Libya: Benghazi unrest, to Civil War, to a new government and Gaddafi's death.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The actual figures will be much higher than 84.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Actually that particular process started with the ludicrous trial. But the situation wrt Libya is still quite different; the regime does not need Western support to remain secure in power.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

BBC reporting that Gadaffi has 'fled' Tripoli

For real this time?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Al Jazeera says they're using fighter jets to bomb protesters in Tripoli. Holy shiat. This has never been used to crust anti-government protests anywhere. The guy's going down hard.

What a fycking crazy regime.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

BBC:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

As an aside, you have to be a little amused at the obvious horror of British politicians and diplomats to the way the regime is acting. I mean, we sold them (some of) the weapons, didn't we? Does the Foreign Office believe that weapons sold to dubious regimes (or legit ones in pursuit of dubious causes; c.f. India in the context of Kashmir) are only ever used in parades?

The same basic comment can be photocopied for other uses with the names of the relevant countries (both the sellers and the buyers) altered when appropriate.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

But Gadaffi was the IRA's best friend in the 70s and 80s.

Not really a friend, more a sugar daddy. And you know better than to conflate the IRA with the Irish Government...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Didn't Nick Griffin go over to Libya to try to get weapons or money or something at some point? I remember reading that somewhere.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

http://twitter.com/SeifIslamGaddfi

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh, yeah. He speaks...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12533069

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The morons who comment on comment is free aren't exactly typical of the paper's actual readership, though (sigh) there are those towards the top of the paper that don't get that...

I do sometimes wonder whether comment is free is an elaborate joke; an attempt to prove C.P. Scott right about the quote it gets its name from.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I'd say that he's lost it but that would imply something less than entirely true.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In light of this bizarre statement, I'm wondering if there is a  weapon in the Libyan arsenal that hasn't been used yet against the protesters? The navy? Long range missiles?

Perhaps he's just pissed off with himself for abandoning his WMD programme? Or maybe he was lying when he told the world that he had done so.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Tweet (hahaha) from Reuters:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2011/feb/24/dont-libyan-protesters-care-about-r-and-b-stars

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Via B3TA:

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Those green profile pictures make me believe we are talking about a collectible card game... the actual words not withstanding.

That's the point; the images are from B3ta.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

New BBC headline: Libya protests: Gaddafi says 'all my people love me'

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The trouble with 'hard headed' (or do you prefer 'hard boiled'?) realism is that it is seldom realistic.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

24 hour news is deceptive.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

My source isn't news.

That's not really what I was getting at. More your remark about speed.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

But I still think that they have allowed Qaddafi breathing room.

Looks that way, doesn't it? But it may have been unavoidable. The trouble is that so much of the information coming out of Libya is so unreliable that we've probably never known what's gone on to the level that we'd normally demand.

That may sound mad, but it is four o clock in the morning and I can't sleep.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Benghazi is currently being stormed (not my words but those of opposition spokesmen). Curious definition of ceasefire.