The Iraq war was legal.

[Sam Slater]

Great post but maybe you misunderstood something in my post you replied to: my questions weren't rhetorical.

Do us a favour and answer them, will ya?

[David Johnson]

"How bad would Britain have to get for you to tolerate a dictator that committed genocide on the people?"

How bad would Britain have to get for you to tolerate Tony Blair conning parliament with a dodgy dossier in order to unleash an illegal war on Iraq which resulted in the deaths either directly or indirectly of several hundred thousand innocent Iraqis?

"And while we're at it........how long do you think Saddam was going to live and which son of his would you have backed for taking over?"

And while we're at it... how long do you think Putin, Kim Jong-un, Bashar al Assad, Abdel Fatah el Sisi etc. etc. etc, bloody etc, are going to live?" Lets unleash an attack now in case the guy who replaces him is even worse. Alternatively, who are you backing for the takeover?

[locationsfinder]

You were asking a question about something that has not happened and is not happening so the premise is theoretical, in fact rhetorical. It's a mistake to presume that life in other countries is all that bad because they happen to be living under a dictatorship. You don't hear too much criticism in our media of Saudi Arabia and China, the worst human-rights offenders in the world (there is a US government department that monitors this) but plenty of criticism of say North Korea. I thought rhetorical questions didn't require an answer, which is why people ask them in the first place.

[Sam Slater]

I asked the questions. I know if I meant them to be answered or not. And I want them answered.

Be a good lad and at least try because all you're doing is trying to avoid them.

[David Johnson]

"Be a good lad and at least try because all you're doing is trying to avoid them."

Pity you seem incapable of taking your own advice, eh Sam? I am still waiting for a response to the questions I posed you about your misleading, selective interpretation of the Pew report.

Locationsfinder is absolutely correct. Your questions "How bad would Britain have to get for you to tolerate a dictator that committed genocide on the people? And while we're at it........how long do you think Saddam was going to live and which son of his would you have backed for taking over?" are silly.

Let's concentrate on what we know about the Iraq war and its aftermath rather than buggering about with your very cloudy crystal ball.

1. The trigger for parliamentary approval of Blair's Iraq invasion was a discredited, dodgy dossier.
2. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have died either directly or indirectly as a result of the illegal invasion of Iraq.
3. Before the Iraq War there was very, very, very limited Islamic terrorism threat in Iraq. Now there is a huge terrorist threat in Iraq which has brought huge swathes of the country to the brink of collapse.
4. The disaster of the Iraq war directly supports the view put forward by the security forces to Blair i.e. that an Iraq invasion would increase, not decrease the threat of terrorism.

Less crystal ball gazing on your part, more accepting the reality of what has happened.

[Sam Slater]

And ignore, Johnson. He knows I don't debate with him for implying I didn't care about Liverpool supporters being crushed to death and being a hypocrite in only believing in the presumption of of innocence when it suits him.

He's a vain, disingenuous, weasel who's whole persona on here is created to stroke his own ego at the expense of others.

[David Johnson]

"He's a vain, disingenuous, weasel who's whole persona on here is created to stroke his own ego at the expense of others."

Interesting that you have no problem spewing out endless insults in my direction but absolutely no time to answer my points.

I will leave forumites to decide why that is.

[Sam Slater]

I will leave the forum to decide why David won't offer the apology and concessions I asked for so we can go back to debating.

He can have me debating with him in the blink of an eye but decides to call me out knowing I'll refuse, so he can then paint me as the one running away.

Shows how disingenuous he's being with everyone here.

He's doing the equivalent of taking his shirt off and constantly offering somebody out for a punch up.........from behind a tall iron fence with a locked gate and he has the key in his pocket. What a weasel.

[David Johnson]

"I will leave the forum to decide why David won't offer the apology and concessions I asked for so we can go back to debating."

I am not demanding that you apologise or "offer concessions", as you hilariously describe it as if you work for the UN, for the endless insults that you have thrown my way for weeks now.

Do stop acting like a drama queen. It's very tedious for all concerned.

[David Johnson]

Like I said, Sam Slater has endless time to vomit insults but apparently none to respond to points he clearly struggles to grasp never mind answer.

Every time an insult wings my way from you, Sam, it is confirmation of your apparent inability to debate.