STOP THE WAR?

[Colin Zeal EFM]

STOP THE WAR? NOT IN MY NAME by Richard Littlejohn

 

The anti-war demonstrations once again received reverential, wall-to-wall coverage on the BBC. What they didn’t show you, unless I missed it, was the standing ovation for our armed forces at the rugby international at

Twickenham.

 

I didn’t detect much dissent among the 75,000 England and Scotland fans when it came to expressing support for our servicemen and women in the Gulf.

 

But it was a useful reminder that no matter how much noise the “Stop the war” crowd make, no matter how much uncritical airtime they receive, no matter how much of a nuisance they make of themselves, they don’t, as they

like to claim, speak for the majority of people in Britain.

 

They may appear to be winning the propaganda war, they may be dominating the airwaves, they may be shouting loudest.

 

But they’ve lost the battle for hearts and minds.

 

The latest opinion poll has 56 per cent of people in favour of the war, with just 37 per cent opposed.

 

According to a YouGov survey, 65per cent of people trust Tony Blair to make the right decisions about military action in Iraq.

 

You certainly wouldn’t get that impression from listening to the phone-ins on Five Live, the BBC’s answer to al-Jazeera.

 

Occasionally a pro-war voice sneaks on air under the radar, only to be greeted with ridicule and disbelief.

 

Otherwise it’s a constant diatribe of “millions of dead Iraqi bay-bees”, “it ’s all about oil”, “Bush is worse than Saddam”, “Blair is a war criminal”, blah, blah, blah.

 

But then, what else do you expect? The BBC’s idea of “balance” these days reflects the world view of the Guardianistas who work there.

 

They’re the same kind of people who have been running the education system for years.

 

As I said on Friday, you shouldn’t read too much into the schoolkids’ protests. But it does help to illustrate some of the rubbish they get drummed into their heads these days.

 

I doubt many of them could point to Baghdad on the map. They don’t get taught proper geography any more.

 

Instead they’re told about American “imperialism” and the nasty “multee-nashnuls” and evil oil barons polluting the ozone layer and poisoning bay-bees in the Third World.

 

So it doesn’t take much to persuade them to side with Saddam against George W Bush.

 

If you get drip-fed a constant diet of anti-American propaganda, some of it is bound to sink in.

 

Let’s get one thing straight. The so-called “warmongers” are just as keen on peace as everyone else.

 

But we understand that the world changed for ever on September 11. Rogue states which sponsor terrorism and seek to manufacture or obtain weapons of mass destruction must be confronted.

 

Tyrants like Saddam must be taken down.

 

Why is it the “Not In My Name” crowd seek to deny the Iraqi people the freedom they themselves enjoy?

 

Come to that, why do peace demonstrators seem so keen on violence against the police and criminal damage?

 

And why, if they hate war, do so many of them wear combat fatigues?

 

The number of marchers over the past few weeks may have convinced some people that Britain is overwhelmingly against this war. But the anti-war brigade are preaching to the converted.

 

You rarely get marches for something. But that doesn’t mean the protesters have won the argument.

 

As the polls show, the majority of people now support the war and are rallying round the Prime Minister and the armed forces.

 

That’s not to say we don’t have reservations.

 

We do. But we’re grown-up enough to appreciate that sometimes you have to be prepared to take difficult decisions and undertake hazardous operations for the greater good.

 

“Not In My Name” is a no-cost option. It’s also a no-hope option.

 

I don’t doubt the sincerity of many of those who continue protesting while our troops are risking their lives for our freedom and security.

 

They’re just plain wrong, that’s all.

 

And ask yourself this. If push came to shove, who would you want on your side — the ragbag army of 200,000 whistle-blowing Trots, madwomen and excitable schoolchildren?

 

Or the real Army? You didn’t have to be at Twickenham on Saturday to know the right answer.

 

 

www.thesun.co.uk

 

 

[ESG]

START THE WAR

 

when's it start?

[GHA EFM]

To keep it simple, I don't like Richard Littlejohn very much.

[CANV EFM]

im pretty neutral on littlejohn.. tho i do see where he coming from on most issues.. as for the BBC, well i think its one of the major injustices of the last decade, that i have no choice but to pay for that pap!

[mdetaylor]

I cannot stand Littlejohn, particularly when on 6-0-6 but I agree with most of his rant.

 

Not sure that 75,000 egg chasing, public school educated, barbour jacket and green welly wearing chinless wonders is any more reflective of the national opinion than an anti war march though.

[Colin Zeal EFM]

No, possibly not. But I think the point is, that the media is guilty of often only reflecting one side of events.

 

 

[ESG]

Quote:

that the media is guilty of often only reflecting one side of events.

surely not true of Littlejohn? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Colin Zeal EFM]

You're probably right, SSL, but his is one column with which I regularly find myself agreeing.

 

 

[Chubbhead EFM]

I think the best thing to do is to read a variety of newspapers ie from left-wing papers such as the Guardian (or if you want extreme left-wing the Socialist!) through to Right-wing papers such as the Daily mail or the Telegraph. That way you get to see the different angles on a story and you might even get the truth!

[EFM's Librarian]

Or you could just read books, because they have a tendency to rely more on facts than opinion. Bit of a problem keeping up to date with the current news though <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Zeal, for how many years have you read the Sun? How can you not be sure that the reason you agree with Littlejohn, is because you have read a paper which espouses his opinions every day? (I know he personally doesn't write every day, but his opinion is generally reflected in the paper)

[ESG]

sod the war

what about our bananas

 

Save the british fruit!