Reasons For Silence

I have been this but now I'm this!
The little things in life - yeh, Scotland at football are shite, they have shite players who play shite and cannot do anything but make our sporting-loving lives shite!!
But the big things in life - why has the issue of a date for withdrawal of Brit troops and a demand for an apology from Blair for the invasion become a PRINCIPLE?
I personally couldn't give a fuck whether Blair apologises or not - he will go down in history as an imperialist war-mongerer, so why saying sorry now would make a difference I don't know!
More importantly, however, there is a legitimate debate to be had on the merits, or otherwise, of immediate withdrawal of troops. Okay, I might be writing this after a few glasses of nice plonk and some beers, but, immediate withdrawal?? The Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions have come under some intense criticism from sections of the "left" in recent weeks over their stance in supporting UN resolutions which state that their should be some semblance of normal internal state and democratic functions before the invading forces leave.
It's actually a stance which reminds me of an imperialist venture closer to home. While I abhored, and still do, British colonialist control of part of Ireland, I, like the Connolly Association of which I was a member, believed that immediate withdrawal of troops and state bodies would create nothing but confusion and chaos - hence the need for staged withdrawal. That was a legitimate debate to be had and to have in the case for Britain's occupation of Ireland and the Connolly Association was never accused - certainly not from those in Ireland - of selling out in the fight against imperialism.
Unfortunately, sections of the left now, seemingly under the direction of the SWP and the now equally as bonkers George Galloway, think that, even if you were against the war but now don't say "Troops Out Now", you are so obviously in the pocket of the state.
The Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions want a secular state, they don't support the kidnappings, beheadings and killings by the mad mullahs - does that make them collaborators? I don't think so!
I'm watching the footie tomorrow afternoon - fuck the march!