Just War

[#1]

According to Jeremy (no, not Kyle) Britain has not fought a just war since 1945. Is he right?

The Falklands sprang to mind but then was that really about sovereignty of the people, or sovereignty over fishing rights and future mineral resources. To be honest (and no disrespect to our lads) I've always tended towards the latter in that the Argentinians were given enough rope to hang themselves by Maggie and her backroom boys but hey, that's only one example.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jeremy-corbyn-just-war-1945-chatham-house-talk-labour...

[#2]

He's forgetting the Korean War - 1950-53.

I don't suppose the families of the 4502 British killed or injured will have forgotten it.

[#3]

he was most probably holding hands on a CND march and missed the news 

[#4]

@cyrilclark1

.... and what a terrible waste of life that was - and why were we there. It was just another pointless Uncle Sam war against those nasty Communist - no wonder we kept out of Vietnam.

[#5]

My next door neighbour has just returned from Korea where he attended a large memorial event for Korean War Veterans.

He received a medal, a DVD and a load of great memories. He thoroughly enjoyed it and was reunited with many old friends.

Sadly he visited the grave of one old friend he couldn't be reunited with.

[#6]

@Minivanman Did we actually declare that   " Britain is at war with........... "   ?   on any of the "skirmishes" since 1945  ? 

[#7]

@Strat

From what I have read, more British lives were claimed in Korea than in Iraq, the Falklands and Afghanistan combined. What waste, and what a terrible legacy.

@shutter

Over four thousand killed in Korea is hardly a skirmish now is it, and did we need to declare the obvious? I'm not so sure. 

[#8]

I`m at home.... but it`s not obvious.... unless I declare it....   

[#9]

Well no of course not, but if as in the case of the Falklands we are sending a task force steaming south..... 

If I punch somebody in the side of the head it's pretty obvious I don't like them! 

[#10]

No war is just. It's just a money making scheme for the elite. All you have to do is look at the companies in the US that profited off the Nazi's in WW2. And that is supposed to have been a just war. Standard Oil was one of very few companies could produce the fuel that the German army moved on. In fact US companies allegedly had close to 500 million USD invested in Germany, until Pearl Harbour.

I suggest people read "War is a racket" by Smedley Butler. Or watch the speech from President Eisenhower about the military industrial complex.

The armed forces are nothing more than a big beating stick for a nations own self interests abroad. If we cared about being right and just, we would not be selling billion dollar arms and military vehicle contracts to Saudi Arabia, which is the home of human rights abuses and the most extreme form of Islam that is responsible for the cluster fsck in the middle east right now. But we do sell them those contracts because if we weren't selling, somebody else would.

[#11]

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@Minivanman wrote:

@cyrilclark1

.... and what a terrible waste of life that was - and why were we there. It was just another pointless Uncle Sam war against those nasty Communist - no wonder we kept out of Vietnam.

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Agreed.....

I wonder if we would have still kept out if Blair had been PM at the time ?

[#12]

@bjallenby

Of course some wars are just. 

As mentioned in another topic, they are known as humanitarian wars (and yes, there is such a thing) or, a responsibility to protect and they are not negated by the fact that the twentieth century has confused and compounded the issue by the involvement of national and multinational companies and the hidden agendas of nations working hand in glove with them. But strip that away and without a shadow of doubt some nasty dictators and their aspirations have been laid to rest by one alliance refusing to be dominated by another.

Maybe war is both just and unjust at times, but it is certainly not either one or the other, and not sorry to say I'm with Jeremy Corbyn on this. 

[#13]

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@cyrilclark1 wrote:

He's forgetting the Korean War - 1950-53. 

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and irag / kuwait.. and afghanistan... and bosnia... (although that was peace keeping).

[#14]

I doubt he's forgetting, how could he?

What he is saying is that all those since 1945 have been unjust, so would anyone like to suggest which ones since then were justified, and why.

Serious question guys, and just for @shutter - Definition of war. 'A state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country' 

[#15]

this statement has just put another Nail in the coffin , Labour party have no chance of winning the election .

And now he says he going to Nationalize  , Railways , water , Electricity , Royal Mail ,  all money to come from Tax rises !!

from earnings above £80,000  ?  wow his pay is £137,000  

Has Ms Abbott been doing the sums again