"Do we want human rights or a navy we can be proud of?"
Charles Moore: The Telegraph (14/4/07)
Read the article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/04/14/do1401.xml
1. What did John Buchan mean when he wrote that the sea “endures no makeshifts”?
2. The author draws a comparison between the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina and the response by Britain to the capture of its sailors by Iranian forces in 2007. What parallel is the author drawing and to what extent is the comparison fair?
3. The author identifies some things that he believes have affected British culture in recent years. These include the death of Diana, reality TV, a sentimental, self-indulgent culture and a government that sees presentation as reality. What effect could these factors have had had on British culture?
4. The author asserts that, in human rights theories, the only entities that count are the state and the individual. To what extent can such theories take account of institutions such as churches, sporting bodies, unions, schools, universities and professions? To what extent can these institutions “require some surrender of individuality by the people who become part of them?”
5. Should human rights be waived in the armed forces if:
(a) Health and safety regulations make training ineffective?
(b) The presence of women on the front line makes fighting less effective?
(c) A soldier’s right of free speech undermines the morale of his comrades?6. To what extent has the author presented a false dilemma in the final paragraph of his article?