Spanish Armada Assaults Gibraltar

Sir Francis Drake discovered that the Spanish don’t like it up ‘em

Minister’s fury at Spanish moves to take over Gibraltar waters as Navy warship moves in | Mail Online

Royal Navy warships have forced a an armed Spanish ship to retreat from British waters around Gibraltar.

Typical Spaniards, resorting to sneaky, dirty tactics thinking that us Brits would back down!

Bulldog spirit

Then again, these days they were probably odds on that Britain would back down. We have become a spineless nation bearing little or no resemblance to the nation that stood up to Napoleon and then Hitler.

We have become a nation of weaklings and leftist whiners. If the Second World War were to happen today, we’d be Italy or worse, France.

Neville Chamberlain wouldn’t meet with Hitler to discuss peace or appeasement, today he would be handing over our unconditional surrender. Well, perhaps that is a little too harsh, there are after all some quarters wherein the bulldog spirit still lies, typically the hard done by working class.

In fact a little sabre rattling or even a good war normally goes down well with those people. It certainly worked for Maggie Thatcher, although rumours that Gordon Brown has orchestrated the whole affair, or even a war, appear unfounded.

hypocrites

The Spanish are complete hypocrites when it comes to claiming bits of land. They whinge and complain about Gibraltar, which they lost fair and square, demanding that the Rock and the 30,000 inhabitants be handed straight over to them, despite the fact that the 30,000 overwhelmingly don’t want to be Spanish.

Yet, at the same time they are keeping control of Ceuta which is across the Med in Morocco! They claim that it is part of the Spanish State and therefore belongs to them, despite being in Morocco itselt and despite Morocco repeatedly trying to claim it.

Penon de Alhucemas viewed from Mororroco; Spain must seem awfully close to the Moroccans.

Melilla is another example, a good 100 miles away from Spain itself, this Spanish town is also located in Morocco, which also claims it. Each of these ‘Spanish’ towns has more than double the population of Gibraltar, and Spain has no intention of ever letting them go.

Nor do they have any intention of letting the Moroccans have back; Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas,despite them being in Morocco, or just off the coast.

This of course begs the question, if they won’t give their former colony its land back, why on Earth should we hand over 30,000 Brits, living on 2 square miles of rock?

History

Gibraltar ended up in British hands during the War of the Spanish Succession. When the Treaty was signed ending that war, the Spanish gave the British Gibraltar permanently as part of the peace agreement. Clearly the Spanish word for permanently isn’t quite as permanent as the English one.

The duplicitous Spaniards took each and every opportunity since then to get the Island back, including siding with the American’s in the War of Independence and laying siege to Gibraltar with the French for three years.

At the end of the day though, it is just a rock and few people in Britain really care about a lump of rock in the Mediterranean. But is is the people that live there that matter. In 1967 the Islanders were asked whether they wanted to join Spain, they voted 12,138 to 44 against. Pretty conclusive.

Another referendum was held in 2002, 17,900 to 187 against joining Spain. Clearly however joining Spain is becoming more popular, so in about another 1000 years, Spain will get Gibraltar back peacefully!

Incidentally, the Channel Islands, just off the coast of France, have never been claimed back by France.

Naval Power

Type 45 Class Destroyer: The lone Spanish destroyer looks nothing like this

Although no longer the naval power she once was, Britain still has the most poweful navy in Europe (excluding Russia). Britain has two aircraft carriers, although both of them are a bit shit. Spain has just the one.

Spain has 8 submarines, but Britain has 17.

When it comes to Destroyers, the British have 11, the Spanish, just the one. But things are more closely matched in Frigates, Britain has 21 Frigates, Spain has 15.

Of course the naval power isn’t all that relevent when you consider that Spain shares a border with Gibraltar and can just pop troops over. Still it is worth noting, as is the fact that the RAF is three times larger than the Spanish airforce, and that Britain has more active troops.

In the unlikely event that Spain, like its former colony Argentina, may try and take its claim by force, it is reassuring to know that Britain is more than capable of fighting its corner. Of course having the equipment and having the will are two entirely different things, but Gordon won’t be in power for much longer.

The Spanish, and others, are likely sensing a weakness in Brown’s Britain, hopefully our next leader will have more balls, and give the Spanish a bloody nose.

Here be pirates

The pirates had no fear. We fired everything we had but in the end we had to jump overboard – Times Online

Carl Mason and his two colleagues decided that they had no choice. Six heavily-armed and intoxicated Somali pirates had seized the tanker and crew that the three British security guards were supposed to be protecting.

It is easy to blame the soldiers for this debacle but a soldier without a weapon is just another hostage. The very idea that they could stop gun totting Somali pirates with hoses, is laughable. Water and sonic devices are no match for AK-47s and Rocket Propelled Grenades.

Sonic cannon

It was amusing to hear the account of the much vaunted LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) in use.

The British security men lugged the LRAD to the front of the bridge and directed it straight at the skiff but, said Mr Mason, “it had no effect whatsoever. If we’d had ten of them it would have made no difference.” Mr Kelly concurred: “It was rubbish. It didn’t do a thing. They were laughing at it.”

Precisely as expected then. I always assumed that the device would be utterly pointless, after all even if it were extremely effective, the next time the pirates attack a vessel using it, they need only wear industrial ear plugs.

Now a deck cannon, would have been much more useful and there just isn’t any sort of ear protection available to negate that. The problem is apparently due to international law and insurance for cargo (especially the flammable kind), some ports and nations do not like the idea that ships of armed men could dock at any point.

I suppose countries such as Britain would be included in this as any type of firearm is illegal in Britain. That said, and even though I am not expert in maritime law, surely if the guns remain on the ship, no laws are broken?

Sea Marshals

Also,  if we can have air marshals on international flights, surely we can have armed guards on ships? Until the ships are able to protect themselves this piracy will continue and spread. Even if every navy in the world sent all of their ships to the region, the pirates would still be able to operate, barely hindered. Not every single ship in the area can be escorted, not unless the world reverts to WWII convoys.

Let’s be honest, if you lived in one of the poorest nations on earth, but could earn $1 million in just a few days, wouldn’t you? It is going to take a hell of a lot before the relatively easy and safe work of piracy becomes unattractive to young Somalians.

Abandon ship

This has left those who believed that they could make a fortune from the situation, like Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions, pointless and out of work.

APMSS never recovered. When the Biscaglia was attacked it had ten teams protecting ships off Somalia, each earning £14,000 for a few days’ work. Today it has just one.

The ship owners have realised that they are in reality just extra crew members and are no more likely to be able to prevent pirates from boarding than a gust of wind.

Immigrants just not fitting in

The migrants who just don’t belong, by the Archbishop of York | Mail Online

Immigrants to Britain in the past five decades have been treated like hotel guests who ‘do not belong’, the Archbishop of York said yesterday.

Every time this man opens his mouth, I actually find myself agreeing with him! He is saying what most people are thinking, probably what most MPs are thinking but dare not say for fear of being branded racist.

Dr John Sentamu is a first generation African immigrant, a man who genuinely fled persecution. He recently admitted that he was tortured by Idi Amin’s thugs before managing to flee to Britain and it is more than a little ironic that we have him, who is also the No.2 in the Church of England, saying what we all know to be true but what we dare not say.

Christian Values

While I don’t agree with everything he said, especially the overly religious parts, he does have a point about Christian values. What many of the multiculturalists do not understand is that Britain was founded and developed on such values and although religion no longer plays as big a part of everyday British life as it did, those values should still form the core of Britishness.

Dr John Sentamu said the failure of migrants to integrate had contributed to the collapse of a common British culture and the lack of a national sense of direction.

‘Consequently, any sense of a shared common culture is eroded, risking increasing segregation.’

Which most people in Britain are well aware of. Too afraid to upset the new neighbours with anything overly British, British culture and identity has faded to the point where most British people wouldn’t recognise British culture if they tripped over it.

Britain and British people have given so much and yet been forced to stand by as their own heritage and culture has been slowly diluted, or even forgotten entirely. This attitude has created the no go areas for whites, and the ever increasing racist attacks against whites who are now viewed as interlopers within these segregated communities.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has said since the New Year that many poorer white people feel betrayed and ignored by authorities and that they fear losing out in the share-out of public benefits.

With three quarters of all new jobs and new houses going to immigrants since 1997, you can understand why they believe this. The rich and middle class whites are moving abroad at an increasing rate year in, year out; poor whites do not have that luxury.

Positive Discrimination

I have already mentioned the upcoming laws allowing positive discrimination, and my feelings on it and such views have made me deeply sceptical these days of whether things are done for political correct reasons, or to show inclusiveness in modern Britain. The first black Archbishop of Canterbury would certainly have fallen into that category.

However Sentamu has more than proven his case, he’s the only person from the Church of England speaking out, (apart from Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester), about anything but especially the important issues that the Church of England should be speaking out on. Of course it is probably just shrewd politicking on Sentamu’s behalf, getting himself out there and well known amongst the populace, but that is precisely what is needed today.

He also blamed leaders of the Church of England for failing to speak out over the future of the nation as well as ignoring ‘the voiceless and the unheard in the market square’.

Apart from Williams’ Sharia gaffe, nothing much is heard from the Archbishop of Canterbury, other than meaningless drivel. Williams should step aside and let his successor take the reins as Sentamu has a much more common sense and hands on approach. Williams barely seems to inhabit the same country.

It won’t be a case of ‘the right time’ for a black Archbishop or political correct point scoring, more a case of him being the best man for the job, precisely as it should be.

Christianity, Sentamu, Uganda, Idi Amin, Britain, Immigration, Migrants, UK, Rowan Williams, CofE, Church, Christian, Discrimination

British Black History

Black history to be taught as part of school curriculum amid fears Churchill will be sidelined in lessons | Mail Online

The slave trade is to be taught in schools from next week as part of a drive to put greater emphasis on the role of black Britons and ethnic minority groups in history.

When I first heard about this I thought it was a good thing, after all at present the curriculum is just full of American black history, which bears no relevance to British blacks, but no, now British children are going to get both US and UK black history.

I have mentioned before that British blacks really have no idea of their past history, and in the absence of any role models or relevant history, they cling to the US role models and culture, such as gangs. So while this new move should be welcomed as a good thing, filling the history curriculum with black history is not.

Just 2% of the UK population is black, so this in depth look at ‘Black History’ is going to be largely irrelevant for 98% of pupils and would be better used in the wider context of the British Empire, but that doesn’t appear to be what is happening. Instead after looking at slavery in Britain, pupils will then look at slavery in the US and the emancipation there as well as the civil rights movement, something that has no relevance whatsoever in Britain.

There was no civil rights movement over here, there didn’t need to be, there was no segregation here, no bar on voting, so why is it taught? I doubt the French or the Americans learn about the British slave trade, so why, when there are so many complaints about a lack of British history are we still falling into the trap of offering American history instead of our own?

It’s all well and good looking over the history of black people in Britain and giving black role models and a better understanding of how black people came to be in Britain, but this should not be at the expense of everyone else. White people need their hero’s and role models too, as do the other ethnic minorities, so US black history should be removed to make way for this.

In fact if you were to read the National Curriculum regarding history, most of it seems to be about cultivating an understanding of the different peoples that make up the British people. This is all well and good, but it has to be taught carefully. You cannot teach ‘British children’ all about the cultures and history of others and not teach them their own.

The changes, part of an overhaul of the National Curriculum for history, are designed to help pupils ‘gain a better appreciation of the multi-cultural society around them’, education chiefs say.

A noble idea, in London, Birmingham and Leicester, but there are still many schools in Britain that have classes made up entirely of white children, shocking as that may be to the people in power. They too, need to be taught about their history and Winston Churchill, Horatio Nelson and Sir Francis Drake are an important part of that. We have successive generations of British school leavers who know nothing about British History, the Empire and it’s role in shaping the modern world, but have in depth knowledge of the Romans, the pilgrim fathers, the homesteaders and the Wild West as well as figures such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King.

With all this recent talk of Britishness, and despite the fact that most Brits have no idea what it is, I find it amazing that politicians seem to be missing the place where all Brits learn about what is means to be British, in history lessons.

Regardless of whether some pupils or some families find it offensive, the British Empire needs to be taught, the slave trade needs to be taught, but this should be balanced with the positives of Empire, such as modern day multicultural Britain, standing up to the Nazi’s and the worldwide end to the slave trade.

It is a step in the right direction, I left school not having once heard mention of William Wilberforce or Olaudah Equiano which hopefully won’t happen to pupils in future, however the Government should be wary that it is not a step too far and alienate others.

Blacks, History, Britain, Black History, Slaves, Slave Trade, Wilberforce, Churchill, Nelson, Drake, Schools, Curriculum, Teaching, History Lessons, Britishness, British, British Empire

Zimbabwe

I hate politicians. They claim to be carrying out a community service, doing it for the good of the people, when in reality they are lining their own pockets and getting off on the power. Let’s face it, if they were really that community minded, they’d do it for free. I can’t say the same about politicians in Zimbabwe though, the oppositions ones at least.

Arresting the leader of the opposition is one thing, banning rallies and adverts is, well to be expected in Zimbabwe, but beating to death the wives (yes wives, plural), of the opposition is just sick and a terrible price to pay for being a politician.

“The wife of the unofficial mayor of Harare was so badly beaten that her brother-in-law struggled to identify the body. Abigail Chitoro, 27, was dragged from her home with her four-year-old son before a mob firebombed the house.”

- Daily Mail

This farce has to end, the election is pointless; assuming that the police do not stand over the electorate whilst they cast their vote and Tsvangirai wins, it won’t make any difference. Mugabe and the Zanu PF have demonstrated clearly that they will not cede power to anyone else. If Tsvangirai, by some miracle, still manages to win, he won’t live 24 hours let alone take power.

Enough is enough, Mugabe had his chance to play fair, he hasn’t and now five million Zimbabweans are facing starvation, hundreds are dead and the ones causing the problem are not going anywhere.

The AU is a waste of time, most African nations are either corrupt, dictatorships or both. They are hardly likely to criticise Mugabe when their own houses are in such a poor state, albeit better hidden.

They’ll also never agree to allow UN or EU peacekeepers or any form of military into Zimbabwe as it will set a precedent, in other words it might encourage the UN or EU to make a job of it and clear up the whole continent.

Mugabe does his best to thwart any intervention by using emotive phrases such as ‘colonial masters’, and by praying that other African nations will block any attempt by a European power to step foot into Africa again but there is a limit and I am sure that in the next week he will cross it.

Zimbabwe,Mugabe,MDC,Tsvangirai,Rhodesia,UN,EU,Britain,Elections