Saturday 14 April 2018

The Syria strikes.


I have spent the last few days listening too, watching and reading various media outlets. We have now bombed specific targets in Syria and its very interesting to observe how the media was and is reporting this, and what is peoples reactions.

There is undeniably a lot of people here in the UK disbelieving the west's reason for taking direct offensive action against Syria.
To be against it on pacifist grounds or afraid of some third world war is not what I'm interested in.

To be against the strikes because you disbelieve our own government is what interests me. Not because you disbelieve our government and that you should blindly believe everything they tell you – a bit of scepticism is a good thing- but because some people would rather defend Putin.
I'm not going to defend our government. I distrust them as much as the next person; and I sincerely wish this wasn't the case. I want to live in a country where I believe in my government . Where I respect my political leaders; but sadly I don't. I'm also not here to defend Putin or Assad either.

That mother of all arseholes Tony Blair is one of the main reasons for this mindset of distrust. He lied to government and he lied to the people; and yet he's still there trying to control world events . How is that man still at large. Why has his obscene wealth not being taken from him and given to the families of British soldiers for whom he destroyed. Why has he not stood trial for the countless thousands of deaths he is responsible for.
The man is partly responsible for everything that has gone wrong in the middle east since his toadying to Dubya resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and had knock on effects to Isis, London 7/7 and young girls being murdered in Manchester.
Blair even lied to the British people when he opened the doors to mass immigration. His aim- it eventually came out- was to keep the Tories out forever. Another lie from our political leaders.
Paedophile gangs on the loose for decades and attempts to cover it up. And they wonder why we don't trust them.
The sad truth is. Blair is pro-bombing Syria. That sets alarm bells of to so many people.

But its not just him. Blair has been gone a long time why has our faith in our political leaders not been restored ?
Myself, its quite obvious to see. What Blair did resulted in huge distrust in our politicians. His actions alone could take years or even a generation to repair.
But other things have happened as well.
Look at Brexit. If you are for or against is not the issue. The lies, scaremongering and absolute bullshit that we were bombarded with-from both sides- was another huge 'how the hell can we believe anything that politicians tell us' moment. We were told it would be the best thing ever and the worst thing ever- by our political leaders. And since the vote to leave barely a day goes by without some politicians trying to overturn democracy simply because they don't agree with the result. Another reason not to trust them.

We had the expenses scandal. All politicians were as bad, irrespective of party. Then they arrogantly treat us like fools for questioning their grubby money grabbing greed. They think they have a god given right to our hard earned cash, for themselves and to just through away as they see fit. HS2, foreign aid -I'm not a fan of benefits, whether its the family on the dole or a country, it only breeds dependency. Then you have all the quangos,workshops committees etc, just throwing OUR money away.

We have also had years of austerity and we get told even of our latest chancellor that 'it was unnecessary' WHAT !

Also we see our politicians are so blinded by party politics -party comes first- that they will oppose a good idea ,just because the other side thought of it. All we see as voters, is two houses full of overpaid, corrupt self serving party loyalists. We also now have a new elite in Europe and the UK. The royals have become major celebrities. Its political dynasties and multinationals that is now taking over.
Lets be honest we haven't got bloody clue what is going on.

What about the media. Surely we should know the truth by listening to our media.
But Don't forget huge parts of the media were banging the drums to go into Iraq. Now huge parts of the media are squarely pointing the finger at Assad and Putin for the chemical attacks. But lets not forget huge parts of the media jumped on the WMDs in Iraq.
I'm not saying the media lies. But now there is so much competition from so many media outlets that the sensationalistic media are constantly trying to outdo each other. And as we all know negative media and news sells more than good news. Plus it has to be said there used to be journalists that commanded respect. Reporters that were in-bedded in war zones. Now we are told to rely on footage shot from a camera phone from god knows who. Which side he's on.?What's their politics ? etc.
Neither wonder so many of us doubt so much.

We also now have social media in the mix. I came of social media completely because I was so sick of the echo chamber it enforces. Even with the best will in the world its very hard to not get in one.
Even if you try to be even handed with what you share, so many people are now offended if you post an opposing view to theirs that they end up cutting contact with you, so you still end up with like minded people on your friends list.
No matter what your views on any subject are you should never just communicate with people with the same. You need opposing views to help you develop and come to the truth. Its very hard when the very people you wish to debate with have unfriended you because you 'hurt their feelings or sensitivities'.
Some of my favourite commentators are Maajid Nawaz, George Galloway and Peter Hitchens to name just a few. All very different and I don't agree with any of them all the time. But that's healthy. We need to all open up our minds to differing opinions. For Christ's sake, I read the mail,telegraph,times and guardian. Just to try and get an even handed view on the world.

So back to Syria. Anyone with an independent thought cant help thinking...did they do it. Is this a ploy by certain players to restart the cold war. After all building and rebuilding defence mechanisms is hugely profitable for some very influential people.
Did Putin order the novochuck attack in the UK; or was it an equally sinister personal motive from unknown figures.
Is Assad even the bad guy we are told. Is Putin?

Guess what I don't know THE answer to any of these questions. I have MY answers ; but I could be wrong. I'm just a guy with no influence and no access to the real wheels of power.
I can -and do- read as many different sources as possible. The daily mail to the guardian and everything in between. I also read political and historical books as well that show how easy it is to direct a population to an outcome that political masters require. So the very thought of perhaps what were told is a fantasy is not at far fetched at all.
[see a previous post on why we need to open our reading matter up to encompass opposing views]

But at least I'm being honest. My view of world events could be 100 percent B....S..., it also could be spot on. Unlike so many people on the left and right and everywhere in between I don't have the arrogance to think I am right. I DONT KNOW.

I have spent time doing what you may call thought experiments. I have thought through the theories I've heard . From the sane to the conspiratorial. And lets be honest even conspiracy theories make sense-if you want or need them to.

Quick example. I once spent an hour listening to – I had to sit on my hands and strain to keep my mouth closed- a neo Nazi telling people why the holocaust did not happen. My god was he knowledgable. He even knew how many trees or coal it takes to burn a body.
It was amazing to listen to a very very in-depth analysis of why not one Jew died at the hands of Hitler's henchmen.
ALL ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT MIND, but very interesting to listen to how a conspiracy theory can fool certain people. If I was primed to look for a Zionist plot to run the world, the inane nonsense spouted would have made total sense to me. People who are looking for a hidden motive or a villain hiding in the shadows will quite often find one.

So back to Putin. The theories that he has been set up or that the west's war machine needs to restart the cold war all sounds very plausible. But so does the theory that Assad is a monster and that he backed by Putin has gassed innocent children.

The real problem is this. We live in such a world now where you have to get into one camp or another. You have to be with us or against us-as the mad US president once said [ by the way who would have ever thought that one of Bush's predecessors would make him look like a genius].
Guess what I haven't got a f***** clue what's going on any more. I sometimes wish I could be like so many other people and just blindly believe what I believe. I did that once before and look how that turned out.
But I cant, I want to see both sides. Read all the evidence. And make my own mind up.

Sadly those days are over. Untrustworthy politicians, political parties and 24 hour sensational media have put an end to that.
I don't have any of the answers...but at least I'm humble and honest enough to admit it.

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