CHAPEL END CHARLIE

Those who have been following the case will not be all that surprised to see that a Royal Marine has today been found guilty of the murder of a wounded Taliban captive in Afghanistan. For obvious reasons the media have been careful to censor what was been broadcast, but from what we have seen the evidence of his guilt seems overwhelming - the convicted Marine is actually recorded admitting he has just violated the Geneva Convention. Two other Royal Marines accompanying him at the time have been acquitted of all charges and returned to their units. They can perhaps consider themselves to be very fortunate young men tonight because had this trial been conducted in the jurisdiction of a civilian High Court, rather than under military Court Martial conditions, then they too may well have been convicted of a crime. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/10436149/Royal-Marine-faces-life-in-jail-for-captive-execution.html Now war crimes are as old as war itself and I have long felt that those who send young men off to war - all of us potentially - should bare at least a part of the moral responsibility for what subsequently ensues. History shows that when you 'let slip the dogs of war' then all kinds of dreadful stuff is inevitably going to happen on a battlefield I'm afraid. Surely when we brutalize our soldiers in combat then it should come as little surprise when some of them in turn behave in a exceptionally brutal manner - I must add that this level of inhumanity seems to come more readily to some rather than others. So the question of war crime is a 'moral maze' then for in a sense war itself is nothing but a huge crime and how can we single out one act of savage violence from all the others? But while I can certainly feel some sympathy towards this marine, a man we sent to do a bloody tough job in near impossible conditions, in the final analysis I say we still do right when we hold our soldiers accountable for their actions. Imagine if you will how we would feel had a wounded British soldier had been mercilessly executed by a Taliban fighter ...

'Don't Panic - The Truth About Population' (BBC 2 Thursday) reintroduced viewers to this planets most entertaining statistician - Professor Hans Rosling. I well remember his last programme when the great man conclusively proved that the average Human Being has less than two legs. Yesterday he took a close look at the issue of our rapidly rising human population, placed its extraordinary growth rate into its historical context, explained why this is happening, and then showed why we should not perhaps worry too much about it. Funny, knowledgeable, and incurably optimistic this truly is 'must-see' television for anyone blessed with a enquiring mind ... oh and British university students are dummer than Chimpanzees. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03h8r1j/This_World_Dont_Panic_The_Truth_About_Population/

Dopey, Goofy, two Happies, and a I wish I could grow a proper Beardy. Well done to them all.

The new OPV's are expected to replace 3 River Class ships - HMS Tyne, Severn, and Mersey. These ships are by no means old or due for replacement in the normal course of events. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-offshore-patrol-vessels-for-royal-navy As for modern ships being much more capable that the vessels they replace, this is perfectly true. But warships don't evolve in isolation and the sub surface, surface, and airborne threats they must face are also becoming increasing capable over time of course. In the final analysis, however sophisticated a warship is, it can only be at one place at a time. With just 19 destroyers and frigates in the fleet (the RN had 38 frigates alone back in 1990) the service is (imo) in crisis - at its lowest ebb perhaps since way back when Admiral De Ruyter raided the Thames and sailed off with the Kings flagship in tow. We can only hope this nation doesn't have to again pay a price in blood for the willful neglect it displays to its navy.

Wiki link: In September 2012, it was announced by the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond that the Ministry of Defence had purchased the vessels (from VT) for £39 million.

Very true I'm afraid. You can understand why so many in Portsmouth are upset about it, but the ever shrinking state of the Royal Navy and BAE's long term failure to win sufficient export orders has doomed this yard. What will happen to warship building in this country if the jocks decide to leave the UK is tonight very much a open question. In order to keep the remaining BAE yards on the Clyde open between the end of the current aircraft carrier project and the new Type 26 frigate programme finally getting underway the Government (in its wisdom) has decided to order 3 new OPV's (Offshore Patrol Vessels). Now OPV's are virtually unarmed patrol ships that are mainly used for secondary tasks such as fisheries protection etc. What the government isn't telling you is that we already have perfectly good OPV's (the 'River' Class) that were completed fairly recently and could/should serve on for many years to come. These ships are now to be needlessly replaced in what can only be described as a 'make work' scheme. So with the Royal Navy desperately short of real destroyers and frigates, we are about to spend good money building ships the navy neither needs or wants. The mismanagement and waste emanating from the MOD is little short of a scandal.

I've just seen our goal on MOTD. There's no way Jay Rod really meant to do that ... is there?

I've just seen our goal on MOTD. There's not way Jay Rod really meant to do that ... is there?

I recall what great fun we had winding him up with the old 'premier league you're having a laugh' a few years ago, but Ian Holloway was - well back then anyway - a bit of a 'character' as they say. In a ever more professional sport increasing dominated by bland management speak and a fear of saying anything remotely interesting, he at least spoke his mind and wore his heart on his sleeve ... just like on of us in a way. Football could do with more Ian Holloway and Brian Clough types in my view - I doubt we going to get them somehow.

I ask you is there anybody out their in SWF Land who has led a life so sheltered or privileged that they are at all surprised to learn that this type of thing is going on? The bureaucracy and quota filling involved in obtaining JSA is so severe and burdensome now that unemployed people have little choice but to resort to this type of nonsense - the system requires them to in effect. When you put a series of hoops between the unemployed and the benefits they are entitled to by law, then it seems to me that officialdom has no grounds for complaint when jobseekers decide to jump right through them. In their situation I would do exactly the same - although I might be a bit more subtle about admitting it in writing!

World's Biggest Ship - Quest Channel Tuesdays. Despite the remorseless march of time I still maintain a child-like fascination with stuff that's big, and in maritime terms they don't come any bigger than the Danish Maerske Line's latest container ship design - the mighty 'Triple E'. This is a fairly straightforward programme charting the anything but straightforward business of creating such a massive vessel - these ships are so vast they would dwarf our new aircraft carriers and they can efficiently transport 18,000 TEU containers within - and on top of - their cavernous cargo holds. There was a time not so long ago when we led the world in commercial shipbuilding, now of course shipping lines go to Korea and China to get their vessels built on time and on budget. But hats off to the Korea Daewoo shipyard in Okpo because the organisation, efficiently, and sheer bloody hard work they put in is quite beyond criticism.

This small island is unquestionably crowded enough already so I have some sympathy with the OP on this issue. However people will continue having children regardless of the prevailing tax/befit policy so the effect of this idea may well be to impoverish future generations of our children - lets face it we're talking about working class children here in the main who are already quite disadvantaged enough in life many would say. Do we really want to see again hungry and shoeless kids running about the streets of this nation as if we were back in Victorian times? For that matter do we want to see a huge rise in the number of abortions? On a personal note, had this policy been put in place back in 1963 I myself might not be here to debate the subject with you all - and I think we can all agree that would be a very bad thing indeed.

Well, with UEFA passing judgement on this case tonight - and finding CSKA guilty as charged - I take it that no one on here continues to dispute that Yaya Toure was indeed subject to actual racial abuse during the match in question. The fact CSKA even attempted to deny their obvious guilt in this matter is a disgrace in my view. UEFA have decided that one end stand at the Moscow stadium will remain closed during their next Champions League tie v Bayern Munich. This is good as far as it goes, but if it were it my call I would have gone further and insisted the entire ground be shut because only when it really hurts the offending clubs financially will they even begin to take this issue seriously. What is more, should there be a repeat of this appalling incident then methinks they should be thrown out of the competition. Mark my words, one of these days a manager will take his team off the pitch or a brave referee will decided to abandon a match when this type of vile abuse happens again. The sh1t will hit the fan then, but that will actually be a good day for football.

This is a good question - probably not is the answer. The point is moot however because I rate the chances of us finishing this season quite that highly as remote to be honest about it.

I couldn't agree more. Not at all interested in this competition for much the same reasons you give. If we're in danger of qualifying for it come next March/April I'd go so far to say that (for the first time ever) I'd be less than distraught to see my beloved club lose a few points rather than ruin 2014/2015 chasing this 19 game nonsense. Yes I know - a 'Dell Sized' mentality ...

I'm no expert in the fine details of this particular case and I'll leave the 'who done its' to others, but is it really such a terrible act of parental neglect to leave sleeping children (not babies) unattended for a short time while their parents eat a meal nearby? We must also take into account that the McCann's did take the trouble to come back to check on them. To me this is not exactly the model of good parenting, but neither is it the wanton case of dereliction of duty some on here seem to think either. I grew up in a era when almost exactly the same thing would happen every single night at Butlins and no one would have thought anything of it. For that matter neither was it considered at all unusual, or out of order, for children to be left alone to play outside for hours on end and make their own fun when they were not at school. Perhaps the widespread fear/paranoia about abduction and child abuse has led society to become over protective towards our children and we should endevour to return to that old style parenting of times gone past. It seems to me the (statistically very small) chance of something terrible happening is leading us to damage our kids by restricting the level of freedom they will require if they are develop into healthy and well balanced adults. Hay there are no easy answers here, but is not doing our utmost to help our children towards that healthy adult future not the real model of what good parenting should be?

I must say this tiresome 'digging up' old threads business that is seemingly becoming increasing popular on here lately is both argumentative and unnecessary in my view. Although I sidestepped this particular thread, I would hope most on here are mature enough to understand that fans call things as they see them at the time. Needless to say opinions of course often change over time. Now sometimes looking back we emerged as wise and foresightfull posters ... and lets face it sometimes we end up looking silly. In either case lets not make too big a deal of it because it could happen to any of us and none of it matters very much in the final analysis does it? Anyone on here want to claim that their every post is a model of sweet reason? Beware before you do so because a chaps posting history is a matter of record of course ...

As you keep asking me about him I must note that you seem inordinately interested in a (now 7 year-old BTW) opinions. He came, he saw, he told me what he thought. I should leave it at that if I was you. As for Guly, I well know you happen to rate him highly. I dare say you will also remember that his is not a opinion I share.

Ah! good to see the spirit of dear old Johnny Speight lives on

I can see where you are coming from, but surely the true purpose of motorsport is not to see how fast we can make a race car go around a race track. No, it seems to me that Formula One is a branch of 'show biz' - IE it exists in order to entertain those who choose to follow it ... oh and to sell stuff to those same fans of course. We can all snootily look down our collective noses at 'blue collar' motorsport formula such as the BTCC and criticize their lack of "purity". But I can assure you that many younger motorsport fans I personally know have given up on F1 but are still keen enthusiasts of lesser forms of motorsport precisely because of their unpredictability, close racing and wealth of incident compared to the sterile and overly academic fare on offer from F1. I've just seen the (typically dull) Indian GP and - my congratulations to Red Bull and Vettal aside - how fitting it is that this season should effectively end with another 'whimper' of a race rather than the 'bang' that might have done at least something to install a sense of enthusiasm for next season. I can recall when it was announced a while ago that the BBC would lose the rights to screen every F1 race live how annoyed I was back then because I used to love this sport so very much. Now however I could hardly care less to be brutally frank about it.

There's plenty about the manner in which he runs this grand old club that I don't much like to be frank about it. His (petty minded) attitude towards the press and those who disagree with him could stand improvement. I'm not so sure we fans hold a very high place in his affections either. I must also say the level of coercion he saw fit to inflict on the Liebherr family last summer left a sour taste in the mouth of this fan. But look how far we have come under his Chairmanship and consider just how superbly the team is playing now and even his sternest critic is forced - or dragged 'kicking and screaming' more like it - to concede that the Don has got most/all of the big decisions right so far. Getting those big calls right kinda limits the grounds for complaint doesn't it?

It's a interesting phenomena isn't it? The more easily suggestible types on here keep seeing others claim that Guly do Pardo holds the ball up well and he is a exceptionally energetic player. This notion takes hold and they subsequently 'see' these qualities in his play even when the evidence to support these assertions is scanty at best. The truth is the Human perception of reality is a hell of a lot more subjective rather than objective, and we often 'see' what we are expecting to see rather that what has actually occurred. For what its worth my (equally subjective) version of reality is that Guly doesn't really hold the ball all that well and neither is he especially energetic for that matter. Not that I expect the massed ranks of the Guly fan club to accept any of that of course.

You are exaggerating. I'm not minded to call him lazy, I never have said that, but to suggests he puts himself about like some hyped up teenager on speed bares no relationship to the truth.

A few observations from the Chapel Stand on what I thought was a superb performance: 1 - I can't remember the last time I saw a Saints team work the ball - and then regain possession of it when dispossessed - with such speed, skill or conviction. If there was a 50/50 ball to be won yesterday then (more often than not) a player in red won it ... oh and that Wanyama is a beast. 2 - Artur Borac is clearly a top class keeper, but to be frank about it I could have played in goal yesterday and we would still have won comfortably so resolutely do this team defend as a unit - all of them that is. It's no accident our defensive record is one of the very best in European football - it's down to how well MP has drilled his players. 3 - I don't suppose many on here who would dare to criticize the effort Steve Davis has been putting in for this team recently. However, on this form James Ward-Prowse surely cannot be denied a regular starting place for much longer. I must admit that I thought the praise lavished on him early last season was a bit OTT, but look at him now and you can see a future (full) England International in the making. 4 - Contrary to some opinions expressed on here, I think Adam Lallana has (very) seldom put in a unsatisfactory performance for this club. The form he is in right now however is on a different level frankly - we're lucky to have him. 5 - Fulham traditionally seldom 'travel well' as they say. But I don't suppose their handful of away fans see them dispatched quite as ruthlessly as this all that often because we took them to pieces with almost embarrassing ease at time yesterday. A teams second season back in the Premier League is often turns out to be as problematic - if not more so - than their first. Our 'difficult second album' on the other hand seems to be turning out very nicely indeed.

Far form being some figment of this players fevered imagination, the following clip proves that the racial abused (in the form of repugnant 'Monkey Chants') directed at Yaya Toure was also noticed by at least one British jurno. Indeed so apparent was the abuse that the reporter took the trouble to specifically question him about it during his post match interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twOVDv3nb5A The record also shows that UEFA have officially charged CSKA Moscow with quote: "racist behavior of their fans" and are also investigating the actions of the match referee - presumably on the basis of their own accredited Match Assessors report. As for the views of this Ivory Coast teammate the OP makes such a big play of, as Seydou Doumbia is a paid CSKA player - and therefore interested in seeing this team progress - he can hardly be depicted as being completely impartial can he! So unless the OP can provide some convincing alternate explanation as to the facts of this matter - perhaps the reporter and the player have conspired together to promote this sinister "agenda" he sees - then I shall continue to regard Toure's statements as being a fair representation of what actually occurred that night. My advice to you Viking is that before you start frowning serious allegations, allegations laced with pejorative phrases such as 'race card' about on here, you take the trouble to exam the facts of the matter first. Indeed, I'm left wondering who is it that really has a "agenda" to promote here ... Yaya Toure or you?