Coldstream Guards facing the axe?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.express.co...ts/view/260752/260752

If we must lose some historic regiments, is it not right that out of the five foot guards, the Coldstream Guards should be the one to go?

Interesting to note however that The Irish, Scottish and Welsh guards are likely to be saved for “reasons of regional sensitivity” and the Coldstream regiment might go because it is less famous than the last of the five, the Grenadier Guards.

Surely the Grenadier Guards should also be saved for “reasons of regional sensitivity” because aren't they also essentially 'ENGLISH'?

Seems to me that when one is talking about 'regional sensitivities' England seems to take a 'back seat' once again.

[andy-hughes]

"We don't necessary have to force a political system on another nation by force of arms, and at times this can be as much benefit to a country and it's people as other aid is."

No we don;t have to force - but we do so, and often or attempts to force democracy end in abject failure - as they currently continue to do in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are two simple words that tell western democracies the result of attemtping to force their ideas of 'freedom' on another nation by military force, those words are 'Viet' and 'Nam'.

My point is that we should be pulling back from this idealistic interference backed by critically expensive military invasion, and the down-sizing of our military would be felt far less as a result.

[DTCwordfan]

So how do you intend policing the likes of Al Qaeda then, andy........just let them get on and set bombs off on the streets of the UK and elsewhere. Bet you think different if one went up in your neighbourhood.

[andy-hughes]

I don't DTcrosswordfan - that is not the issue being debated here.

Surely the most casual observer must realise that faced with a section of society who hate - and that is absolutely the word to use - Western society in all its forms, the idea of supresion by military force is utterly doomed to failure.

The Russians proved it, with millions of soldiers and hardware far superior in amounts to anything the American / British axis can offer.

All that has occured is a strenghtening of the belief that western democracy is the work of the devil - an argument not difficult to grasp when it manifests itself as an invading force in the countries of people who are our sworn enemies.

The answer is to attempt negotiaon with Al QAeda - military means have not, and will not work.

As Churchill (who knew a bit about an enemy who hates us) said - it's always better to jaw-jaw than war-war.

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

Regarding Policing the World, you mentioned Iraq and Afghanistan, I don't think most would disagree with you on these two examples.

But you failed to mention Bosnia, why is that?

[andy-hughes]

Simply because I didn't think of it.