Blu Sat 13-Apr-13 22:59:24
There was clause 28, the Falklands war and the sinking of the Belgrano ( traveling away from out ship, and not within the zone MT had declared an Exclusion Zone). The deregulation of the banks - the prehistory of our current financial ruin, sky high interest rates and houses being re-possessed left right and centre, people unable to move because of negative equity.
And being told off all the time. No jobs , but all you had to do was 'get on your bike'. That was Tebbit, but it just felt as if we were told off and shouted at non stop...Blu
Ahem, a few points.
Tebbit NEVER said 'just get on your bike'. He told the masses that they may have to travel or move areas in order to find work. There was massive unemployment in pit towns, but other areas required workers.
People wanted to work on their door steps, in their home towns. The bike bit was in reference to Tebbit's dad, having to cycle a fair distance to feed his family.
Tebbit didn't tell people to 'get on their bikes', he told people what his dad had done. It was read as such by those who wished to use it as such. (I thnk Kipling says something about hearing your words twisted).
Tebbit, went to a state school, flew in the RAF and became a pilot for BOAC (remember them! :D ) before becoming an MP.
I wonder if the lefty hatred of these figures is more because they worked hard and achieved.
The Belgrano.
I get tired of listening to people trot out this twaddle.
The Argies had TWO battlegroups circling the Islands. The Belgrano (who had two destroyers in escort) and the Carrier 25 of May. The Argies were attempted to interdict the task force sent to liberate the Falklands.
The Carrier was never actually found by a sub (HMS Spartan IIRC), HMS Conqueror (as we all know) found the Belgrano.
She was a threat. She (and the destroyers) carried exocets. She carried 14inch (was it? Or 12in) guns that would have ripped through the Post war frigates, destroyers and otehr ships that we were using.
She had Armour, which would protet her against our guns and exocets.
Conqueror used WW2 torpedoes (over the modern ones) in order to defeat this armour which extended to a torpedo belt.
This thng about she was heading away or wasn't in the TEZ is rubbish, trotted out by people who don't know what they are talking about, but want to make out the sinking was in some way bad.
The ships involved were combatants. They can turn around quite quickly, their direction is meaningless. If they were on stations, they'd be doing loops anyway, so do we assume you can't attack them for 50% of the time?
Remember their weapons can be fired 360 degrees.
The Total Exclusion Zone. This wasn't a boxing ring affair, where the ships of the two nations would face up to each other mano el mano. t was an area of sea where other shiping was warned that there was a WAR happening.
It has no bearing on this incident. If we felt the need we could have steamed in to Bueno Aries harbour and started sinking ARA ships on the jetty.
The Carrier I mentioned earlier was attempting to interdict the fleet well in to the Atlntic. Well outside the TEZ.
Oddly the Argentine Navy have NEVER made a claim that the Belgrano was illegally sunk. They knew teh game and knew the rules. It seems to be hand wringers in this country and lunatics in theirs that trot out this drivvel.
As a side note. After the Belgrano the Argentine Navy NEVER went to sea again. This allowed our taskforce to unload and return the islands to their rightful owners (the Islanders) with undoubtedly less loss of life amongst OUR blokes.
That is win.
Also let's not forget other ARA ships that were sunk... but they are far less newsworthy, apparently.