Treason isn't a word to be used lightly, even in the case of Gordon Brown, but it suits. The definition is ' a betrayal of trust or confidence'- both words apply to him where our Armed Forces are concerned.
Many commentators have recorded the government's lack of strategy and financial commitment for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and we must not forget who was in the thick of the decision making. Yes, our ex-chancellor and now Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The man with the moral compass, the man who insists, even when the death toll is rising week by week, that our soldiers are protecting us here in the UK.
He is the man who refused to fund the military and let's face it, in today's army soldiers need the best equipment money can buy.
Now Mr Brown has nipped over to Germany to ask Angela Merkel for support with a new UN plan for Afghanistan, while our soldiers and the Afghanis are dying in their efforts to carry out his useless plans for a country which has a corrupt government and which refuses to look after its people. NATO allies refuse to send more troops to the Afghanistan and Canada and Holland have publically announced they will withdraw their troops in 2010.
But still Gordon Brown insists our soldiers must be in the front line. Britain must be seen to be great at all costs. It's all part of the non-existent 'special relationship' with the US.
Eric Joyce resigned on a matter of principle last week, I'm sure he saw the writing on the wall for our forces - an endless death toll from a war which is futile as history has proved.
And it had all begun so well. In 1997 Tony Blair appointed the former CND protester George Robertson as Defence Secretary. Robertson at once instigated a strategic defence review, still regarded as a fine piece of work, though academic since the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, consistently refused to fund it. Lord Guthrie, CDS at the time, famously clashed with the Chancellor, who went only once to the MoD, and then on a constituency matter, over the lack of resources: "CDS, you think I know nothing about defence"; "Chancellor, I know you know nothing about defence!" (CDS is Chief of Defence Staff)
The Ministry of Defence is a very costly shambles with one mandarin for every two members of the Armed Forces. We have a Defence Minister who has no clue about military methods and even less about military personnel and who refuses to acknowledge the number of soldiers who are returning suffering from illnesses and injuries which will affect them for the rest of their lives. We haven't begun to see the extent of our war wounded yet.
David Davies calls for more troops and if there is no progress made in 18 months, he thinks the public will demand our withdrawal. The public demand our withdrawal now Mr Davies. The Afghanis need to work out their own problems. We need to stop pouring aid into a country where it never reaches the needy. If David Cameron upped his game and insisted our troops would be pulled out within a short timescale he would gain massive public support, but he's saying nothing.
So, while politicians ruminate, it is perfectly clear they have made one decision - life is cheap.
If that isn't a betrayal of trust and confidence I don't know what is.
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13 comments:
Subrosa
Sorry to go off topic, but I saw your reply to Yapping Yousuf blog on the use of civil servants. Robbie Dinwoodie has writen a very good rebuttal in the Herald blogs.
As only one man (me) and his dog reads the Heralds blogs I think this article should get more prominence.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/blogs/parcel-of-rogues/sir-gus-knows-best-1.918264
Subrosa
As bad as the lack of support for front line troops is, the thing that makes me sick to my stomach is the lack of support for the wounded, both physically and mentally, after they have left the service.
These men and women are heros, and to be treated this way would disgrace a third world country, all our "politicians" should hang their heads in shame.
Apologies for binning the last comment. There were some errors which I've corrected.
You're right Subrosa. It is a scandal that soldiers lives are being lost or ruined in a war which has no purpose and no end.
Someone asked the other day what a "win" situation would look like in Afghanistan. I'm sure that no-one has the foggiest idea.
It's all been said so many times before. The British Empire in the days when it was great (in the sense of being big) could not beat the Afghans. The Soviet Empire (some say the biggest forces ever seen) could not defeat them. Why would anyone think that we were going to be able to do it now.
All we do is cause people who would otherwise get on with their ordinary lives to be consumed with hatred of us because we are occupying their country.
We claim some sort of success in that there are fewer poppies being grown... but read a bit further into that and it is because there was a glut of poppies, and a shortage of wheat. That is a temporary situation.
We claim democracy as a result of us being there. Some funny sort of democracy.
We claim the streets are safer in England because our troops are there. What nonsense. If the Taliban or Al Qaida were not in Afghanistan they would be somewhere else. (They are already in Pakistan, but could easily be in Somalia and other North African countries.)
All of this would be bad enough if the people we send to do this were at least properly funded, and properly looked after if they were injured. But they are not.
For all that the decisions of the Scottish Government in the last week, with regard to Al Megrahi made me proud to be Scottish, the actions of the English based government regarding this war make me bitterly ashamed to be British.
Dubbie, yes I read Robbie Dunwoedie's piece earlier and it was well thought out.
Hope others read it too. Perhaps Yousuf will put an update link to it, then perhaps not. ;)
What needs to happen now Dubbie is for the people to waken up and actually see how are troops are treated.
There will be many more ex-service personnel on the streets in the years to come. These two wars will be the equivalent of Vietnam for the US - a complete national disgrace. America has just woken up to the end result of Vietnam in recent years, I do hope the people in the UK are less pedestrian.
Tris, what more can I say. That's a really super comment and I thank you for showing the emotional side of the argument too.
Ahhh Rosa you’ve caught me on a multi pointed prong with this one!
1) I don’t believe in this war nor did I believe in the Iraq war - it stirs up hatred and division and far from making things safer, makes it worse. Little wonder the Muslim peoples are feeling alienated.
2) That being said if the UK govt are putting our sons and daughters in harms way, then they (the Gov) had better make sure they have the best of kit deployed for our kids.
3) When the maimed are returned home the very best of LIFETIME care should be available for them. No charity boxes, no scrimping, no rationing help just solid love and care. Whatever happens they must not be shut away, people should be fully aware of what is being done in our name and how it is impacting on our kids and their lives
4) And finally – the red white and blue flag wavers and the labour war party – I’ve sat at this screen now for the past few minutes trying to articulate the rage I feel about this bunch and have decided that, in the interests of decency, I leave it by saying roll on the referendum and the election
Like you Dram I'm completely against this war as I am in no way convinced what we're doing will be of any distinct help to these people. Brown is just playing politics with our soldiers lives, much in the same way Blair did in Iraq.
I too have raged and raged. What does strike me as a mark of character is the way the troops just get on with their job without question. As one said to me recently 'If we started down the road of questioning the reasons for us being here then the whole army would collapse.'
Just a footnote: In 1944 when my father-in-law was cut-off behind Japanese lines in Burma he was fighting alongside Indian troops - one night after a particularly nasty attack he opined out loud that he'd be glad when all this fighting was over. Yes Sahib came the reply, then we can get back to proper fighting against you British. The troops were volunteers from Afganistan and the NW fronter districts. He still laughs about it today....and the fact that when he returned he discovered he was part of the "forgotten" army!
What does he think about the situation today Dram? I'm sure he'll have a very informed opinion.
Yes he has and it's get out now as you are dealing with people who see it as a right of passage to fight the British or anyone else that happens by. I understand that in the Thirties peace was kept (amongst other related tactics) by the RAF bombing some villages to dust and dropping sacks of gold on others (deamed to be friendly).
I'll take my old inlaws word on it and depart pronto
I thought that may be the opinion of a man who has seen most of what war can do Dram so thanks.
So many people forget Afghanistan is a country which lives off of handouts from other countries and the culture of the people is they'll take money from anyone to survive.
I too wish we would withdraw but Brown and Cameron are so intent on being the cannon fodder for the US, therefore I doubt it will happen until the UK really starts protesting.
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