George Blake is dead

Chizz

@Uboat Tankies was a pejorative term used as a descriptor of members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Like "Tory" being used as supporter or member of the Conservative party or "Nazi" being used as a supporter or member of the German National Socialist party. Except, in those cases, Tories and Nazis were happy to describe themselves as such. So, "Tankies" is a way someone can describe members of the Communist Party of Great Britain as intrinsically different from and alien to themselves. Like othering. 

SporadicAddick

Notwithstanding that this thread has turned into a 1980's JCR debate, lets all just be grateful that a man that betrayed this country for a Marxist Leninist regime and a political ideology that led to the direct and deliberate deaths of tens of millions around the world (and which continues to blight the lives of hundreds of millions) is dead.

Chizz

SporadicAddick said:

Notwithstanding that this thread has turned into a 1980's JCR debate, lets all just be grateful that a man that betrayed this country for a Marxist Leninist regime and a political ideology that led to the direct and deliberate deaths of tens of millions around the world (and which continues to blight the lives of hundreds of millions) is dead.

I don't know if Blake can be held responsible the deaths of trends of millions around the world. But he can certainly be held responsible for the deaths of British people. And, for that, he paid a price that was far, far too cheap.

SporadicAddick

Chizz said:

SporadicAddick said:

Notwithstanding that this thread has turned into a 1980's JCR debate, lets all just be grateful that a man that betrayed this country for a Marxist Leninist regime and a political ideology that led to the direct and deliberate deaths of tens of millions around the world (and which continues to blight the lives of hundreds of millions) is dead.

I don't know if Blake can be held responsible the deaths of trends of millions around the world. But he can certainly be held responsible for the deaths of British people. And, for that, he paid a price that was far, far too cheap.

Poor writing on my part - Blake betrayed this country for a Marxist Leninist regime, whose ideology was responsible for the deliberate and direct deaths of tens of millions. One was clearly not the consequence of the other, and most of those deaths occurred before Blake's defection (which makes Blake's crimes perhaps all the more chilling). 

soapboxsam

Democracies are slow and cumbersome.
One party states get things done so much quicker. I prefer our slow system where 51%  beats 49% in a free vote. The choices are quite mediocre because most of our talented people don't go into politics. 
I have no affiliation to any political party but love the fact I can make my own mind up after reading, listening, and researching.

Freedoms are only noticed when they disappear. Try 2020 for size.  

How is Russia and China's version of 'Have I got news for you" and "Mock the week" doing ?

Add Iran and North Korea and dozens of other countries where to demonstrate is to sign your own death warrant or if your lucky you may just get locked up for a few years.

blackpool72

Sam 
You are spot on 

Leroy Ambrose

Addickted said:

Uboat said:

No idea what student tankies are, but equally no idea why I’m spending a Sunday arguing about a dead spy with Team Little England. 

Because you're free and able to do so.

Not so sure you would have either been so easily able to so or had the resources to do it within the environment of a totalitarian regime.

You can even call Boris a tosser without fear of some jackbooted soldier kicking your door down at 2.00am.

For direct and recent proof of this, see the example of one of our long term, regular posters - who censured herself during the early days of Covid for fear of reprisals against her from her totalitarian state government. The bloke was a spy for a repressive regime, for fucks sake - and equating him with defectors from that same repressive regime he served is as laughable as comparing him with Oscar Schindler or the people who hid Anne Frank. Give your head a wobble. 

Henry Irving

Leroy Ambrose said:

Addickted said:

Uboat said:

No idea what student tankies are, but equally no idea why I’m spending a Sunday arguing about a dead spy with Team Little England. 

Because you're free and able to do so.

Not so sure you would have either been so easily able to so or had the resources to do it within the environment of a totalitarian regime.

You can even call Boris a tosser without fear of some jackbooted soldier kicking your door down at 2.00am.

For direct and recent proof of this, see the example of one of our long term, regular posters - who censured herself during the early days of Covid for fear of reprisals against her from her totalitarian state government. The bloke was a spy for a repressive regime, for fucks sake - and equating him with defectors from that same repressive regime he served is as laughable as comparing him with Oscar Schindler or the people who hid Anne Frank. Give your head a wobble. 

Well said, young man

Addickted

Leroy Ambrose said:

Addickted said:

Uboat said:

No idea what student tankies are, but equally no idea why I’m spending a Sunday arguing about a dead spy with Team Little England. 

Because you're free and able to do so.

Not so sure you would have either been so easily able to so or had the resources to do it within the environment of a totalitarian regime.

You can even call Boris a tosser without fear of some jackbooted soldier kicking your door down at 2.00am.

For direct and recent proof of this, see the example of one of our long term, regular posters - who censured herself during the early days of Covid for fear of reprisals against her from her totalitarian state government. The bloke was a spy for a repressive regime, for fucks sake - and equating him with defectors from that same repressive regime he served is as laughable as comparing him with Oscar Schindler or the people who hid Anne Frank. Give your head a wobble. 

And the results of any kind of questioning the 'regime' don't result in questions in the house and grillings by journalists.

What happens is this.

Zhang Zhan: China jails citizen journalist for Wuhan reports - BBC News