So let's start from a different angle. You have been appointed minister for defence. You have to define what it is you want the navy to be able to do in 10-35 years. No solutioneering in terms of numbers or type of ships. You have experts to work that out. What do you want the navy to be able to do...

He stood on a podium early on in the campaign IIRC and mocked a specific journalist in front of a crowd and the cameras. he deliberately posed himself to mimic the man's disability. As someone who is disabled, I know full well what is mocking a disability and what isn't so don't waste your breath t...

So we've got Trump, who mocks disabled people, calls for protestors to be beaten up, labels Mexicans rapists and murderers, admits to sexually assaulting women and had (until the accuser suffered a deluge of death threats) a child rape case meant to be held next month.... that's the next president....

Cooper wrote:It's only a matter of time before they're at each others throats again on the continent...frog & the scorpion.

AFAIC The peace since WWII is nothing more than an extended cease fire.

That's a bit grim.

United Kingdom gives up its EU presidency in 2017 (BBC) The UK had been scheduled to take up the presidency of the Council of the EU - which rotates on a six-monthly basis between the 28 EU countries, giving each the opportunity to shape the agenda - in the second half of 2017.But Mrs May has decid...

Coup was essentially crushed, they've taken a few hundred prisoners. Some rebels are apparently still determined to fight according to Reuters.

Some of them surrendered on Bosphorous Bridge, the civilians there are allegedly trying to throw them off the bridge.

Ireland has paid those loans back by the sounds of things and the Irish Know what austerity means. They will benefit from Brexit. But if the Euro goes bad we will dig them out again. Not necessarily benefit. We're expected to get hammered on trade, though the pick up in possible FDI (it's not certa...

The Irish nationalist gets wet at the thought of Scotland turning its back on the UK. They leech off whats happening in Scotland to feed their own hollow patriotism, which these days is all too associated with anything that appears to "hurt" Britain. The Irish nationalist sees the Scottis...

SKB wrote:The areas favouring independence ("Yes") were: Dundee, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and West Dumbartonshire. Coincidently, these areas all have a large population of 'Scots' from Irish migrant origins.

We'll get one of these days, buddy.

Given the announcement of the raising of the Threat of Irish republican Terrorism on the mainland I wonder will the "New IRA" be pursued with the same vigor as Islamic terrorist groups not only by The British Government but by other countries like America? Or will there be another round o...

What is it with today's "deal"? Does anyone seriously think it is relevant to the in/out question, except maybe Boris Johnson? I just can't see how it will make any difference at all to people's views on the question, whether you tend to in or out. I believe it to be just a propoganda exe...

The EU's socialist policy doesn't work. Migrants are flooding the marketplace and under cutting each other which drives earnings down. Local resources are swamped and as availability goes down, prices go up. If I recall, there was a study quite recently that confirmed mass immigration only benefits...

..even NI Catholics wanting to join the Republic are in the minority right now, last poll I saw over 60% of them wanted to remain part of the UK. Granted, it was taken at the height of the ROI economic problems and as the economy recovers that level may drop, but it does show the idea that Catholic...

While I don't think that it will be politically feasible, I'm definitely coming around to the idea that should the UK vote to leave the EU then Scotland and Northern Ireland's best move would be to enter in to federation with the Republic of Ireland. It'd solve all concerned's immediate problems wi...

yes the Irish are very keen for Britain to remain as if the UK leaves the budget will fall apart and Ireland may find its self having to contribute more than it receives. CAP payments don't really affect the economy as a whole, it's more for farmers benefit - the Government could find €500 million ...

Just on the point about the Northern Peace Process - most people in the Republic support Britain remaining in the EU (75%). A majority also supports all of Cameron's demands (58% for national sovereignty, 59% for opt-out of closer Union, 54% for restrictions on migrants from less developed regions, ...

The lifting of sanctions on Iran certainly won't do anything to help the oil prices recover, particularly given the renewed hostility between itself and Saudi Arabia. That said, falling oil prices seem like they might be the least of anyone's economic problems this year. If people seriously thought...

Lets not forget that governments were monitoring terrorist organisation s by means of techniques that now that terrorists are of aware thanks to snowden make it so much harder to prevent their attacks ,governments monitor for internet child pornography should this also be considered an intrusion Th...

We simply don't know what Snowden told China or Russia, that was the entire point of trying to grill him - he was saying stuff that shouldn't have been known. I am conflicted in this. On the one hand, a Government should be open with its citizens and needs to be reigned in to respect the rights of i...

Having a well-funded Irish military ;_;

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/merkel-heads-turkey-bind-over-europes-refugee-crisis-074102788.html ISTANBUL/BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered Turkey financial aid and the prospect of faster progress on its bid to join the European Union on Sunday in return for badly-needed he...

Apparently, the UK is Egypt's biggest international investor? I didn't know that. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-attends-historic-suez-canal-expansion Investor in its military, economy, or the Suez expansion? I'd have assumed US was their largest investor, and their equipment ...

Yes and watching the retoric being ramping up in the North at present . Don't think its anything to do with Austerity in Northern Ireland its ahead of Easter Rising 100 and sein feins further ambitions. It's not even just Stormont where people are twitchy. Our own Government is worried about a Brex...

I've never truly understood the Australian aversion to nuclear power. These buggers are sitting on like 30% of the entire world's uranium reserves and produce the largest amount a year, yet they seem to run on decades old equipment with little desire to improve their position

http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail2015063000053?opendocument#AAA00100 Minister Coveney and Deputy Ó Fearghaíl recently spoke in the Dáil about the White Paper on Defence, and for once it actually looked hopeful, considering the abysmal state of f...