President has the right to use drones in the USA on American citizens

It is not impossible to imagine US predator drones being used over the UK, indeed, one can't help wondering if there have already been test flights. It isn't plausible that we can depend on our own supine government to defend us from this threat.

This won't happen, it would be an act of war. Also we have the ability to take down drones unlike the countries they are used on.

UAVs cause far less collateral damage ( ie dead babies ) than conventional aircraft; they can hover for hours at the target allowing time for careful decision making. Of course there are tragic miscalculations but the upside is that Terry Taliban and his Al Qaeeder pals can be despatched without risking the lives of our brave lads.

It wouldn't be an act of war, because it would be legal in the US, therefore the UK govt would (as always) succumb and permit any such actions.

It's just that there seem to be rather a lot of 'tragic miscalculations'.

The real issue is the terrifying impact that the drone strikes are having on thousands of innocent civilians in the Pakistani areas where they are operating - it is true that Al Q are operating from there, but the horror these things are inflicting on ordinary people is terrible.

It wouldn't be an act of war, because it would be legal in the US, therefore the UK govt would (as always) succumb and permit any such actions.

No they wouldn't, stop being silly. You're going way way way OTT here.

Just seeking to take probe the logical extent of these developments, following Eric Holder's admission that the Prezzie can order drone hits within the United States. Given that he can do that legally, there would be no barriers to them doing it abroad in any territory from the US perspective.

Of course I'm not expecting drone strikes in the UK any time soon, but it's the sinister precedent that's interesting about this. It was inevitable that the US would continue to escalate the scope of their robowars.

Of course I'm not expecting drone strikes in the UK any time soon, but it's the sinister precedent that's interesting about this. It was inevitable that the US would continue to escalate the scope of their robowars.

The US is also planning a new generation of robotic soldiers and completely autonomous drones. The latter will roam the skies uncontrolled, they will contain smart systems that will decide who is the enemy and eliminate them.

What precedent? What happens in the US has never been of any legal relevance to the UK.

There have been numerous court rulings and governmental statements in the US to the general effect that their laws apply everywhere. It is known as 'US extraterritoriality'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritorial_jurisdiction#United_States

operated by desktop workers from Nevada and (now) Britain.

You keep making threads out of newspaper articles. Its quite annoying.
Discuss it with the debate team at oxford or your friends over tea

There have been numerous court rulings and governmental statements in the US to the general effect that their laws apply everywhere. It is known as 'US extraterritoriality'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritorial_jurisdiction#United_States

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It is not impossible to imagine US predator drones being used over the UK, indeed, one can't help wondering if there have already been test flights. It isn't plausible that we can depend on our own supine government to defend us from this threat.

The use of drones is becoming increasingly amoral, sinister and depraved. In Afghanistan, they have remote-killed thousands of civilians, operated by desktop workers from Nevada and (now) Britain.