Should GB be a world power

There will be a worse mess unless it is stopped.

Mothers will always worry, and more so if their children are in the Forces, but in fact children is the wrong word to use.

VampireQueen

I noted in my post your OP was aligned to defense and weapons of mass destruction, why didn't you just ask the question outright.?

Your post 17.11 makes me think you are more concerned with stating your view over defense spending rather than really asking for others opinions. Personally I thought the responses by some were interesting before you posted that you were not asking about cultural , economic power but only military power.

Two years ago we wanted to join with America to bomb Syria because Assad had to be got rid of. Russia wanted Assad to stay in power, then IS grew there and want Assad out. Now America wants IS defeated and Assad replaced but Russia are still supporting Assad. If IS if defeated in Syria they will emerge in a other country meanwhile we are stuck with America and Russia back to the Assad problem .

It is so complicated I am unsure who stands where, are Canada, Australia and countries in Europe - apart from France - in or out

Is America using France ? I don't know, just thinking about it

I would truly hate either of my grandsons to go into the forces.

If we join the bombing it will be unbelievably frightening. Just to think of any of our pilots getting shot down and captured is horrific.

Anniebach

I realise that you have brought the safety of our serving forces into the equation as obviously they are on the front line , they already are/will be the ones to be hands on in the fight.

However if you have to ask what a parent, grandparent feels about their son/daughter being on active service then I don't think you would understand their answer if you were told. Do you think those with loved ones in the services simply shut it out of their mind, do you think they are chipper to know they may never see them again.

You asked the question but if you can't answer yourself as they probably would and say 'I am scared shitless every day to be honest' then I don't know why you even had to ask.

Horrific indeed - and also the potential backlash and the loss of non-combatant lives.

POGS, I am quite aware of the agony of a family with a son / daughter at war, I was wondering what a mother thought of her son/daughter being in ?Syria considering the mess of Iraq and Afghanistan . If I wanted to ask - are you worried, I would have asked, But I know the answer so why should I ask thst.

I forgot Iran who are with Russia on keeping Asaad in power

Of course parents worry about their ( grown up) children who are serving in the armed forces, goes without saying surely? that's not a reason why those same adults ( not children) shouldn't do the job they are paid to do and also love doing btw or they wouldn't be in the forces at all.When called on to serve the country they do so with pride, and do not want people trying to somehow 'shield' them as if they really are children!I would imagine that most of the RAF are ready and willing to run missions over Syria, why not, they are already running missions over Iraq and bombing ISIS there.

It's also pretty obvious what response you were hoping for, Anniebach when you asked whether any mothers thought this mess in Syria was worth the deaths of their children.

The use of emotive language doesn't always work, though.

Was it Ana, you try hard at mind reading but fail miserably . If there was relative here who said they thought it right or not would not change ny opinions on this. The difference between you and me is - I ask to learn, you know it all well think you do, in this case you are so wrong.

Because Ana, much was said by families of armed forces serving in Afghanistan, the calls by the public to - bring our troupes home , yes their choice but I wondered if mothers thought this mess in Syria was worth the deaths of their children

Anniebach
I think this is below the belt. The next of kin in any war situation will dread getting news that their son or daughter, husband, wife, father or mother has fallen or been wounded in the line of duty. But the clue is in those last 5 words*in the line of duty*. Please don't play the "guilt" card as some sort of emotional blackmail. We may have come a long way from the rhetoric of WWI and no longer go blindly into battle muttering "Dulce et decorum est" etc, but our servicemen and women enlist with their eyes open. Their families respect their decision, support them and yes, pray they will come home safely.
And PLEASE they are fighting personnel, not flipping acrobats or jugglers, so troops not what you wrote.

I know someone whose son joined the police force rapid armed response unit. That situation was much the same - going into danger to contain trouble and keep others from getting hurt. Not the career any mother would have envisaged for their child, but when it is the choice of an adult, parents concentrate on the being proud of the good that they are doing, while accepting that there is a chance of being shot while on duty.

Dear me, Anniebach, you've got room to talk about failed attempts at mind-reading, you're always doing it!

Oh I made a spelling mistake again, but no worries there is always Alea to correct me , you are so kind Alea

Yet again I apologise for my spelling error

I will not be bait for the few on a very serious thread , that simple really

Your sarcasm is wasted. Troupes are not the same thing as trooops.
It's as simple as that.

With or without the extra "o"!!

No sarcasm Alea, I made a spelling error, that it boosts your ego by pointing it out says much about your need , I could never do that , nasty and uncalled for , is it permitted on this forum ?

However, if ducking out of the rejection of your argument by claiming victimisation for getting it wrong, gets you out of a tight spot, by all means take the easy way out, but take on board what Elegran, POGS, Roses and others say before sinking into your glow of satisfaction that what you claim is true.

Elegran, exactly. We have to accept the choices our children make and keep whatever reservations we may have to ourselves. That's the grown-up thing to do.

It was not a spelling mistake, it was a different word, that simple really.

I know it was the wrong word, I do know how to spell troops, I used the wrong word, not because I didn't know the difference , I see this as spelling incorrectly which is was

Then how about moving on and back to the discussion, are you going to comment on what has been said, either by Elegran or me?