Russel Brand: Tunisia attack minute of silence, minute of BS

a reply to: CharlieSpeirs

I already did, in the post you replied to. Obviously, you didn't bother looking....

Comms equipment to Libya - Bowman radio

Second source

(Note - all contracts were terminated within days of the uprising, only partly fulfilled)

Deals with Syria are only for vehicle parts and some hydrographic equipment

The Syrian licences are for components for four-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection, which is believed to have been for an aid organisation. But there are also hydrophone arrays, which can be used to listen underwater. The report points out that the latter have a dual use and the Government needs to confirm that it is not breaking international sanctions against Syria.

For Iraq, apart from the "arms to Iraq scandal" in the late 1980's which was illegal and people got imprisoned for it, - the last "official" deal was 1977.

a reply to: stumason

www.publications.parliament.uk...

Pages 220, 224/5, & 230.


Speaks of deals that didn't contravene export legislation.



Edit: my apologies for my initial response.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
a reply to: stumason

www.publications.parliament.uk...

Pages 220, 224/5, & 230.


Speaks of deals that didn't contravene export legislation.

Page 220 is for export licenses to Iraq - I see no issue with this as they are fighting IS. It is also worth noting, checking other sources, very little has actually been delivered.

Page 225 details previous licenses provided to Libya (the aforementioned Bowman radio's and 4x4 vehicles) which, as it states, were all revoked and have not been reinstated. So, no weapons sold there.

Page 230 lists the same - comms equipment, 4x4 vehicles with "ballistic protection" and some "dual use" chemicals which have legitimate industrial uses. Those chemicals never arrived in Syria, by the way. While export licenses are "extant", none are for any kind of weaponry.

It's worth noting that the existence of a "license" is not proof of anything - it is a formality that companies have to go through to even begin to tender for contracts to foreign Governments for controlled products.

None of what you listed - aside from Iraq and I personally have no objection to them being sent weapons - shows any weaponry being approved, much less delivered.

originally posted by: athousandlives
How I see it the point that is being made by him and some posters here is about the hypocrisy beneath, and the ignoring of the countless other victims of the Middle East situation, on all sides of the argument.
The cost of human lives is a tragedy, but fake emotional speeches about being the victim and good guys whilst adding fuel to the fire is just Bulls###.

I didn't get that at all from his video, and as far as I can see he didn't actually show any sympathy for the victims in this while he was using their bodies as a soapbox to preach from, against his usual enemies - corporations and governments.

Don't get me wrong, I am as much of an anti-corporate critic of our governments as the next person, but Brand has abused this horrific event for personal gain and attention, using their deaths as an opportunity to once again rail against the same things he always rails against.

He's like a simple-minded teenage girl dreaming of a Utopian world of flowers and unicorns, and he imagines the only things preventing that are governments and corporations, specifically OUR governments and corporations.

No one forced anyone to observe a minute of quiet reflection, people chose to do that because this was such a horrific event. Hearing criticism of that by Brand, and seemingly for nothing more than another opportunity for him to preach his special brand of naive bs, is offensive to many people.

I agree that all life has value, of course it does, and that's why I don't believe in the death penalty for example. However, he seems to want to claim that we should almost appreciate why someone would brutally murder people, because of something a corporation or a government did once.

He's being an apologist for a sickening terrorist act.

originally posted by: Rocker2013
He's being an apologist for a sickening terrorist act.

Indeed - regardless of whatever perceived injustice has been done to the "Muslim World", this Tunisian student actually had a decent life free of "western oppression" and the tourists he killed had done nothing to him or his kin.

Rather than hitting soft targets like civilians on a beach, if these scumbags actually wanted to fight back, they should be hitting Government and Military targets. They don't though, as they are cowards.

I don't agree with everything Russell Brand says, but he does have a way with words and I have heard him hit the nail on the head before. His interview on a morning show awhile back was brilliant. He critisized the anchors for not talking about real subjects like nsa snowden. It was hilarious. Although his latest messiah stand up was not (IMO). Either way it appears like his helping people.wake up a bit. EVen if you dislike him, at least his is not just another mindless celebrity.

originally posted by: Flavian
Wow, just wow. Is this thread for real? It isn't really a suprise that the site has been hemorrhaging quality members over the last few years if this is where we are heading. I notice much support for the thread comes from newer members......has GLP had a purge recently?

What the hell has people observing a minutes silence to pay their respects for the victims got to do with government policy or anything else for that matter? It is nothing to do with foreign policy, the government or Russell wankshaft Brand.

On the other hand, some of the above responses show that others are just as bat sh!* crazy as Russell......

I think you totally missed his point to be honest... As have other members above you saying similar... He's not saying the minutes silence is bad, he's saying WHILE we're helping to arm terrorists and bombing places that helps to grow terrorism it's hypocracy to just do a minutes silence. It would be better for the victims and future victims to use that minute to speak up to our government to effect change.

Look at it like this, say a loved one was murdered, would you like the police to hold a minutes silence or go out a catch the criminal? Which would make you feel better? Now imagine the police held the minutes silence while at the same time letting murderers out of prison early? It wouldn't make any sense.

originally posted by: Meee32
I think you totally missed his point to be honest... As have other members above you saying similar... He's not saying the minutes silence is bad, he's saying WHILE we're helping to arm terrorists and bombing places that helps to grow terrorism it's hypocracy to just do a minutes silence.

He called it bs, that's not "saying it's bad"?
People are capable of showing respect to the victims of something like this WHILE working to change things which need to be changed, why do you (and Brand) seem to think this is an either/or option? No one has suggested that a minute of silence fixes anything, or that it's a nice way to ignore a problem.

originally posted by: Meee32
It would be better for the victims and future victims to use that minute to speak up to our government to effect change.

Right, lets not waste a single minute doing anything else, like typing on a forum, or making a video.
Again, it's incredibly simple-minded to claim that holding a minute of silence is somehow ignoring the problem.

originally posted by: Meee32
Look at it like this, say a loved one was murdered, would you like the police to hold a minutes silence or go out a catch the criminal? Which would make you feel better? Now imagine the police held the minutes silence while at the same time letting murderers out of prison early? It wouldn't make any sense.

Your paragraph is the thing not making any sense.
What are you talking about? Letting people out of prison early?

Again, a deranged religious nut murdered 38 innocent people, the country was stunned, and people CHOSE to hold a minute of silence to show respect to those people.
That does not mean nothing else is being done, or that these people are somehow ignoring the problem. The claim that this is what it means is idiocy in the extreme.

I actually use to like Brand, and I defended him in debates with other people about his nativity and stupidity. Not any more. The man is an imbecile, a simple-minded attention seeker, pandering to an equally idiotic audience who seem to think he's intelligent simply because he uses flowery language they can barely understand.

Although he's been correct on several things in the past (drug treatment for instance), I now see him as nothing more than a turd polisher, handing out cr*p in neatly wrapped flowery packages to people who can't smell the stench.

a reply to: Rocker2013

I'm not sure people willingly chose to engage in the minutes silence. They were told it was going to happen and unquestioningly participated in it as some kind of Pavlovian outpouring of mock grief. Sort of like a facebook meme where sharing it is a way of saying to the world 'hey, I'm a good person and I feel something' and they can pretend to themselves the plastic solidarity is some form of stand against a tragedy they care about for 5 minutes.

We've become so detached that it's more important to pretend to feel empathy to elevate yourself in the eyes of your peers than to actually do it, so we bandwagon from cause to cause and fake it without ever understanding why.

The underlying program of this whole scenario has been to reinforce the idea that it could happen to you, at anytime.

a reply to: MagnaCarta2015

Agreed, it is why me and the guys I worked with ignored it.
As I said earlier, another 1500+ British people died that same day and the nation didn't give a toss about them, would've been a mixture of disease, trauma, old age, plus a few abused children, maybe a couple of drink driving crashes, one or two 'standard' murders without the drama of an AK47 on the beach though.
Nope, I don't see why those 30 lives were more important to me than anyone else's, so I ignored the minute silence as a lame political message.

originally posted by: MagnaCarta2015
a reply to: Rocker2013

I'm not sure people willingly chose to engage in the minutes silence.

What complete nonsense.
This was not some kind of enforced demand by the state, it was a mark of public respect for people who were murdered.
Anyone who thinks this was somehow forced on the people is not all there in the head.

originally posted by: Rocker2013

originally posted by: MagnaCarta2015
a reply to: Rocker2013

I'm not sure people willingly chose to engage in the minutes silence.

What complete nonsense.
This was not some kind of enforced demand by the state, it was a mark of public respect for people who were murdered.
Anyone who thinks this was somehow forced on the people is not all there in the head.

It wasn't forced, it was 'encouraged'.

Do you think those 30 tragic victims deserved the same as we do on the 11th of November then?
Why?
I mentioned the other 1500 or so British folk who died the same day while the nation didn't give a toss.

a reply to: EA006

Here we go, I knew I had read about some elite connection somewhere with this dude. And let's face it, Katy Perry isn't exactly on the bread line and looks more like yet another illuminati controlled pop star.

Article

Russell Brand is dating Jemima Khan (nee Goldsmith) (and she is the Associate Editor of the Fabian Socialist magazine New Statesman) Jemima�s father was Sir James Michael "Jimmy" Goldsmith a billionaire financier and tycoon.

Jemima has two brothers; Zac Goldsmith Tory MP who is married to Alice ROTHSCHILD, and another brother called Ben Goldsmith, who up until last year was married to Kate ROTHSCHILD

Brand reckons he was being "deliberatley provoctive"when speaking about the Tunisian terrorist atrocity..
Well,as long as he feels good about using families pain and suffering to make more money for himself,thats just fine right?
What a goon.


The twitter backlash against him has resulted in someone saying he should move to Syria-to which he replied he would consider it if someone bought him a first class ticket..

And now there is a crowdfunding page set up to do just that.


www.dailymail.co.uk...

He does look a bit like a greasy ISIS loser IMO.


I used to think he was quite funny as a comedian,now he just seems like a jerk of the first order IMO.

Talk about an over reaction. Normally this level of vitriol is reserved for George Galloway. Funny how the Murdoch media and daily mail trying to destroy Brand. I bet they want him back on the drugs, to justify their campaign against him. sad really. How dare someone have an alternative opinion to the prevalent right wing media consensus. People who support the Murdoch right wing agenda get columns in his paper like Jeremy Clarkson and Katie Hopjins, dare go against it and it's game over for you.

a reply to: Rocker2013

It angers me when people attempt to "excuse" murder of innocent people by claiming they somehow "deserve it" because of what someone else is doing to someone else.

Not sure how you extrapolate the above from the 'hypocracy and BS of a minute silence for media and populus manipulation in order to propell the UK into bombing Syria'. Nobody 'deserved it' .

He's basically saying that because the US killed someone in Pakistan with a drone, we should not be surprised that a terrorist murdered a bunch of people. He's being an apologist, and it's actually pretty sick.

Maybe he is just making the point that there is some cause and effect going on here. The fact is that had the west not pissed everyone off by boot-boying their way into other countries, killing lots of innocent people in the process, stealing their gold and resources and at the same time selling them arms and giving them training, perhaps we would not be in this situation. Two wrongs don't make a right, that is for sure, and murder is murder, but if outside forces did this to the UK to take things over and screw up our way of life such that it is, I am sure we wouldn't just stand back and let it happen, though it most likely wouldn't involve murdering tourists.

I participated in the one minute of silence, because those people died in a nightmarish scenario they didn't deserve. It's about being a collective community, about being a decent society, about showing respect and thinking about those who lost their lives.

So by this statement, how may minutes silence did you give for the children killed by our forces in Iraq?
source

Direct Killings Official figures and media-based estimates in Iraq, such as Iraq Bodycount, have missed 70-95% of all deaths. The most realistic and scientific estimate of war-related deaths comes from justForeignPolicy.org, claiming 1.455.590 victims in January 2011[6]. Analysis[7] carried out for the research group Iraq Body Count found that 39% of those killed in air raids by the US-led coalition were children. Fatalities caused by mortars, used by American and Iraqi government forces as well as insurgents, were 42% children.[8] Of the 45,779 violent deaths for which IBC was able to obtain age data, 3,911 (8.54%) were children under age 18. Of the civilian victims killed by the US-led coalition forces for whom age data was available, 29% were children. [9]

Or those killed by our drones in Pakistan?
source

Over three-fifths (61%) of all drone strikes in Pakistan targeted domestic buildings, with at least 132 houses destroyed, in more than 380 strikes.

Or what about the civilians in Yemen?
source

So just how does standing for a minute in silence help those left who have lost relatives? How does having sympathy and empathy for only one minute compare to thinking about all the innocent victims all day for days, weeks and years, even whilst doing other things in your life? Being made, by peer pressure and governmental pressure, to have a minute silence is nothing more than self absorbed BS and emotional manipulation by your own government in order to kill more civilians in a destructive campaign that they didn't have the general population's backing for because last time because at that point we as a nation were not being emotionally blackmailed and blinded.

Please wake up and see this for what it really is.

a reply to: CthulhuMythos

Lol, Rocker would be off his rocker thinking 30 UK nationals lives are worth any more or less than 30 Syrians, Afghani's, Nigerians, Somali's...etc

a reply to: grainofsand

Not quite sure what you are meaning here, but I was just addressing some of the Rocker's almost rant and I hope fairly and logically.

originally posted by: CthulhuMythos
a reply to: grainofsand

Not quite sure what you are meaning here, but I was just addressing some of the Rocker's almost rant and I hope fairly and logically.

Yeah I shared agreement, sorry if it seemed cryptic.

originally posted by: Rocker2013

originally posted by: MagnaCarta2015
a reply to: Rocker2013

I'm not sure people willingly chose to engage in the minutes silence.

What complete nonsense.
This was not some kind of enforced demand by the state, it was a mark of public respect for people who were murdered.
Anyone who thinks this was somehow forced on the people is not all there in the head.

Actually at work we were made to do it, they went round and informed everyone they MUST be at a certain place at a certain time for the minutes silence... While I was there people were laughing and joking before the minute commenced... And after? People didn't give it a second of thought let alone another minute.

As for your other comment, again you miss the point... It is BS to do this WHILE doing everything I stated before, now IF genuine efforts were being made to effect change and IF we were not doing the things mentioned THEN yes it is a sign of respect...

As for the rest I'm not sure why I'm bothering but my final paragraph is called an analogy, perhaps look up what that is?

I don't care how you feel about Brand, sounds to me like you have some strong feelings about him, I don't and couldn't care less about him. But what he says here is correct to my mind. I'm sure we'll have to agree to disagree on that.

Oh and btw I have done my best to speak out and actually live my life by way of my morals, do you know what? People don't bloody care and it's caused me no end of problems! We'll just have a minutes silence and forget all about it instead...