Are we (Uk/Europe) hypocrites? (Libya)

[Bill Bread]

The OP doesn't have any bearing on why that should stop us from interfering with Gadaffi's plans to kill thousands of Libyans.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

You could make that claim, yeah.

However you would have to hold me personally responsible for purchasing african slaves way back before the American Civil War. Which is ridiculous.

I don't like the whole claiming the moral high ground stance either, but if a guy stepped into a room full of unarmed people with a gun he bought with their money and said he'd kill anyone who disagrees with him, common sense dictates that it's not really right.

How about if said gun was bought from the people who are now intervening and they knew full well before hand what the purchaser would do with it?

But I'm digressing I'm getting drawn into whether the action to intervene is right which was not the subject of the original post.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Unfortunately this is going to be fairly UK centric due to my foreign history being shaky

Oh yes, we are massively hypocritical, we're British.

First off, not even a year ago our government(s, both the old one and Cameron's lot) were getting very cuddly-uppy with Gaddafi. Those Oil refineries in the north east? Mostly British owned, we also had/may still have a bunch of trade agreements with him. We may or may not have also sold him various military equipment (bot no weapons themselves).

Going back a little further. Lockerbie bombing, biggest terrorist attack in the UK, ever, 270 dead and a 747 going down in a cloud of fire. Also the murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher by a gunman inside the Libyan Embassy who was never caught. Gaddafi pulled strings to make sure the gunman got away, he also made sure all the Lockerbie bombers bar one made their escape. He may have even ordered both.
Don't think there's nobody in the British military itching for some revenge over those.

A little ironically, Lockerbie was revenge for a series of US bombing raids on Libya. Those raids were launched from (you guessed it) the UK.

Why did the UK let that happen? Gaddafi was helping fund and arm the IRA.

And so it goes on, we have a long history with Gaddafi and it doesn't show us in a particularly good light.

One last thing, those trade agreements I mentioned. The only guy convicted of the Lockerbie bombing was let go to help those through. Both the Scottish and British parliament vehemently deny it, Wikileaks thinks otherwise.

So yes, the is round of let's bomb Libya is massively hypocritical.

 

[Fappy]

You don't even need to go as far as the sins of our fathers (although I would argue that we're not responsible for actions that were carried out long before our birth, we can only do so much to atone for it).
At least you're not as bad as our (the French) government which actually extended an invitation to Gaddafi and actually let him pitch his bloody tent on the lawn right across from the bloody Palais de l'Elysée (French White House or Downing Street, it's where we stick our president)... And a year later, Sarkozy actually has the nerve to denounce him.
Now *there's* hypocrisy for ya.

GAH! The French really need to start giving me reasons to NOT hate your country DX

 

[Eleima]

You don't even need to go as far as the sins of our fathers (although I would argue that we're not responsible for actions that were carried out long before our birth, we can only do so much to atone for it).
At least you're not as bad as our (the French) government which actually extended an invitation to Gaddafi and actually let him pitch his bloody tent on the lawn right across from the bloody Palais de l'Elysée (French White House or Downing Street, it's where we stick our president)... And a year later, Sarkozy actually has the nerve to denounce him.
Now *there's* hypocrisy for ya.

GAH! The French really need to start giving me reasons to NOT hate your country DX

Shame on you, sir, for making the grave mistake of confusing a country and its government. France is actually a beautiful country, full of history, culture, interesting people, places, and great food and wine. Don't crucify an entire country over one idiotic leader.

 

[Panorama]

Every country has done wrong in the past, and to say that each country lives by the actions of there fore fathers would mean no country is allowed to be judged by what they are doing in this generation, not 5 or more generations ago.
Plus in the times gone by there were no international bodies which were 'tasked' with international peace same as NATO, unless you class say the Catholic Church, but the less said about the church the better.

 

[Fappy]

You don't even need to go as far as the sins of our fathers (although I would argue that we're not responsible for actions that were carried out long before our birth, we can only do so much to atone for it).
At least you're not as bad as our (the French) government which actually extended an invitation to Gaddafi and actually let him pitch his bloody tent on the lawn right across from the bloody Palais de l'Elysée (French White House or Downing Street, it's where we stick our president)... And a year later, Sarkozy actually has the nerve to denounce him.
Now *there's* hypocrisy for ya.

GAH! The French really need to start giving me reasons to NOT hate your country DX

Shame on you, sir, for making the grave mistake of confusing a country and its government. France is actually a beautiful country, full of history, culture, interesting people, places, and great food and wine. Don't crucify an entire country over one idiotic leader.

You guys do it too XP

But I meant that more of a joke anyway. I hear you guys actually yield for people who are trying to change lanes. Who knew there was a place in the world where people actually practiced courteous driving! (I live in Atlanta where people don't know what a turn signal is D: )