""Flabby liberalism "" ??

[life on mars]

Blair states ‘flabby liberalism’ is helping extremism, he suggest many in politics /society are ‘unwilling to take people on’, fearing that they will be seen as intolerant of other cultures

I wonder in light of the recent attacks on the two countries who are a much more open , fair and liberal society than ours perhaps lend support to his view .

for example In Brussels its against the law to raid homes between the hours of 11 pm and 6 am to protect against disturbance, 136 people were let back into Belgium from Syria without any caution or arrest.

What a way to repay them

[Barry Shitpeas]

Is Blair suggesting we should change our way of life to prevent terrorist attacks? Should we become less liberal, fair and tolerant?

And when he says "take people on" what exactly is that supposed to mean?

I'm afraid old Tony's just doing what he's always been so good at, talking out of his arse.

[TruBlue]

Didn't both France and Belgium ban the Burka?

Not sure they are fearful of being seen of taking on other cultures. Probably more problems to do with the ease of movement through Europe. Sadly I think open borders will be a thing of the past in Europe very soon.

[Rjk]

There are terrorist attacks in far less liberal countries. Blair is talking arse.

[Vimana.]

Blair should be facing the music for causing so much of this in the first place.

[life on mars]

Blair should be facing the music for causing so much of this in the first place.

Or the money and politics , way before Blair , seem to remember something happening a while back in New York ?

[Llanedeyrnblue]

Is Blair suggesting we should change our way of life to prevent terrorist attacks? Should we become less liberal, fair and tolerant?

And when he says "take people on" what exactly is that supposed to mean?

I'm afraid old Tony's just doing what he's always been so good at, talking out of his arse.

And from behind his body guards

[blue matt]

136 people were let back into Belgium from Syria without any caution or arrest.

What a way to repay them

which is amazing, it is not a secret why they went to Syria :(

[surge]

These people do not wake up one morning and decide to explode a transport link. Even if they use the most innocent of items in which to build their device they have been told how to do it by someone, they have been encouraged by someone, they have been persuaded that it is right by someone. One of the greatest weapons we can use against terrorism is to create a society where a preacher of hate is laughed out of the room, something Tony Blair did not manage and something this government has not managed. But consider that hate preachers aren't all foreign any longer and those most nationalistic can also fall into the trap and we need proper adult conversations with vulnerable groups, respected community leaders standing up and to not turn our back on liberalism.

[blue matt]

These people do not wake up one morning and decide to explode a transport link. Even if they use the most innocent of items in which to build their device they have been told how to do it by someone, they have been encouraged by someone, they have been persuaded that it is right by someone. One of the greatest weapons we can use against terrorism is to create a society where a preacher of hate is laughed out of the room, something Tony Blair did not manage and something this government has not managed. But consider that hate preachers aren't all foreign any longer and those most nationalistic can also fall into the trap and we need proper adult conversations with vulnerable groups, respected community leaders standing up and to not turn our back on liberalism.

So we sit down and chat to them

would we insist they remove the suicide vest first ? ? ?

[Barry Shitpeas]

So we sit down and chat to them

would we insist they remove the suicide vest first ? ? ?

Of course you can't talk to Isis, but you can talk to the people most likely to become indoctrinated into extreme views in western society. These are the ones that are potentially a bigger threat in my opinion. As ever there are no easy answers but one thing is for sure, we can't bomb them into changing thier views.

[blue matt]

Of course you can't talk to Isis, but you can talk to the people most likely to become indoctrinated into extreme views in western society. These are the ones that are potentially a bigger threat in my opinion. As ever there are no easy answers but one thing is for sure, we can't bomb them into changing thier views.

I agree

But as i have said in the past, with Raqqa being the " capital " for Daesh, it gives them a sense of legitimacy, these brain washed Jihadi's know they if things go wrong for them in the UK ( or EUR ) they have a bolt hole to head to, that being Raqqa

[Croesy Blue]

A society with huge inequality is a breeding ground for terrorism unfortunately we then legitimise this by bombing some location most terrorist will spend a month of there life at and expect this to stop them and not encourage more.

[surge]

So we sit down and chat to them

would we insist they remove the suicide vest first ? ? ?

Although Blair's comments may have been, it's not all about ISIS. We have groups such as the EDL (and people like Trump and Rubio, who may actually be worse than Trump) where the vulnerable people being signed up are following a similar path to those wanting to go die for a book which quite clearly states that they are wrong. My "we need proper conversation" plan can only stop new people falling into the trap and perhaps get radical fighters to come home peacefully. Think it was This American Life where they were talking about ad companies being brought in to stop the war in Colombia (a South American country at least) where they used Christmas, everyone wants to be at home, and mum's talking to the guerrila fighters to convince them that there was still a place for them in peaceful society yet we still have many politicians who want to tell ISIS fighters that we can take away their British citizenship.

[Croesy Blue]

That episode of this American life is amazing. I think the Colombian government hired an ad agency to get the guerrilla fighters home. It started off with Bill boards etc and then ended up putting Christmas decorations and fairy lights throughout the jungle.

[the other bob wilson]

Can't read, watch or hear anything Blair says these days without thinking he's always got half an eye on trying to justify himself for past mistakes - we tried his approach thirteen years ago, for all of the good it did us.

[jackrabbit]

Although Blair's comments may have been, it's not all about ISIS. We have groups such as the EDL (and people like Trump and Rubio, who may actually be worse than Trump) where the vulnerable people being signed up are following a similar path to those wanting to go die for a book which quite clearly states that they are wrong. My "we need proper conversation" plan can only stop new people falling into the trap and perhaps get radical fighters to come home peacefully. Think it was This American Life where they were talking about ad companies being brought in to stop the war in Colombia (a South American country at least) where they used Christmas, everyone wants to be at home, and mum's talking to the guerrila fighters to convince them that there was still a place for them in peaceful society yet we still have many politicians who want to tell ISIS fighters that we can take away their British citizenship.

What total leftist bollocks. The EDL , Trump and Rubio do not go around blowing up airports. Why does the Left think everything is always our fault? These are demented deluded psychopaths we're dealing with - get used to it.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

What total leftist bollocks. The EDL , Trump and Rubio do not go around blowing up airports. Why does the Left think everything is always our fault? These are demented deluded psychopaths we're dealing with - get used to it.

If trump gets in he will flatten the middle East , never mind an airport , he's insane

[surge]

What total leftist bollocks. The EDL , Trump and Rubio do not go around blowing up airports. Why does the Left think everything is always our fault? These are demented deluded psychopaths we're dealing with - get used to it.

I said "a similar path" rather than "also commit horrifically violent acts". When you see Channel 4 reports of extreme Islamic groups and members of the EDL shouting at each other do you not think that they're potentially two sides to the same coin?

While there may be psychopaths within the group its unlikely that the majority of ISIS fighters are: if you consider that it's believed bankers and politicians as a profession show the highest levels of psychopathy and death for a "greater" cause doesn't really fit. To murder, and murder for a book which states its unlawful, is clearly delusional and deluded behaviour but its unlikely that they have always been so delusional, or at least to violent ends.

[life on mars]

Didn't Blair go into to bat before most because of the appalling treatment of Muslims in the Balkans, and was in the forefront of pushing the West to act in the Balkans ?