Can someone clear up what is happening in Egypt

eatcustard · 2 Feb 2011 at 07:43

People want a new leader, new one will come in, some will not like him, fights will start
and **** will hit the fan.

West will get the blame, petrol will go up in price ,etc etc etc

---------
Egypt is 90% "people of the friendly religion"

gizmoy2k · 2 Feb 2011 at 13:18

Sky news basically broadcasting people trying to murder each other in the street after pro and anti demonstrators clash

suj999 · 2 Feb 2011 at 13:19

no.. not the petrol..

damn BP!

OzyOly · 3 Feb 2011 at 12:40

The BBC reporter called John Something (guy with glasses) is an absolute legend. He just doesn't care about his own safety.

I remember watching a live report of his last night just as live fire had started.
The person in the studio asked, "there is gun fire in the background are you still okay to continue broadcasting?"
To which he replied "don't worry if a bullet should come my way I'll duck off camera *smiles*" and just continues with his report.

Biohazard · 3 Feb 2011 at 12:42

Castiel said:
so they are crying for Freedom (not actually knowing what it is)

I know what it is...

sounds kinda like 'FREEEEEEEEDOM!!!!'

wildman · 3 Feb 2011 at 12:52

Anarchy due to western destabilisation to ensure security of Oil supplies in order to maintain the western way of life and turn a tidy profit on the black-gold

matt_fsr · 3 Feb 2011 at 13:17

OzyOly said:
The BBC reporter called John Something (guy with glasses) is an absolute legend. He just doesn't care about his own safety.

I remember watching a live report of his last night just as live fire had started.
The person in the studio asked, "there is gun fire in the background are you still okay to continue broadcasting?"
To which he replied "don't worry if a bullet should come my way I'll duck off camera *smiles*" and just continues with his report.

Is that John Simpson? Considering the yanks bombed him and his reporting crew in Iraq (by mistake, apparently - at least 1 was killed and he was left half-deaf) I think a little AK fire of a morning and some civil unrest won't really ruffle his feathers!

doofer · 3 Feb 2011 at 13:18

OzyOly · 3 Feb 2011 at 13:19

matt_fsr said:
Is that John Simpson? Considering the yanks bombed him and his reporting crew in Iraq (by mistake, apparently - at least 1 was killed and he was left half-deaf) I think a little AK fire of a morning and some civil unrest won't really ruffle his feathers!

Nope, I'm talking about a different John. At least I think it's John. It's definitely not Simpson though.

LordSplodge · 3 Feb 2011 at 13:24

silversurfer said:
Speech was given to say he will step down in Sept

Worst speech ever. It was at this point it went from relatively peaceful protest to outright anarchy.

This situation isn't (probably) going to end well for anybody really.

OzyOly · 3 Feb 2011 at 18:40

OzyOly said:
The BBC reporter called John Something (guy with glasses) is an absolute legend. He just doesn't care about his own safety.

I remember watching a live report of his last night just as live fire had started.
The person in the studio asked, "there is gun fire in the background are you still okay to continue broadcasting?"
To which he replied "don't worry if a bullet should come my way I'll duck off camera *smiles*" and just continues with his report.

matt_fsr said:
Is that John Simpson? Considering the yanks bombed him and his reporting crew in Iraq (by mistake, apparently - at least 1 was killed and he was left half-deaf) I think a little AK fire of a morning and some civil unrest won't really ruffle his feathers!

OzyOly said:
Nope, I'm talking about a different John. At least I think it's John. It's definitely not Simpson though.

My mistake, the guy is called Jim Muir.

Westyfield2 · 3 Feb 2011 at 18:48

Looks like a right mess tonight!

As far as I see it:

The President bloke has said he'll go in September and there'll be elections. Allegedly they'll be legit, but Arabs + Legit...
Some protestors want the President bloke to go now.
Some protestors want the President bloke to stay until september.
Because they don't do the whole democratic vote thing the solution seems to be that the two groups of protestors fight it out .

Bet this is doing wonders for the Egyptian tourism industry!

Loony-Luke · 3 Feb 2011 at 21:58

simulatorman said:
Many of them most probably blame the lack if it.

and a LOL for you sir

manic111 · 3 Feb 2011 at 22:25

Castiel said:

EDIT: Oh, it's been done.

Angilion · 4 Feb 2011 at 03:27

matt_fsr said:
Is that John Simpson? Considering the yanks bombed him and his reporting crew in Iraq (by mistake, apparently - at least 1 was killed and he was left half-deaf) I think a little AK fire of a morning and some civil unrest won't really ruffle his feathers!

I'm almost sure I recall him doing a piece to camera afterwards and brushing off a soldier who was interrupting him, thinking that the soldier was trying to stop the news getting out. After a little while, the soldier got their message across - the reporter was bleeding from a wound in their leg. The reporter dismissed it as a trivial inconvenience to be looked at after he'd done the news.

Ah yes, here's the relevant bit of the transcript:

Simpson to US soldier: "Shut up. I'm broadcasting! Oh yes, I'm fine - am I bleeding?"
US soldier: "Yes, you've got a cut."
Simpson: "I thought you were going to stop me. I think I've just got a bit of shrapnel in the leg, that's all.

Wires · 4 Feb 2011 at 08:42

They are unlike england and will actually act against how their country is going in the wrong direction. Although some people are going to get hurt and regret it eventually.

dirtydog · 4 Feb 2011 at 09:34

Westyfield2 said:
Bet this is doing wonders for the Egyptian tourism industry!

Quite. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. When Westerners rightly stay away from these backward countries in droves, they will only have themselves to blame for the economic consequences.

Participant · 4 Feb 2011 at 09:35

dirtydog said:
Quite. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. When Westerners rightly stay away from these backward countries in droves, they will only have themselves to blame for the economic consequences.

I think they're playing the long game...the aim is to stop their country being backward no? In the long run, this could help the Egyptian tourist industry.

dirtydog · 4 Feb 2011 at 09:37

Wires said:
They are unlike england and will actually act against how their country is going in the wrong direction. Although some people are going to get hurt and regret it eventually.

Mubarak has been in power for THIRTY YEARS, they were content to tolerate his regime (as were the West who now call for him to step down but were happy to fund and arm him for 30 years when it suited them) for all that time.

Just because a leader or regime is brutal or imperfect does not necessarily mean you want to overthrow them because what comes afterwards could easily be worse - just look at Iraq. The trigger for this 'revolution' (if it can truly be called that, because the Western media are hyping the hell out of it) is something out of any president's control and that is soaring prices in worldwide commodities.

dirtydog · 4 Feb 2011 at 09:39

Robbie G said:
I think they're playing the long game...the aim is to stop their country being backward no? In the long run, this could help the Egyptian tourist industry.

Do you think the few Western friendly, middle class, English speaking Egyptians that the BBC push in front of their cameras, are representative of Egyptians as a whole? I don't. The idea that, in truly free and fair elections, they would elect someone more friendly to the West than Mubarak is fanciful IMO. The Egyptians want someone more radical and hardline, which is understandable, but I can't see it being good for tourism.