At a basic level you can track this back to the first world war and probably even further (but my history is limited).

bollix. End of . . .

Crikey, i've not seen this much intellectual willy waving on here for a long time

And bollox.

back to name calling, sexual innuendo, bitching and complaining then. don't know why i bother. bollox is too good for it.

The problem of war is winning is the only principle. We only have to look at WWII and the atrocities committed against civilians from all parties involved. On the scale of it, the conflict in Ireland was pretty civil in comparison.

Im reading an interesting biography about wernher von braun....german engineer of V2 rocket and moon landing fame. They made a movie about him at the height of his fame "I aim for the stars" (quickly subtitled by some critics "but sometimes hit london")

He was really only interested in making rockets, the fact they the military were the only people interested in funding that didnt seem to much bother him.

He made the same point though that at a time of war people tend to suspend moral judgment, and those that dont tend to be on the receiving end of worse treatment. He kept mighty quiet about his SS membership though once he got to america....where he worked on nuclear balisitic missles before the push to beat the soviets in the space race finally gave him a civilian project to work on.

And yet there are all those treaties about how countries will fight wars, weapons that can and can't be used etc. I find this weird - we shouldn't be civilizing war and killing, we should just not be doing it.

Of course. All those conventions go out the window when they are not expedient.

Well, I'm personally a bit pissed off with Eddie Izzard. I was planning to run a marathon - thought it would impress friends and family, now I'm 40. But his little stunt has really taken the shine off it - the big show off.

Is a little inconsiderate of him I grant you. That said, the motivation for running a marathon should be intrinsic rather than trying to impress family or friends.

I often think the motivation behind such 'stunts' is self promotion, but then again who am I to talk (apparently).