Great Debater Forum

Dear Forumers, Donald Rumsfeld, the great figure of the Republican Party, and a United States Secretary of Defense, said in 2002 that: "As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know." I think basically that this assessment by Mr Rumsfeld explains a lot and surely it still applies just as much, not only to America but to Britain and all other nations of course. It is perhaps the best political quotation of the 21st Century so far. But his boss George W. Bush also gave a great insight when he said that: "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully". Veronika Oleksychenko

Dear Forumers, After the EU Referendum result in the UK in 2016 David Cameron just buggered off basically, and he did nothing to try to help sort things out. Even though it was his big idea to have the Referendum in the first place. He claimed it was about giving people a democratic choice, which was just nonsense of course. He was scared of rebellion within his party, and of UKIP winning all of his party's seats. And he assumed that it would be a vote for Remain. But his Project Fear backfired. A large majority of MPs were actually against Brexit, so you must wonder why they ever agreed to have the Referendum when public opinion was so divided and the result uncertain. But like Cameron, they also assumed they could scare the public into voting Remain. So Cameron may deserve to be punished for quitting and disappearing like that straight after the result. Even though he is now the Foreign Secretary he could be walked through the streets, perhaps naked, and show his penance to the nation. Then be flogged in a prominent place, such as Trafalgar Square, or in the garden space in front of Parliament. And let us face it, in the Middle Ages he would probably have been hanged, drawn and quartered as well. Veronika Oleksychenko