This is a poll. Who will be UK's next PM?

[Pontius Navigator]

1. A war can only be declared by a State actor. The Jewish State did not invade Palestine. They occupied the land they did not invade it. While Palestinians were involved they were not a State. State actors were Egypt and Jordan.

2. The US invaded Afg in 2001 against the Taliban controlled State. By what stretch of the imagination could you think the Taliban started a war? The war was started by the invader.

3. In 1967 the Israeli State made a pre-emptive attack on its Arab neighbours. In the process they invaded Syrian, Jordanian and Egyptian territory. As a result of this invasion and the ongoing War of Attrition the invaded countries went to war against the Israeli State. This, I am sure you will remember was 6 years after their invasion.

[John Hill]

1. A war can only be declared by a State actor.

Explain please the so-called 'Indian Wars'.

While Palestinians were involved they were not a State.

See above.

2. The US invaded Afg in 2001 against the Taliban controlled State. By what stretch of the imagination could you think the Taliban started a war? The war was started by the invader.

I have it on good authority, Ben et al, that America does not start wars.

3. In 1967 the Israeli State made a pre-emptive attack on its Arab neighbours. In the process they invaded Syrian, Jordanian and Egyptian territory. As a result of this invasion and the ongoing War of Attrition the invaded countries went to war against the Israeli State. This, I am sure you will remember was 6 years after their invasion.

Seems like an example of what I said, invadees went to war.

[Pontius Navigator]

John, Brilliant.

1. I was not aware of any 'so called ' Indian wars since WW2.

2. Which is why they call it the US Afghanistan War no doubt.

3. Exactly, which is why I pointed this one out as you mentioned the News but did not pick up on the most obvious retaliatory war.

[unifoxos]

Back to the original question - the next PM will be a wanker, without a doubt.

[John Hill]

I did not specify the Indian Wars as being post WWII but I offered them as an example contradicting your claim " A war can only be declared by a State actor."

[Pontius Navigator]

Like War on Terror? The attacker named the war.

[John Hill]

Like War on Terror? The attacker named the war.

They did? Ref your

A war can only be declared by a State actor.

but I am not aware any 'State actor' has declared a War On Terror.

[Pontius Navigator]

Like War on Terror? The attacker named the war.

However in the 19th Century and before terms had different meanings. Today the word War has been coined as a marketing word as in War on Want, War on Poverty, at the same time military adventures use different, less emotive wars, certainly in UK.

Policing action, confrontation, campaign, conflict, Troubles, operation, counter- insurgent, terrorist etc and indeed anything to avoid 'a State of War now exists ' which, no doubt, is a legal term enshrined in law.

[Pontius Navigator]

but I am not aware any 'State actor' has declared a War On Terror.

Posts crossed while I was amending mine.

I rather think you forget the biggest Actor of them all that declared that war.

The War on Terror, also known as the Global War on Terrorism, is an international military campaign that was launched by the United States government after the September 11 attacks against the United States.

[John Hill]

Policing action, confrontation, campaign, conflict, Troubles, operation, counter- insurgent, terrorist etc and indeed anything to avoid 'a State of War now exists ' which, no doubt, is a legal term enshrined in law.

How convenient for world 'powers' who can starve, attack, kill and invade countries they don't like provided they are careful to never declare a state of war.

I do so love this modern world.

[Pontius Navigator]

We agree!

[John Hill]

I rather think you forget the biggest Actor of them all that declared that war.

The US your mean? According to Wiki the US has declared war just five times and the last time was WWII.

[Pontius Navigator]

I rather think you forget the biggest Actor of them all that declared that war.

The US your mean? According to Wiki the US has declared war just five times and the last time was WWII.

Any one can amend Wiki, it is clearly wrong as I was referring is one George W and his pronouncement also from Wiki.

Mind you, GWB did have an unusual way of using words.

Nearly a decade after George W. Bush said "misunderestimated" in a speech, Philip Hensher called the term one of his "most memorable additions to the language, and an incidentally expressive one: it may be that we rather needed a word for 'to underestimate by mistake'."

[John Hill]

I am sure GWB never declared any war which was also convenient as it avoided issues with rules about prisoners of war and war crimes.

[1DC]

Reading all this lot is a bit confusing! Is the winner of this war going to become the next UK Prime Minister, or has the thread subject been lost(as usual)?

[Capetonian]

The thread subject has been lost.

I am sending a PM to Alison to ask for it be turned into a poll, which was my original intention.

[admin]

PM replied to. Cape has permission to set up topic with a poll - hopefully. Don't think it's possible to add a poll to an existing topic. So may need a new topic.

Cape start a new topic with a poll, and then I will merge all the posts from here into it.

Alison

[Capetonian]

Opinions on who will be the UK's next PM.

The poll option only allows 10 choices, I had more, so have had to truncate my original list.

You can vote for 2.

Please feel free to add any other potentials as a new posting within the thread.

[Capetonian]

Many thanks Alison.

Maybe you could delete this topic as it's likely to cause confusion. Or merge as per your suggestion.

[ian16th]

Maybe the question should be, 'Who do you want to be UK's next PM?'