We are not an occupying army,” Gordon Brown told the BBC on Friday. “It’s not like previous interventions…. We are actually creating the conditions by which the Afghans themselves, and not an occupying army, can run their own affairs.” The words above are quoted from an excellent article in today’s Independent by author James Fergusson. […]
MoD
Afghanistan- We Will Eventually Have To Talk (Pt 2)
I suggested it back in July, in my post Afghanistan – We Will Eventually Have To Talk! but now it seems our government is finally catching up with my common sense theory, that nothing will be resolved in Afghanistan unless we all start talking. They have asked the government of Hamid Karzai, the President of […]
A War Is A Good Payday For MoD Civil Servants…
Civil Servants at the Ministry of Defence have been paid bonuses this year of £47 million. The payments are, apparently, performance related although quite how ‘performance’ is measured in a department that deals in armed conflict I am at a loss to understand. Do they get a payment based on a reduction in injuries or […]
What makes a Soldier….
I meant to post this at the weekend but foolishly, I left the original email at work. It was sent as part of a weekly newsletter I receive from the Red Fridays campaign. I have no idea who the author is but I found it to be extremely thought provoking; it brings reality into the […]
Remembrance Sunday and The Afghanistan/Iraq Conflicts
Today is the day we remember all those who have died in conflict fighting to preserve our freedom. Since my earliest childhood memory of men and women standing around the Cenotaph in warm black coats, silently laying wreaths of bright red poppies, it has been about those who fought in WW1 and WW2. Now, though, […]
Afghanistan – We Will Eventually Have To Talk!
My goodness, it has been three weeks since I last posted. I have been trying to think of a reasonable excuse for being so unreliable and have failed miserably. During my ‘downtime’, more of our troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan and two more have died today. Politicians of all parties have been making […]
Afghanistan – Is The Gamble Worth The Lost Lives?
In the space of a week, seven British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. UK Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth has now admitted what we all know already…. that even more lives will be lost. The total number of UK military personnel killed in the conflict is now 176. The Defence Secretary justified our continued presence […]
The ‘Dud Missile’ Of An Iraq War Enquiry
Yesterday afternoon, our failing prime minister, Gordon Brown, finally announced what many have been demanding for years – an enquiry into the Iraq war. So far so good. The fully independent enquiry is to be held in secret, will not report until after the next general election and will not apportion any blame. Now that […]
Iraq – More ‘Official’ Lies!
An article in today’s Independent’s Commentators section by the much respected Robert Fisk highlights the deception that is still being ‘spun’ about our role in Iraq and the state in which the country has been left. The article has been based around a letter, forwarded to him by one of his readers, Tom Geddes, and […]