02 April 2007

What a Difference 25 Years Makes

When I posted last week about today's anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the Falklands Islands, the bitter contrast of Britain's decisive response to that challenge with its weakling's response to the current crisis with Iran was not lost on me. Nor is it lost on Tim Montgomerie of BritainandAmerica.com, as he ticks off many reasons for Britain's decline:
Tehran has watched Britain and America consistently fail to respond to its militancy. Its subversive agents have - until recently - been unchallenged in Iraq. It bore no cost for its material support of Hezbollah during last summer's Lebanon conflict. There appears to be no limit to the EU nations' commitment to a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions. While the talk goes on and on Iran could be less than a year away from realising its dream of becoming a nuclear power.

. . . .

The 7/7 bombings showed that within the home-grown population there were people who hated Britain so much that they were willing to kill themselves and their fellow countrymen in suicide bomb attacks. Although the situation is beginning to improve from the darkest days of 'Londonistan', the British authorities have for many years tended to encourage extremism by only dealing with the more extremist 'representatives' of Britain's Muslims. As Michael Gove MP has written, this effective cold-shouldering of moderate voices is a repeat of the way Tony Blair promoted Sinn Fein's status at the expense of the SDLP during the Northern Ireland peace process.

. . . .

There are very few thinkers in Britain who are preparing for future threats. There is, for example, no appreciation of the likelihood of nuclear proliferation and the need for missile defence as our only likely protection.

In other news, Argentina today renewed its claim to the Falkland Islands. Considering today's Britain, why the hell wouldn't they?

No comments: