Simon Mann | Full Q&A | Oxford Union

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Simon Mann is a British mercenary and former British Army officer. He served part of a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea for his role in a failed coup d'état in 2004, before receiving a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds on 2 November 2009.
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[@tristane3444]

ABSOLUTE MAD LAD

[@giulioallegri1366]

Double MAD!

[@sheevpalpatine4676]

We just can`t help but respect the Mann

[@tomjones5453]

@@kingsleyaniagbaoso Shut up you fool.

[@kapo7463]

Kingsley Ikenna Aniagbaoso do something about it , thought not

[@gangiskhan6948]

Frank Fraser omg you don’t get the reference. Look up count dankular Simon mann

[@ianmuir3640]

First mistake trusting Mark Thatcher

[@rowlandcain]

Simon love your work, never give up the fight

[@LucyWonglondonbody2body]

Guy who just had his head in a book vs guy who has lived and experienced some real world insane international life events.

[@jackrobinson1073]

Why are you versing them lmao this comment doesn’t make any sense??

[@typrice1498]

Because she Hates Chinese men

[@adorno_gang37]

'lived and experienced events' is definitely one way to describe a mercenary trying to coup third world countries

[@joseelempecinao89]

This man always left me confused. He so properly surfs over the quagmire of the subject with such a blatant panache with no qualms and the perfect manners and charm of a genuine old boy. I can't decide wether I agree with him or not, if is saying or not saying the true or something in between, but, by hove, what a great chap he is. What a helluva of a life. For good or for bad the last of a race. If someone deserve a gong with the name of the British Empire on it, that man is Mann, no doubt, for services to mantain the legend. Nonchalantly of course.

[@deniseg-hill1730]

jose el empecinao I think he has to be very careful about details because he is still under the UK officials secrets Act.

[@willjdeanie]

Yeah, I'm also torn as to the morality of his antics, or the morality of that industry even existing in the first place. As he said , it's the problem of accountability that's always going to cause problems. That said , mercenaries and so on are always going to exist and have always been used to disrupt and sabotage , provide stability and security , and of course to destabilise and subvert. It is a very very murky world indeed, I would say that we know this is going to happen no matter what. he does appear to be someone of character that you would want in that role , he is of a breed that I think is probably almost extinct sadly , so rather him than someone with less scruples, he does at least appear to have a sense of patriotism and fair play. But mercenaries do tend to be a little , well, ... mercenary I suppose. He appears to be a mercenary for good though. Or creates that impression at least.

[@ryanharris7803]

Amazingly interesting guy. What a story.

[@TugeNukem]

Interesting stuff indeed.

[@Occamed]

I enjoyed that, tyvm!

[@lornablonsky329]

Is anyone going to compliment his tie?

[@yohighness]

I enjoyed reading his book

[@kuchojoe500]

Oh God protect Mamma Africa from all evil

[@duncanpill]

Great question from the Aussie

[@henrycastle1]

Really good Thank you very much

[@duncanpill]

Legend

[@vantheman12welshman66]

This man’s mind is hard. Hard man’s hard.

[@andyelliott8027]

It has to be ,he was in the SAS.

[@allybally0021]

Interesting guy. At least he is capable of self-criticism and reasoned reflection. Niccolo Machievelli regarded mercenaries are dangerous and unreliable. I think this is still essentially true, but as there is a demand for their services....a supply will always make itself available. Good talk.

[@johnstiver9535]

exactly - they have no allegiance; strictly for hire. If the opponents offer more $$ ...

[@1337flite]

I don't think mercenaries are considered unreliable as they used to be. There are huge mercenary companies ("PMCs") that now win and service huge government contracts. Not all perform well, but many peform sufficiently and some do perform well. Even many of the on the ground contractors perform well for many companies - in most cases they are the same guys who were in their nation's armies and still keep essentially the same mind set. There are exceptions but I think the generalisation that mercenaries are considered unreliable is an over simplification. I think where mercenaries are most unreliable is when they are poorly paid (i.e. obviouskly not valued) or when they are drafted in to fight for a cause they don't believe in e.g. for another nation or culture that is not aligned with their own nation/culture.

[@bcccl569]

PMCs get a bad rap unjustly i think. they do the same job and better in may ways at less cost to the taxpayer than governments. essentially a leaner, more professional force when done right.

[@kevinadamson7571]

An ex Scots guardsman like myself so that in itself adds a bit of credibility in itself but to move on and go for SAS selection and then go on to privateer in the murky fields of being a private military company with all that entails shows that this man has some gumption . A bit of derring do or just foolishness is the driving force behind the adventure .

[@colintook3357]

This is not an interview. The 'interviewer' is just realing off questions and effectively ya'ing at the answer and moving on. Completely outclassed by Simon Mann

[@karti-soor]

"Very wrong to invite criminal mercanaries. To this wonderful respectable institution.

[@pietrostavastano2356]

What an interesting man.

[@notundermywatch3163]

They don't make them like that anymore

[@assimonem1189]

Interesting Q & A-As he said(He did get locked up) The real rats or "Dogs'' of war were Thatcher and co-Armchair Mercs in a safe position.

[@michaelrizea3108]

Thatcher as in Margaret Thatcher's son..... mommy had to bail him out with some money because he owed it to some Mercenaries

[@HellenicWolf]

The guy doing the interview is not doing a good job. You have Mann talking about crazy things. And he answers back: "Great. And now blah blah bah...." It's like not repsonding at all. Not smooth mate. Not smooth.... He has to improve this.

[@jamesroberts2282]

I thought he was a cricket commentator.

[@motorcop505]

james roberts His father was a famous cricketer.

[@MrPhilcoolio]

i think his grandfather captained england aswell

[@brianvittachi6869]

@@MrPhilcoolio correct.

[@benbirch2393]

"Great"

[@antonyburlison1775]

Take this guy for a pint , true soldier

[@abw070]

Will you please invite wentworth miller for one more time?

[@thert.hon.thelordnicholson7261]

look here for someone who thinks they are important (privileged new-money chinese kid at Oxford who never failed an exam) next to someone who went out and did important things (questions over morality of said things notwithstanding).

[@bryanhurd9955]

Well Savimbi was stabbed in the back by the west....like south africa

[@chewy9625]

@Stephen Cotzee What in this comment was crap? That's exactly what happened to SA.

[@danielbtwd]

I wonder about the San people who have been kicked off the land that they live off because of the oil they have found there. And all the other people who have been displaced off their land because of international mining corporations. ???

[@maxcady645]

The Asian guy interviewing him thinks he’s so important

[@marcusclark5330]

Youre right, he's more of a toff than simon mann...you always know when accent is ridiculous, sounds like it hurts, asian guy has the toff version, ray winstone has the cockney version...bet in play naaaagh!

[@joedias7946]

This Asian guy would like to be one can you not see that?

[@maxcady645]

@@joedias7946 wtf?

[@joedias7946]

@@maxcady645 You don't agree?

[@maxcady645]

@@joedias7946 I don’t understand your question

[@SCANIAMAN66]

Hard as nails.

[@simonreilly9447]

Dear Michael, It would be better if you stopped saying 'great' after a question has been answered

[@siwaisavage2181]

What the use of the dislike button if you can't see how many dislikes your getting

[@alanjudejordan5725]

For it's still mercs for me.but its now improved called private military company(PMC)$.⚓

[@chelseachelseaboy]

Very interesting comment regarding Russian PMC's in Ukraine, mercenaries are banned in Russia....they were in fact russian military....they also turned up in Syria & tried to have a go at U.S army forces...once the U.S commander called up the russians to confirm if they had anyone in the area and the russians said no the U.S forces hammered them out of sight & the russians could'nt admit they had troops in the area.

[@treerat7631]

They were Russian in the Ukraine they just switched uniforms

[@MrWearenotallequal]

My hero

[@foggydew9428]

The interviewer is terrible. He is making Simon feel uncomfortable and there is no flow to the conversation.

[@Thisisahandle701]

Simon has been interrogated and imprisoned in a notoriously terrible prison in Africa, I think he can handle it.

[@pauldale6483]

"Fit in or Fuck off " T shirt. Well done Lafras !

[@ScragNath]

Serious Bad Ass.

[@Thisisahandle701]

The interviewer did not come across well here, and he's sitting next to a mercenary.

[@waindayoungthain2147]

If’s May said walk by the rules how’s suppression 🙏🏻🧐.

[@saeeeth]

What’s the name of his book ??

[@Ljohansson96]

Cry havoc, its quite good

[@lorrainejee8405]

What militarily leader would believe that it was at all possible to trust Mugabe to allow arms to be picked up in Zimbabwe, Simon Mann disgraced and made a fool of all well known special forces with his STUPID plan to pick up weapons in Zimbabwe, why did he not arrange arms from a reliable source before setting off on such a mission, Totally amazing and obvious outcome to such a senseless plan what a failure Mann was in this case! ----- Courtney

[@petero8200]

What made them want to buy weapons and ammo from the Zim govt to use in Equatorial Guinea? Why not bring from SA. Mugabe was also worried about coups and couldn't support that

[@stevesandford1437]

In the edition of the OED following this interview, there must SURELY have been a reference to Simon Mann under the definition of the word 'Pragmatist'... Undoubtedly a creature of his own upbringing, and indeed a member of the establishment, Mann is by no means an immoral creation. (He has been critical of British Army actions in the North of Ireland, for example, particularly in the case of the case of the 'Derry 'Bloody Sunday' fatal shootings of unarmed civil rights protesters in 1971 by The Parachute Regiment.) Not that he thinks you CAN'T do such things, but not when it's strategically counterproductive... I'm a non-violent Irish Nationalist, (having changed my views over years of observing that horrific conflict in my country...) but, Mann is frequently impossible to disagree with. In a rather odd way I find it difficult to dislike him... Given his experiences, it is rather amusing that he never seems to take it personally. (Even when sentenced to 34 years in an African gaol... And SOMEBODY paid SOMEBODY to get him out after only a year!!!) Mann wear his ATTITUDE, (if not his heart...) quite openly upon his oft-uniformed sleeve... (Basically, I wish him well...) xx SF

[@glinleyt]

Eeben Barlow's blog post from 2008: "Then there is the Simon Mann myth: Despite the claims, he was never a founder-member let alone even a member of EO. Nor was he ever the “close friend” of mine as some journalists and bloggers claim he was. In fact, I would have been ashamed to have had him as a senior member of the company. But this never stopped him from insinuating that he was in some manner or form the founder of the company. On his latest adventure, he apparently even recruited men by somehow intimating that he was doing it on behalf of EO. But, talk is one thing and look where it got him."

[@kevin535b9]

Exactly!

[@kevin535b9]

Eeben must rue the day he set eyes on this idiot!

[@harryshaw5068]

@@kevin535b9 its a well known fact that Mann was involved in EO. Barlow is just washing his hands of Mann because he's launched a new PMC

[@billevans7936]

Nifty

[@LucyWonglondonbody2body]

Guy doing interview is just a text book with little real world experience.

[@LucyWonglondonbody2body]

Someone who is educated and can apply that in a real world business setting. The interviewer seems square and pretentious with his fake forced blue blood English accent. This is 2019. Just be articulate and smart with this BS accent. He would probably have been better going to Harvard or Wharton in US. People do not put these BS accents on there, just rewarded on your smartness.

[@oliverhardman3513]

@@LucyWonglondonbody2body I can hear his past Australian even Chinese coming through that horrible rp accent

[@Thegrumpycoach]

Eeben Barlow not Simon Mann

[@equaliser2265]

Private Police at military bases. No. They are MOD Police, civil servants.

[@josephdunbar2105]

What happened to the sixty other souls that were imprisoned with mr. Mann ???

[@LoudaroundLincoln]

Dunno. Fuck em.

[@Kav.]

Lotta salt in the comments here.

[@Felinal_19]

About Mr Dong Lao

[@thomaswillis8736]

Who would your trust in a fight, Erik Prince or this man. Honor above all else.

[@petero8200]

I like them both but this guy will stick with you on the ground whereas Erik will be supporting you from the USA

[@soidog659]

Neither. They will sell themselves to the highest bidder.

[@alexivalentin2368]

USMC ON BROADCAST BUNKER BUSTER. BLUEWATER AND SIBSIDARIES AND KARS OF WASHINGTON STATE BLUEWATER TACO.

[@chrisdavies73]

Where can I sign up?!

[@lukkyluciano]

Do you have combat experience? Or experience doing mobile security for VIPs or politicians? If you do, you could get a PMC job tomorrow. Or if you speak languages they need, they normally hire a local but they would rather have a guy they trust from the start. Takes awhile to trust local translators, really you never trust them but necessary usually because of all the different languages and dialects. for example: An iraqi has trouble understanding a libyan even though they both speak arabic.

[@michaelrizea3108]

@@lukkyluciano what's PMC?

[@lukkyluciano]

@@michaelrizea3108 private military contractor, basically a legal mercenary.

[@michaelrizea3108]

@@lukkyluciano I saw a documentary once where a group of civilians volunteered to travel to the Middle East with their own privately purchased firearms and fought terrorist extremists...... after doing that for several months would someone be able to qualify as aPMC since they have both firearms and combat experience?

[@ArimaKihe1]

He should join forces with Erik Prince

[@motorcop505]

ArimaKihe1 They are friends.

[@russellharvey698]

this audience.....is the best we have these days? and at Oxford...wow. dismal

[@mathematics5573]

it is strange hearing young inexperienced students, asking questions to a guy who is very experienced in the military and life, who has been through some hell experiences.

[@flyduck]

How much accountability do you think wagner have?

[@coenraadkruger366]

Ask him how good was the south africans

[@nevets7152]

They were very good, Steve in Thailand.

[@coenraadkruger366]

I think the way how the old SADF soldiers think of how to fight this tipe of battles makes the difference , is not that SADF is better then the Brits, Americans and so on .

[@alphatango2614]

What a bullshitter. He lived in luxury in prison whilst his Saffa employees were being tortured. Furthermore he never started EO. It was started by Eben Barlow.

[@kevin535b9]

Exactly!Proper bullshitter!

[@soidog659]

Correct

[@taskenspiller]

Why can't these things get a solution at a state level? Simon Mann does not answer this question, other than saying that "the political masters would rather it was done by private military contractors". Is that a good answer? There is no immediate follow-up question from the interviewer.

[@markslowen1411]

Anyone with an opinion on this who has not been to any of these west African countries would not understand the massive set of steel ba..s SM has.

[@marcusclark5330]

Good old fashioned colonial!!

[@oldmanlung]

A hero and a patriot

[@MrB1923]

Patriotism is the last refuge of scoudrels. He's a hired killer. Nothing more, nothing less.

[@dreamEternal]

Haha i've read he's book and would gladly hang out with the chap - but no mate, I wouldn't call him a hero, Patriot perhaps but it is among the actions of the most patriotic and dogmatic you often find the most mistakes. I see him more as an adventurer - period.

[@nekongovitankanga]

What did a bastard like him achieve in Angola he goes around singing about, apart from clearing the area for their own oil exploration or thievery??? A terrorist returning from the Middle East gets arrested so should a bastard like him be. The conflict in Angola was resolved by the Angolan armed forces by themselves when he was long gone.

[@Mikeanglo]

@@nekongovitankanga If the Angolans felt the situation could have been resolved on their own or with aid of the U.N....they wouldn't have hired mercenaries. The hiring of mercenaries, whether you consider them cutthroats or not, is on Angola. They paid someone else to fight their war.

[@nekongovitankanga]

Mike Zilla, he wasn't directly involved, was advising his mercenary friends on the ground, however after getting a proper beating he decided to quit. The noise he's making is simply to fool the weak minded and sell his books. Watch carefully this video, and the reason why he had to run away. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXWTgmWvmNKipKs

[@orca2162]

I would have expected more from the OxfordUnion, - Was he really part of executive outcomes - seriously ? Read Eeben Barlows book, look further on the internet - research the real truth - research research ? Was it Sandline perhaps, after he got out of Zim how long after were the rest being held released ?

[@glinleyt]

From Eeben Barlow's own blog page back in 2008: "Then there is the Simon Mann myth: Despite the claims, he was never a founder-member let alone even a member of EO. Nor was he ever the “close friend” of mine as some journalists and bloggers claim he was. In fact, I would have been ashamed to have had him as a senior member of the company. But this never stopped him from insinuating that he was in some manner or form the founder of the company. On his latest adventure, he apparently even recruited men by somehow intimating that he was doing it on behalf of EO. But, talk is one thing and look where it got him."

[@dabtican4953]

@@glinleyt Then what the hell was Simon Mann?

[@conductingintomfoolery9163]

Chad lad

[@mr.t8231]

Mad people acting like they own the globe.

[@emmanuelsebastiao3176]

the interveiwer is really good

[@threestepssideways1202]

Apart from the serious disrespect in the first 15 seconds.

[@davidsnowdon7212]

Uninformed arrogant idiot.

[@MrShamding]

It seems to be quite a common trend among Brits particularly ones who served in the military to point the finger and call volunteers in northern Ireland terrorists while ignoring the war crimes they were responsible for there.

[@paulhank7967]

Volunteers holding rifles.

[@mikeg.6590]

would they be the same "innocent volunteers" that murdered civilians?

[@alexalston7428]

I think your "volunteers" signed up to blow innocent civilians to smithereens (I witnessed it enough) The Brits were there primarily to keep opposing sides apart. Wrong doing was done but not the systemic murder of PIRA.

[@rapier1954]

Interesting but he didn't accomplish much except wind up in jail.

[@101MRSPICE]

Let’s get some real tough Scots sounds far better than his London accent

[@ashleyrobinson4940]

Natural retraction why he keep touching hand He feel uncomfortable

[@celladoor_uk]

Imagine getting triggered by other people's accents.

[@brocktonma.1816]

He constantly expresses that the U. S. in Iraq wanted more contractors than U. K to lessen troop involvement. The U. S. Had 200,000 soldiers, the U. K. had 45,000. Details matter. Right or wrong 🇺🇸 always Carries the majority of the burden. Always. Even WWII U. K., including colonies’ had less military deaths and were at war 2 years longer than 🇺🇸

[@s111mbad]

We send our best men out who are prepared for all aspects of warfare not some trigger happy yahoo's looking for a shoot out at the ok coral buddy

[@brocktonma.1816]

@@s111mbad Hey KZbin tough guy; I’m not your buddy.

[@LoudaroundLincoln]

We should never of got involved in that fucking disaster in iraq. All that blood for american arrogance. Its almost laughable.

[@a753951852]

He still looks fucked up.. Perhaps, people can't go back from it all after something like this happens, I guess ..

[@mgnn5100]

EO Cabaledo were interesting days

[@jerikcoone6957]

A merc and privateer.

[@pietrostavastano2356]

Guy has some balls though.

[@SolidDragonUK]

*MAD LAD

[@CannibalLecter]

*Jots note _Never trust a thatcher related to Mark or Margaret_

[@mathematics5573]

So i guess the average Oxford University graduate is planning to join the military and SAS? what is the point of this?

[@alexivalentin2368]

By way I would appreciate it you tell your guys keep hands of my. Cloths and wallet I'm no longer independently wealthy the British saw to that?

[@alexivalentin2368]

HALVE FUN ENJOY SPENDING MY MONY I WOULDN'T BY SOUVENIRS OR TAKE PICTURES THOU

[@alexivalentin2368]

ALL THE DONNIES ARE BOGUS KERP THAT IN MIND

[@jj342]

"the political masters" said well

[@alexanderspear9464]

The wannabe mercenary is a complete tool asking Mann the qiestions. The wally in the England rugby shirt.

[@alexivalentin2368]

BY WAY SIMON SAYS WORKS AT CHICKFILLA 9N KIPLONG

[@alexivalentin2368]

HI EOS HI SSND LINE TIMED UP HAVE AL YOUR GUYS KNOKS ON EQUIPMENT AND YOUR PRIMARY AND REDUNDANT BACKSTABBING JEE GOLDBRICKER SSISS TIME UP BY

[@alexivalentin2368]

ALSO OWNERS OF GLIDDEN .GOLDEN FOODS MCLAIN TRUCKING.

[@williamwallace2278]

He should still be in jail. Mercenary interfering in another countries politics and force a coup.

[@nekongovitankanga]

If one returning from the Middle East from terrorist activity goes to jail, so should a bastard like him.

[@MrAussieJules]

Go back to kindergarden. Lol. He tried to depose.a brutal dictator.in eg. Maybe one day you will have the guts to do such things.

[@markkip2001]

PMC is Evil

[@Joobajuba]

He is going to hell. To hell with him. He should be in the Hagg but noooooooo!

[@SiochainGra]

Gibril Jobe Hague

[@Muzzy0085]

Only difference between him and African governments is who pays who

[@ianmuir3640]

Wouldn't believe a word this scumbag utters

[@motorcop505]

Ian Muir You are unfamiliar with people who actually speak the truth. You just don't like what he says. He is completely truthful.