Telefon: 069-975856-14
Webseite: http://honestlyconcerned.info/bin/articles.cgi?ID=PR21909&Category=pr&Subcategory=16
Marseille, France
Demonstration for solidarity with Israel in its fight against Hamas terrorism
Date: Jan. 11, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: in front of the Préfecture de Marseille (Félix Baret Place)
Sponsoring organization: CRIF in Marseille
Contact: Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France, Tél. +33 (0)1 42 17 11 11 or infocrif@crif.org
Website: http://www.crif.org/?page=articles_display/detail&aid=13110&returnto=accueil/main&artyd=2
Marseille
Manifestation de solidarité avec Israël dans sa lutte face au terrorisme du Hamas
Date: Le dimanche 11 janvier 2009
Heure: à 15 heures
Lieu: devant la Préfecture de Marseille (Place Félix Baret)
Patronage: le CRIF, le Consistoire de Marseille-Provence, le FSJU et l'ensemble des associations juives
Contact: Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France, Tél. +33 (0)1 42 17 11 11, infocrif@crif.org
Site web: http://www.crif.org/?page=articles_display/detail&aid=13110&returnto=accueil/main&artyd=2
Berlin, Germany
Support Israel to stop Hamas terror
Date: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Breitscheidplatz close to Gedächtniskirche
Sponsoring organization: Jüdischen Gemeinde zu Berlin/ Aviva/ der Berliton
Contact: Levi Salomon 030 88 02 8 357, Maya Zehden 030 88 02 8 230; Sharon Adler sharon@aviva-berlin.de, 0179/ 3920 858; Avi Efroni: info@derberliton.de, 0176/66151 361; Jörg Fisher-Aharon: joerg@fischer24.eu, 0162/1694995
Web site: http://derberliton.de/de/news/latest/support-israel-demo-in-berlin.html
Berlin
Solidarität mit Israel - Stoppt den Terror der Hamas
Datum: Sonntag, 11. Januar 2009
Zeit: 14 Uhr
Ort: Breitscheidplatz an der Gedächtniskirche
Organisatoren und Sponsoren: Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin (JGzB), Sharon Adler – Aviva.de, Avi Efroni, derBerliton.de und weiteren Unterstützer
Kontakt: Levi Salomon 030 88 02 8 357, Maya Zehden 030 88 02 8 230, Sharon Adler sharon@aviva-berlin.de, 0179/ 3920 858; Avi Efroni: info@derberliton.de, 0176/66151 361; Jörg Fisher-Aharon joerg@fischer24.eu, 0162/1694995
Webseite: http://derberliton.de/de/news/latest/support-israel-demo-in-berlin.html
Monday, January 12, 2009
Vienna, Austria
Against the terror of Hamas – In support of Israel’s right of self-defense
Date: January 12, 2009
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: 1010 Vienna, Place of the Jews
Sponsoring organizations: Jewish community and non-Jewish organizations
Web site: http://www.juedische.at/TCgi/_v2/TCgi.cgi?target=home&Param_Kat=16&Param_RB=&Param_Red=11039
Wien
Gegen den Terror der Hamas - Aufruf zur Unterstützung von Israels Selbstverteidigungsrecht
Date: 12. Januar 2009
Time: 18.00 Uhr
Location: 1010 Wien, Judenplatz
Sponsoring organization: Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien unterstützt von jüdischen und nicht-jüdischen Organisationen
Web site: http://www.juedische.at/TCgi/_v2/TCgi.cgi?target=home&Param_Kat=16&Param_RB=&Param_Red=11039
white phosphorus being used there
It is. I have seen it used with my own eyes on TV in the last few days. A bona fide war crime.
All well and good James, but it is almost always the case that the majority (often an overwhelming one) of Tory activists are completely against their leadership's position on any given issue, to the point of sheer absurdity when it finally dawns on even the most casual observer that there is literally no position so out of kilter with their own that will cause them to leave the party. It's a bit sad, really.
It is only "a war crime" if fired directly into civilian populations as a weapon. The Israelis used it as a flare Daytripper. This was shown in all photos and clips and is in fact perfectly legal under international law.
White phosphorus has been used in every war of the last 70 years, it isn't a chemical weapon but an illuminating agent.
I would actually have to agree with those more Zionist friendly people here on the use of White Phosphorous. Unless they are dumping huge amounts of the stuff on people then it isn't going to do harm. You need to enhale a large amount of White Phosphourous for it to be dangerous.
Looks like the BNP has it about right to me.
Excellent post, as usual, DSD.
If it is white phosphorus being used as the smokescreen as is being claimed, first off it is NOT a banned weapon under any kind of international law (though individual countries choose to not use it). And second of all, it is clear from the pictures being used that the munitions that it is claimed are WP are clearly not being aimed even vaguely directly at individuals, even clearly identified terrorists, and therefore their use does not constitute any kind of 'war crime'.
It may possibly be true. But we've heard it all before, sterilising agents and AIDS in the food, mysterious burns that turn out to be, you know, burns...the Pallywood machine has already been caught out several times so far in the past few days, especially with the little curly-haired tot with the blatantly false 'burns' being passed around like a present in pass the parcel outside a hospital so that different photographers can make the one child seem like many.
The Times article picture for example looks like it could very easiy have been photoshopped by a dodgy AFP photographer, because we've seen it so very many times before. The guy who supposedly took it is AFP's chief photgrapher for the entirety of Israel, are we supposed to believe that he personally took this very grand shot and that it wasn't in fact passed to him by another Palestinian stringer and then had his name appended to try and give it respectable provenance?
It is only "a war crime" if fired directly into civilian populations as a weapon. The Israelis used it as a flare Daytripper. This was shown in all photos and clips and is in fact perfectly legal under international law.It is only "a war crime" if fired directly into civilian populations as a weapon. The Israelis used it as a flare Daytripper. This was shown in all photos and clips and is in fact perfectly legal under international law.
Well it didnt look much like illumination usage to me. It was airbursts of WP clusters over urban areas.
2 seconds on Youtube even popped up a few hits.
Ill let each of you decide for yourselves. Looks like offensive use to me. Just like Falluja.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVY4NUKowzg
From the States: U.S. President-Elect Obama is mute on the subject of this Israel/Hamas war.
Now that institution of tolerance, love and peace, the vatican has chimed in with its "Gaza is like a concentration camp" rhetoric. I guess ratzi the nazi would have first hand experience.
To their credit, the vatican have shutdown the ratlines for nazi war criminals to escape, these days they just make them the pope.
If I had my way, the Vatican 'city' would get the same treatment the gaza trip is experiencing.
whoops, meant to say 'strip' not trip lol