And Thus It Came To Pass

The Wisdom of the Scots

A propos the actions of the murderous Libyan regime in recent days, this came to mind:  In 2009 scotsvernacular blogged in response to Andrew Neil's Daily Politics blog

Why are 'we' so keen on Gaddafi? 

Andrew Neil | 11:29 UK time, Thursday, 24 September 2009

Just a quick thought of a blog today, after all the excitement of the Lib Dems in Bournemouth.

As I watched Colonel Gaddafi (the Libyan dictator formerly known as Mad Dog) harangue the UN general assembly yesterday, calling the Security Council terrorists and ripping up the UN Charter, it made me wonder why our government was so keen to have close and friendly relations with him.

Much diplomatic and commercial wooing has been going on -- we learned just how much during the al Megrahi affair -- allegedly so that Britain gets access to Libya's oil and gas reserves.

But don't we depend more than enough already on unsavoury and unstable regimes for our energy supplies?

Why would adding Colonel Gaddafi to our list of suppliers make us any more secure? Any who would not rather cut back a little on their energy consumption rather than see any of their money end up in this guy's coffers?

I look forward to your answers ....

354. At 3:39pm on 29 Sep 2009, scotsvernacular wrote:

It is time to stand up and exercise our moral and ethical clout. There is no place in decent society (and by inference world society) for the condoning of the antics displayed by Colonel Gaddafi (the Libyan dictator formerly known as Mad Dog), and which you describe so succinctly. [A propos Mad Dog, the word guttersnipe springs to mind.]

Must we continually demean ourselves in pandering to the antics of pathologically deviant despots? The answer must be a resounding NO!

You also say, 'Why would adding Colonel Gaddafi to our list of suppliers make us any more secure?'

I fear that the very opposite would result from this action: This would signal an open invitation for all pathological recidivist deviant depots or would-be despots, around the world and at home, to spring into action. The potential which may be unleashed is too horrific to contemplate!

We must heed the numerous warnings which history has taught us.

Perhaps it may be apposite timing to not only withdraw from the current scenario with Libya, but to break off all diplomatic links for the foreseeable future until Mad Dog is no longer a threat.

We must acknowledge that WE OWE IT TO HUMANITY, AND ESPECIALLY THE OPPRESSED CITIZENS OF LIBYA AND OTHER TYRANNICAL REGIMES, THAT WE ACT WITH COURAGE AND DECENCY TO ASSERT OUR MORAL AND ETHICAL CLOUT.

We do NOT need Libyan oil - we have trusted oil suppliers, and the technology in place to supply additional energy resources. And coupled with the will to halt our wasteful energy use, and the overt encouragement by the next government to change our ways (some simple straightforward moral guidance - not nannying - perhaps?) there is really no need to panic. The current scenario is based on pure and simple greed and selfishness.

Zarathustra's sibyl
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/dailypolitics/andrewneil/2009/09/why_are_we_so_keen_on_gaddafi.html?postid=86428273#comment_86428273

Degress For All Responsible for the Gross Levels of Incompetence in Government and Business

In recent discussions on BBC Radio 4 on the topic of current higher education and Blair's vision that 50% would go through higher education, intellectual capacity was not mentioned.

Previously, degrees were synonymous with, and only for those with the highest intellect, and therefore those who went on with a degree into a profession or business were intellectually equipped to hold important responsible posts and to carry out their work to the highest standards. Given that a very small percentage of any population possesses a high intellect, we are now in a position where hordes with a modicum of intellect, who now have a degree have ended up in positions which at one time they would not have been considered for. This has clearly given rise to the unprecedented levels of incompetence and mismanagement in central and local government, and constantly lowering standards in business.

We have produced a generation with falsely high aspirations who lack the intellectual capacity to utilise their higher education effectively.

It is high time to learn the lesson of Blair's misguided policy and to revert to a system where more emphasis is placed on vocational skills' training and leave academic higher education to those who are intellectually most suited, and who will ultimately, if given the opportunity, be able to contribute effectively to getting us out of this mess.

We can not see the wood from the trees.