Scarfe touches a raw nerve

[teamsaint]

I just can't figure who is being deterred from doing what by the Israeli nuclear arsenal.
Anyway, very impressive to pay for that lot in such a small country. They must have very efficient bureaucracy or something.

[Lateralthinking1]

that the end justifies the means is a common argument - however I'm surprised you have used it - Israel is not surrounded by Taliban - much of the blame for this interpretation of the Koran is due to Saudi money pushing their brand of extremism but the fertile ground was initally produced by the running sore of large Palestinian refugee camps whose young men can look forward to no reasonable future (and in the words of Blair's wife she understood why suicide attacks were seen as the only option) and the West's support of thieving dictators who deprived their population of the development and more importantly the education of girls which would have reduced the birthrate.

Well, you are entitled to your view and Mrs Blair hers. Courtesy of New Labour and George Bush, there are many hundreds of thousands of young men and women in the UK who can look forward to no reasonable future. The Blairs have nine houses.

(1,000 suicides in the UK have been linked to the recession - none of them were suicide bombings)

[Resurrection Man]

..... the West's support of thieving dictators who deprived their population of the development and more importantly the education of girls which would have reduced the birthrate.

It's not just the thieving dictators that treat women in Muslim countries as second-class citizens. Plenty of Muslim societies (that are not supported by the West) do it as well.

[Mr Pee]

Excellent post, Lat. Slightly tongue-in-cheek but if the tabloids are to be believed then parts of East London are ruled by the Taliban

Not just the tabloids.....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9818163/Muslim-Patrol-thugs-abuse-man-in-second-vigilante-video.html

[scottycelt]

Sorry, Mr Pee, I can't support you on that statement. That was my understanding but reading and researching around a bit, there is no evidence to support that that claim was made.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/oct/27/israel.iran

Well, there have been reports from the most reputable forum sources ...

[Lateralthinking1]

Not just the tabloids.....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...nte-video.html

Very unpleasant, particularly for the man and his community, and the police will deal with it. Many of these areas are effectively redundant anyway. There's nothing there for the inhabitants in terms of jobs and entertainment. A very broad range of potential visitors are put off by the culture of guns and drugs. The good news is that the phrase 'ruled by the Taliban' is inapt. Those on the video are not so much Muslims as wannabe teddy boys who are heading towards a kind of self-imposed apartheid. Any 'vigilante' gang that wages war on 'the evil booze' and adverts for pop-up bras has no chance of conquering even a small part of Essex. And if their war on that, erm, 'culture' hadn't happened, they would be sufficiently secure to be just as crass but in that harmless way.

The video, though, is a timely reminder of the large number of so-called 'ethics' that Israeli liberalism has to withstand daily. Israel might not be 'surrounded' by the Taliban but illiberal attitudes are close to its borders and many members of the Taliban are inside them. I find the political left conflicted on this matter. Like them, I draw a distinction between Jewish people and the Israeli state. Unlike them, I see the state as to be criticised for specific actions but principally for the good. Here is a UNHCR report on womens' 'rights' in Palestine - http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/publis...87b6e2f,0.html. Paul McCartney's ex-girlfriend is unlikely to approve.

[MrGongGong]

Very unpleasant, particularly for the man and his community, and the police will deal with it. Many of these areas are effectively redundant anyway. There's nothing there for the inhabitants in terms of jobs and entertainment. A very broad range of potential visitors are put off by the culture of guns and drugs.

Yes very unpleasant
BUT
you don't know Whitechapel, do you ?
You know
Brick Lane, the old Truman Brewery, Spitalfields Market (and excellent festival) , Fergus Henderson's St John restaurant and so on .........

having spent a lot of time there it would be one of my favourite parts of London to live in and it attracts many visitors.........

What these idiots have to do with the subject of this thread though is tangental at best and they have been roundly condemned by many from all backgrounds including Moslems........

[Nick Armstrong]

Fergus Henderson's St John restaurant

That's not Whitechapel... it's just north of Smithfield i.e. Clerkenwell (St John's Street). Ace place!

[MrGongGong]

That's not Whitechapel... it's just north of Smithfield i.e. Clerkenwell (St John's Street). Ace place!

If you turn left out of the door , go down Fournier street (past Gilbert and Georges house) you are in Brick Lane which is where this was supposed to be......
you mean the other branch
I mean the Spitalfields one (St John Bread and Wine)

here

https://www.stjohngroup.uk.com/spitalfields/

[Lateralthinking1]

Yes very unpleasant
BUT
you don't know Whitechapel, do you ?
You know
Brick Lane, the old Truman Brewery, Spitalfields Market (and excellent festival) , Fergus Henderson's St John restaurant and so on .........

having spent a lot of time there it would be one of my favourite parts of London to live in and it attracts many visitors.........

What these idiots have to do with the subject of this thread though is tangental at best and they have been roundly condemned by many from all backgrounds including Moslems........

Of all the London postcodes, I know E least. SE, N, SW, NW, W, E in that order (not including WC/EC). It's West Ham isn't it which I've been to twice and that pub with furniture that falls apart and bullet holes made by the Krays in 1954. I went there.....once.

(I'm sure there are nice parts too!)

[MrGongGong]

Of all the London postcodes, I know E least. SE, N, SW, NW, W, E in that order.

Fine
I guess part of my point is that it's easy to assume that what one reads in the media (any media not just the DM etc) as being accurate
many parts of London that are portrayed in the media as "dangerous" ARE dangerous IF you are a teenager from the "wrong" postcode
but not for the rest of us...... which is NOT to condone any of these despicable folk who are simply idiots looking for an excuse

[Bryn]

Yes very unpleasant
BUT
you don't know Whitechapel, do you ?
You know
Brick Lane, the old Truman Brewery, Spitalfields Market (and excellent festival) , Fergus Henderson's St John restaurant and so on .........

having spent a lot of time there it would be one of my favourite parts of London to live in and it attracts many visitors.........

What these idiots have to do with the subject of this thread though is tangental at best and they have been roundly condemned by many from all backgrounds including Moslems........

Check out today's Daily Politics (1 hr 12 minutes in):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qh183/Daily_Politics_30_01_2013/

[Nick Armstrong]

If you turn left out of the door , go down Fournier street (past Gilbert and Georges house) you are in Brick Lane which is where this was supposed to be......
you mean the other branch
I mean the Spitalfields one (St John Bread and Wine)

here

https://www.stjohngroup.uk.com/spitalfields/

Ah that branch, I'd forgotten they had an outpost I only know the St John St St John

[teamsaint]

Norton Folgate sounds like a nice place to visit. Any good eateries there, wise metropolitan types?

[johnb]

I just can't figure who is being deterred from doing what by the Israeli nuclear arsenal.
Anyway, very impressive to pay for that lot in such a small country. They must have very efficient bureaucracy or something.

They have a very wealthy client state that funnels dollars to them.