All-purpose news and politics thread: One Step Beyond!

[Iangould]

The Egyptian Opposition ill campaign for a No vote in Saturday's referendum rather than boycotting it outright.

[bringthenoise]

If random victims at unspecifed location had had conceal-carry licenses all this could have been avoided.

But making guns harder to get a hold of makes no difference! The Army all have guns and they don't all kill each other - QED! (Yes, I have seen someone make this argument)

[Jeff Brady]

But making guns harder to get a hold of makes no difference! The Army all have guns and they don't all kill each other - QED! (Yes, I have seen someone make this argument)

You can just point them to articles about the army psychiatrist in Texas who shot up the base he was stationed in.

Or about how many of them kill themselves later on.

Or "friendly fire" incidents.

[king mob]

The report into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane back in the 80's was released today and oh look, it's another scandal from the time being revealed for all to see.

The level of state collusion uncovered by a report into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane is "shocking", Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

However, it concluded that there was "no overarching state conspiracy".

Sir Desmond de Silva's review confirmed that agents of the state were involved in the 1989 killing and that it should have been prevented.

Mr Finucane's widow, Geraldine, has dismissed the report as a "sham" and a "whitewash".

Mr Finucane was shot dead by loyalists in front of his wife and children at his north Belfast home.

[Alan Lynch]

The report into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane back in the 80's was released today and oh look, it's another scandal from the time being revealed for all to see.

While it doesn't read like a total whitewash (there's at least acknowledgement of the RUC's role), there's no excuse for not holding a public inquiry. When you know government officials have been involved in murder and subsequent cover-ups I can't understand how you can leave the investigation there.

[Iangould]

Oh this is too fucking ironic: Syria has issued an international arrest warrant for fore\mer Lebanese PM Saad Hariri for arming Syrian rebels and says that failure ot hand him over would b a violation of international law.

Meanwhile, I know how to end the Syrian civil war, Isreal just needs to bomb the crap out of the remaining government positions in Damascus for 24-48 hours. After all, technically, they are still at war.

[Puppetmaker Grae]

While it doesn't read like a total whitewash (there's at least acknowledgement of the RUC's role), there's no excuse for not holding a public inquiry. When you know government officials have been involved in murder and subsequent cover-ups I can't understand how you can leave the investigation there.

My guess is that after the Bloody Sunday inquiry lasted over a decade and cost hundreds of millions of pounds, no government will be prepared to set-up any new Public Inquiries if they can help it. Another thought is that community relations in Northern Ireland are pretty shaky at the moment, repeated inquiries aimed at only one side of the conflict (Britain, RUC, Loyalist paramilitaries etc) may start to prompt demands along the lines of: "Hold on, shouldn't Adams, McGuinness & co. start to answer a few questions too?". If such demands become to be seen as a threat to the ongoing peace process, expect to see it all kicked into the long grass for as long as possible.

[Gryphon]

Oh this is too fucking ironic: Syria has issued an international arrest warrant for fore\mer Lebanese PM Saad Hariri for arming Syrian rebels and says that failure ot hand him over would b a violation of international law.

Meanwhile, I know how to end the Syrian civil war, Isreal just needs to bomb the crap out of the remaining government positions in Damascus for 24-48 hours. After all, technically, they are still at war.

Since when? Also if Israel did that then the world would attack israel.

[Charles RB]

The report into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane back in the 80's was released today and oh look, it's another scandal from the time being revealed for all to see.

An army intelligence unit and Royal Ulster Constabulary were involved in the murder and muddying the waters, and MI5 took no action despite being warned (and had been slandering Finucane for years beforehand, and there wasn't an overarching state conspiracy?

In order for that to happen and not be part of a conspiracy, the government and the higher levels of the RUC, MI5 et al would have to not be paying any fucking attention to what was going on. So it's actually quite plausible that there wasn't an overaching conspiracy. We know that the government and its agencies have been reluctant to pay proper attention to how those agencies actually behave because it suited them not to.

And wow:

Former Ulster Unionist MP Lord Maginnis of Drumglass said the apology was "ridiculous".

"The reality is that the Finucane family were an IRA family and I can illustrate that by saying that, when I gave that allegation publicly and was being sued for libel, the family retracted and paid my legal expenses," he told the House of Lords.

"So let's not fool ourselves about the godfather Finucane, who was killed."

What a tosser.

While it doesn't read like a total whitewash (there's at least acknowledgement of the RUC's role), there's no excuse for not holding a public inquiry. When you know government officials have been involved in murder and subsequent cover-ups I can't understand how you can leave the investigation there.

I'm wondering that too. It's not like the government doesn't like having inquiries these days, is it?

[Charles RB]

Syria's taking the piss more than a workaholic urologist.

Another thought is that community relations in Northern Ireland are pretty shaky at the moment

Ah yes. Flag-gate. That happy fun time which is certainly not being egged on by the UVF and its chums, oh no.

Hey guys, you wanna claim you're loyal to the flag, how about you don't attack people's houses, random cars, the police, and so on?

[Iangould]

Since when?

Since 1948. Like all the Arab sates except Lebanon and Egypt, Syria has never signed a treaty to end the 1948 war.

Also if Israel did that then the world would attack israel.

Why would this be different to Israel's repeated invasions of Lebanon and Gaza or, for that matter, the 2009 attack on a suspected nuclear research facility inside Syria?

China and Russia would be secretly relieved, would condemn Israel at the UN and would vote for sanctions which the US would veto.

[bringthenoise]

Hey guys, you wanna claim you're loyal to the flag, how about you don't attack people's houses, random cars, the police, and so on?

You're expecting logic from a group whose argument goes "They're trying to make us less British by bringing our policies in line with mainland Britain?"

[mikekerrIII]

Since when? Also if Israel did that then the world would attack israel.

Turkey could get away with it Israel could not

[the4thpip]

In terrorism news, 2 items:

German officials: Device found at station could have caused dangerous blast, 2 people sought

N.M. men plotted to castrate and kill Justin Bieber

I can't stand the kid's music, but he should not have to live knowing there are people out there with concrete plans like that for him.

[Michael P]

Isn't castrating Justin Bieber redundant?