BBC HARDtalk- Lord Hurd (1 of 3)

HARDtalk - Courtesy of BBC-
http://tardid.net ::
Broadcast on 23rd February 2010-Stephen Sackur-
Lord Douglas Hurd, UK Foreign Secretary 1989-1995-
For decades British politicians and diplomats have persevered with the notion that the UK can continue to punch above its weight in world affairs, but maybe that familiar cliche has outlived its usefulness. What should a highly indebted medium-sized nation in western Europe seek to achieve on the global stage? Douglas Hurd is a former diplomat and Conservative foreign secretary, and Stephen Sackur asks him whether it is time for a rethink of British foreign policy.

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News & Politics

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[waggles1989]

I think Lord Hurd is spot on. Nostalgia for Britain's imperial age remains throughout the Commonwealth. Of course there were patches of distaste and negative subjugation of countries, nevertheless the fact remain: Britain's Empire offered an array of good to the world, far more than the 'empires' that succeeded it (Nazism, Bolshivism, Meiji Japan). Countries do recognise this. We should not malign our past, we should take pride and comfort of our history and use it to elevate our future.

[waggles1989]

@Tefivalley123: Nonsense – tripe parallels between The Reich and bolshevism and the British Empire shows a deep and glaring ignorance of history. Clearly, economically/socially/politica­lly the differences are grave. Generalisations like the one you made only drives a vicious cycle of sterotypes. The counterfactual idea that somehow empires are/were all the same is as wrong as similarising all the planets in the solar system. They’re clearly all very unique.

[vladimirputin69]

Douglas Hurd is a Royal Arch Freemason and paedophile, like his son Thomas who works for MI6. Hurd was 'advised' by now head of MI6 John Sawers who answers to the Rothschild banking family/house of Rothschild freemasons. Britain pays more in 'interest' on 'debts' to these bankers every year than she does on her Primary School education budget.

[waggles1989]

@nilbud More frivolous drivel

[nilbud]

@waggles1989 Ha ha ha ha Jesus you're a gullible dunce.

[shahideurope]

@TeifiValley123 Hurd is a sick bastard, I hate him with a passion, he stood alone in Europe in support of the Bosnian Serb genocide plan.

[TeifiValley123]

@shahideurope Pretty standard gameplan, support your favoured dictator for as long as its possible. when it becomes unsustainable, do a complete 180, deny you ever supported them and make yourself out to be some championing force for democracy (until you can find another dictator to replace the one you just lost) big powers like Britain and the United States have done it countless times since the second world war.

[TeifiValley123]

@waggles1989 You're missing the point. To say one imperial empire was better than another because they did some good is like saying Hitler was better than Stalin because he encouraged innovation in the Arts & Sciences. Do we advocate the Third Reich & Hitler because they did some good things? Imperial empires are terrible things, and unless you recognise that i dont think you can be taker seriously It was alot more than 'patches of distaste and negative subjugation of countries'.

[shahideurope]

Douglas Hurd is a war criminal and should be with Mladic at the Hague.

[waggles1989]

@AntillRS Your ignorance & ability to lay ill informed judgement on me is astounding. Im patriotic yes, yearn for the return of Empire, no. I was drawing a comparison between Empires of the past, clearly some - in a very generic sense - were better than others. Ive been to India a number of times, its a fantastic, vibrant nation. A great majority of the 'masses' do look back on the Empire with a sense of appreciation & nostalgia, there is an understanding that British rule was a mixed blessing.

[AntillRS]

@waggles1989 Empires only exist to serve the few who have power and privilige. usually to make those people richer. and they work by taking over lands and people against their will. its totally wong in principle and in practice. they dont work to help the oridinary masses, and any rights or priviliges are always won through a hard fight. they are never just given out by the rulers in these empires. you sound like a nationalist who wishes Britian still had an empire. grow up.