Irans capture of British troops

War games , Is it ?

  • The west have created this situation to further advance against Iran

    Votes: 11 32.4%
  • Iran are pushing , because Russia is turning westernese with nuclear non assistance

    Votes: 5 14.7%
  • UN forces, will attack within 3-6 months

    Votes: 2 5.9%
  • This will fissle out, but will show Iran has balls, Big Ones.

    Votes: 16 47.1%

  • Total voters
    34
yacarob1 said:
Daily Mirror matey

:cheesy:

I thought it was a bad idea for the soldiers to reveal their stories for loads of money. I wouldn't believe their stories anyway. Whole show is propoganda just like the Iranians...

I think the politicians thought it would be good spin to show how badly they were treated. The soldiers (forgive my cynicism there worse nightmare was to think the Iranians would treat them the same as the US and UK treat their prisoners) broke down so quickly it's untrue. So much for only quoting your name rank and number...

Now the Iranians have produced more footage of the soldiers playing table tennis - which for some reason was not mentioned by the captives in their Sun report. Obviously skipped their mind under the stress of 6 figure sums.

I think the Iranians seem to be one step ahead and wondering what other tricks they have up their sleeves.
 
If in a country where people get paid £100k per week for kicking a sphere of inflated plastic around a field, if members of the armed forces get a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a few extra quid, as long as they tell the truth and nothing but the truth, why shouldn't they cash in. These are the people risking their lives and get paid peanuts.

It's a bit rich for politicians to appear on TV criticising this move, when some of these have their own newspaper columns which make them several hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.

If on the other hand, the people selling their story juice it up, in order to make it sound more controversial, then this does present ethical questions, particaularly with a potential conflict not too far away.
 
I think the whole thing is appalling and totally disrespectful of those who have died in this pointless conflict.

We now seem to honour weak-minded failures who have done nothing except get caught.

What worries me most is that we have weak cretins serving in our armed forces such as the Mr Bean lookalike who sold his story.

This guy admits to crying like a baby when he was blindfolded.

Is this the kind of person we want defending us in times of crisis.

I think not.

As soon as the enemy come over the hill this prize weakling would run to his mummy and cry.

Pathetic, the whole thing.

I think we should send these failures back to Iran post haste.

They are welcome to them.
 
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JTrader said:
If in a country where people get paid £100k per week for kicking a sphere of inflated plastic around a field, if members of the armed forces get a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a few extra quid, as long as they tell the truth and nothing but the truth, why shouldn't they cash in. These are the people risking their lives and get paid peanuts.

It's a bit rich for politicians to appear on TV criticising this move, when some of these have their own newspaper columns which make them several hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.

If on the other hand, the people selling their story juice it up, in order to make it sound more controversial, then this does present ethical questions, particaularly with a potential conflict not too far away.

Yes but if you extend your arguement, this will turn into a media circus.

Why was the Daily Mirror editor sacked for telling a story about torture and abuse of civilians because they were made up which was telling a true story by people who new if they came out the army would also take them out. And so the editor was taken out of circulation along with the truth which eventually came out couple of weeks later in colour.

Don't you think when there is big money involved people will sensationalise and exagarrate events for the money. The table tennis photos and UK soldiers stories already shows this to be the case.

On the other hand to profit from the death of colleagues and loved ones is soul destroying as coping with bereavement is one thing but to throw money at it is just confusing the whole war issue.

I'm all for truth but the press and money are not the truth out there.
 
Perhaps the media ban on selling stories is correct as the potential for abusing such an arrangement is massive. But how can you blame the individual serveman or woman for wanting to cash in if given the opportunity. They are risking their lives...................

However, perhaps it just stinks that soldiers get paid peanuts, while whimpy footballers for example get paid millions.

But then again, it doesn't matter how much they get paid, as money can't protect a soldier in a war zone.

Those table tennis games did look like fun. I didn't see many worried faces, or forced smiles in that footage.

It's all propaganda for sure.
 
Hmm but do soldiers join up for the money ? I remember seeing that Michael Moorer chap in his home town, poverty problems etc. And the Recruiting marines driving around and targeting, certain types to sign up, sellling them a pitch etc. I guess you'll get alsorts, traditionalists , adventurists and I just want a jobists. But watching the touting for squaddies ,seemed a bit odd.
 
JTrader said:
Perhaps the media ban on selling stories is correct as the potential for abusing such an arrangement is massive. But how can you blame the individual serveman or woman for wanting to cash in if given the opportunity. They are risking their lives...................

However, perhaps it just stinks that soldiers get paid peanuts, while whimpy footballers for example get paid millions.

But then again, it doesn't matter how much they get paid, as money can't protect a soldier in a war zone.

Those table tennis games did look like fun. I didn't see many worried faces, or forced smiles in that footage.

It's all propaganda for sure.

You can't compare star footballers with soldiers. A star is a star, no matter in what field of expertise, and he can ask whatever the price the market is prepared to pay. Whatever we would like, life is not easy, especially nowadays. Nurses belong to another profession that is nowhere near paid as much as it should be. It's a question of tax budgets.
 
I think a Kalishnikov stuck up my asre (albeit off-camera) would make me pretty amenable to suggestions, eg “look happy”. The possibility of a slow beheading – popular amongst the more extreme elements - broadcast over the internet would be even more persuasive.

Criticism of the soldiers’ behaviour is based on a perception of a stiff upper lip derived from a stereotype/fantasy, eg Alec Guinness in Bridge over the River Kwai. And wasn’t he a total tawt?

I hope this forum isn’t becoming a UK proxy for the Elite Trader forum.

JTrader,

"money can't protect a soldier in a war zone". You can bet the Health and Safety Executive is looking for a way in here. I wouldn't be surprised.

Grant.
 
grantx said:
I think a Kalishnikov stuck up my asre (albeit off-camera) would make me pretty amenable to suggestions, eg “look happy”. The possibility of a slow beheading – popular amongst the more extreme elements - broadcast over the internet would be even more persuasive.

Criticism of the soldiers’ behaviour is based on a perception of a stiff upper lip derived from a stereotype/fantasy, eg Alec Guinness in Bridge over the River Kwai. And wasn’t he a total tawt?

I hope this forum isn’t becoming a UK proxy for the Elite Trader forum.

JTrader,

"money can't protect a soldier in a war zone". You can bet the Health and Safety Executive is looking for a way in here. I wouldn't be surprised.

Grant.

Hi Grant,

I can't help thinking you got the wrong end of the stick here.

It's normal to talk under fear of torture. I'd tell em anything they wanted to know. Make it up just to have restbite from the pain. If the papers want to pay me £100K hey what the heck, I'd take the money and tell them a bunch of lies and half truths too. I'm guessing ofcourse, I could be telling them the whole truth as well. What do I know. :rolleyes: Basically, I don't believe in dying for words... More important things in life. Also bear in mind an editor will work on your answers for that mass appeal effect.

I was referring to allowing the media clowns paying money to buy/extract stories out of soldiers. It's likely to create a whole range of new problems later on. MoD or Government should step in and stop it and glad they have done so now.

One other thing... If I had to choose between a beheading, shooting, hanging or beaten to death over a long period (days and weeks), I would pick the first three each and everytime.

Bleeding to death is like drifting to sleep (after the initial cutting pain). That is if you don't die of shock first. Hanging is the same, take your head off or break your neck. Brain detaches and you lose all feeling and senses. Shooting can be painful but shouldn't last more than a minute or so. Better to ask for an aspirin instead of a smoke imo.

But being beaten to death over several days, that is a hell of a way to die...
 
Atilla,

You’re right. In the armed forces death is an occupational hazard but they’re paid sthi for the privilege. Why shouldn’t they cash-in? Then they can buy essential, ie basic, kit hitherto withheld.

Grant.
 
I think the military is a ridiculous job. Each time I see an army advert on TV I feel (mildly) sick.

When people join the military, they have a rough idea of whats involved, so they know what they're taking on. They no doubt realise that working at Barclays is probably a safer bet.

Because the UK & Iran are presently (at peace) with one another, I find it slightly hard to believe that the 15 had serious concerns that they may be delibaretly harmed. However, who am i to doubt their story, & it must have been very stressful nonetheless, but perhaps preferable to patrolling the streets of Baghdad or Basra.

........Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me...........
 
grantx said:
Atilla,

You’re right. In the armed forces death is an occupational hazard but they’re paid sthi for the privilege. Why shouldn’t they cash-in? Then they can buy essential, ie basic, kit hitherto withheld.

Grant.


The Government and Mod should not allow the press to pay money to soldiers for their stories. This opens up a whole can of worms.

Having the right kit etc well that's another story. That's the same as what the Crap Budhist was saying, hospitals need more services to do their jobs more effectively and save lives. Or that nurses need to be paid more so they can save their lives and so forth.

Allocating scarce resources to satisfy needs.

I would start by pulling back the troops and instead of spending £5bn plus on keeping 10,000 soldiers in harms way, I'd spend that money on kitting them out, the hospitals and improving lives of nurses earning 3rd world salaries.
 
Current UK & USA foreign policy has been proved to be so wrong, corrupt & run by criminals.

600,000 dead men women & children in Iraq.

When the media try & use incidents like this (when the UK was probably in Iranian waters, or deep inside the 12 mile wide Iraq-Iran disputed waters/no go zone) to try & make out that the UK were the innocent good, is an absolute farce.
 
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It will be interesting to see the upcoming Iranian "DVD" release - extended footage of the hostage situation, in response to the "staged" UK media response.
 
Interesting facts about Iran -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran -
officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ايران‎ , transliteration: Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Īrān), also formerly known as Persia internationally, is a country on the Asian continent located in the Middle East and bounded by Central Asia to the northeast, the Caucasus region to the northwest, and South Asia to the east. The 18th largest country in the world, Iran is approximately the size of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany combined or slightly larger than Alaska and has a population of 70 million people. Iran borders Armenia, Azerbaijan (including its Nakhichevan exclave) and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and Turkey and Iraq to the west. In addition, it borders the Persian Gulf, an important oil-producing area, and the Caspian sea. Shi'a Islam is the official state religion and Persian the official language.[1]

Iran has one of the oldest histories in the world, extending nearly 6,000 years,[2] and throughout history, Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia. Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC, OPEC, and ECO. Iran as a regional power occupies an important position in the world economy due to its substantial reserves of petroleum and natural gas, and has considerable regional influence in Southwest Asia.[3] Iran is also one of the few states that comprise the Cradle of Humanity. The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan and literally means "Land of the Aryans."[4]..................
 
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