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Posted: **2003-03-15 10:46pm**

Linkage for the full story at the BBC

But the reason why I posted this is because there was a particular paragraph that I found rahter funny. Also I just wanted to give both sides on this debate some intelligent humour to giggle at.

BBC wrote:Even the Azores have a symbolic significance - they are owned by Portugal, Britain's oldest ally.

The historically and literary minded will recall another event there involving the British and the Spanish, immortalised in Tennyson's poem, The Revenge.

The first line was familiar to generations of British schoolchildren:

"At Flores in the Azores, Sir Richard Grenville lay"

Inspiring story

Grenville was one of the mariners (pirates in the Spanish view) so loved by Queen Elizabeth I.

But he got caught by the Spanish fleet in the Azores and his little ship Revenge fought alone and to the death - a typically inspiring story of heroic British failure.

The poem is full of anti-Spanish sentiment ("Let us bang these dogs of Seville, the children of the devil").

One wonders if Mr Blair will recite it to Jose Maria Aznar as they look out across the waters and consider how alliances change.

You just have got to love a smart-ass journalist!

Posted: **2003-03-16 05:48pm**

Well, now that the council is over and we've all seen again how beautiful is the Portuguese flag in a close up, what was it about?

They didn't debate a thing. The conclusions read at the end were already ready long before the meeting. Basically, the fabulous 4 (

) presented an ultimatum to the UN and another to Iraq.

It is now clear in my mind that a week from now we'll be at war.

Any different opinions?

Posted: **2003-03-16 05:51pm**

That is a seriously unprofessional article. If you're going to write something about the significance of something like that, at least make it an editorial. I'm surprised that the BBC published that.

Posted: **2003-03-16 06:22pm**

Unless they've reshuffled their articles reciently I believe that was an editorial. There's a separate article that describes the summit in pure-journalistic terms.

Posted: **2003-03-16 09:35pm**

Master of Ossus wrote:That is a seriously unprofessional article. If you're going to write something about the significance of something like that, at least make it an editorial. I'm surprised that the BBC published that.

Yeah but it was funny. Besides that was just the run-up to the actual summit.

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Council of war in the Azores

Council of war in the Azores