You must be delighted at the amount of MSM coverage you and your henchmen received this weekend. You will be thinking, "That's told them. They're disloyal to our troops and now they'll come on the side of us politicians."
Your reasons for our armed forces to be present today in Afghanistan are lies. Anyone with a computer can discover the real truth within minutes. No longer can politicians talk propaganda or suggest the public does not support the British military - these days are gone thank goodness. I would say the support for our armed forces and their achievements are well beyond doubt.
The public are not listening because we are in Afghanistan for purely political reasons which have little to do with terrorism. But still, you continue to insist this is to do with keeping our streets free of terrorists. That is a lie. You are there because you, as the Saviour of the World, have an overwhelming desire to be pals with the US and Europe. It must have cheered you when Nato decided to support the decision to invade Afghanistan because that decision proved to you, or your ego, that Britain is great and you are all-powerful. You just cannot decide who you support can you? Much of Europe is against some US policies yet you never listen.
Your Defence Secretary, Bob Ainsworth, said today that "the UK's presence there could not be determined by public opinion." Change of tune from a few weeks ago there for Mr Ainsworth.
You stated on the Politics Show: "The government had a 'duty' to set out the reasons behind the Afghanistan operation whenever questions are raised. It's right that we explain there is a chain of terror that links Pakistan and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to the streets of our cities in Britain."
No matter how much you try to spread fear throughout these islands Mr Brown, the public are not falling for it. You have not set out any acceptable reasons why our forces are still present in this foreign land because you do not have any. So you pursue the old political habit of telling us we are not supporting our military in the hope that we will submit to your untruths.
While you sit in the comfort of No 10 awaiting Barack Obama's telephone call, let me tell you the public do support our military but they do not support the reasons you give for this war. Many know the work they do is invaluable to others. In Basra for instance, our soldiers built many utilities only to have them blown up, sometimes multiple times, by the 'terrorists' who had entered the country after the US and British invasion. How soul destroying it must be for soldiers to see their achievements destroyed time after time.
You underestimate the morals of the people of these islands. We have a deal with our military. It is that they agree to protect us and in return we shall support them at all times. Whether we believe in the reasons for our participation in any conflict has nothing to do with our respect for our forces.
No politician can break that agreement no matter how hard they try to tell us we don't support those who protect us.
Your invective only enforces our belief in our military and their capabilities. It does absolutely nothing to persuade us that most politicians have the security of these islands as a priority. The majority voted for us to join the US in this invasion and each and every one of them ought to hang their heads in shame because few, I suspect, even checked out the history of the region. Why should they admit they erred and lose the camaraderie of the cosy Westminster club?
Matthew Parris offers you a solution. Will you accept it? I think not. Your obsession with your (not our) 'relationship' with the US is completely clouding any authority you have left.
And still you refuse to say 221 were not killed in the Afghan war. Such a cowardly attempt to cover your own inadequacies.
Posts
37 comments:
Nothing to add just posting my total agreement. I couldn't have put it better.
Well said SR.
I'd put that on Subrosa's Super Seven next week if I were you or if not, at least give it a pie supper!
It's true. We do support the troops. I'm not some gooey eyed individual who thinks that the sun shines out of every one of them. I've seen them drunk on a Saturday night. They are not perfect; they're just lads. But when they are "out there", wherever that "there" is, we support them.
We don't have to support the war to support them, so stop tying to accuse us of some sort of disloyalty. It's you that is disloyal.
Troops must only ever be put in danger when there is a real reason for that to happen and must be properly funded and properly supplied with the best of whatever we can find in the way of equipment. Anything else is inexcusable.
You're not the only prime minister to abuse troops. A passing aquaintence with Kipling's poetry will tell you it's been going on for a long time.
But you and Blair take the biscuit. You have used this war against terror to big yourselves up with America. Much good it has done you. Obama clearly thinks your a depressive dick!
And so do we all. You're a total failure Brown. A useless prime minister, probably the worst we've ever had. Everything you touch turns to dung.
Some legacy. Prat!
Many thanks Sandy. More of a rant than anything else I'm afraid, but I was sick of being accused of disloyalty today.
Auch Tris, put that on your own blog and I'll put it up on Saturday. Excellent it is.
Oh Thanks SR. But no. This is your post, and it's a good one.
I think that the whole thing should stay here, where it started.
A cracking rant, Subrosa. Very, very apt. Just like disliking mass immigration makes us racists. I hear Blair's hand is being regularly refused. Money's not everything.
I agree but it's a waste of time, the idiot listens to no-one, not even the Chief of the General Staff. We can only hope that the current casualty rate will not be sustained over the winter period.
ARRSE are covering Brown's lack of a bowed head, I reckon the spinners will be briefing tomorrow that his detached retina precludes sudden head movement!
http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/p=2988749.html#2988749
Nicely put Subrosa.
I notice that he was the only person who couldn't manage to bow his head at the cenotaph today.
Thank you OR. You won't persuade Brown money and power aren't everything though.
Jess, I was at a service so recorded the Sky news by accident. I've just seen Brown on IPlayer and I bet you're bang on the nail there.
Some excuse will be produced.
Wyrd, as I said to Jess, I've just viewed him on iPlayer.
He really is so obsessed with his own self I'm sure it was this which caused him to forget what he was doing.
Very well written, well said.
V for Vendetta
(Join in the lawful rebellion)
My compliments on an excellent post Subrosa.
But, I’m afraid – truly afraid.
Not afraid of how our troops will perform in difficult circumstances, they will be the true professionals we know them to be, whatever the circumstances.
Not afraid of impending terrorist attacks on the streets of the United Kingdom, yes we must be vigilant, but not paranoid.
Not afraid of the ‘shoot first, think later’ gun happy disastrous foreign policy of the USA.
What truly scares me is to hear a British Cabinet Minister say
"the UK's presence there could not be determined by public opinion."
If that opinion is the opinion of the majority of the people then it behoves our elected members of parliament, including cabinet ministers, to represent that opinion in and to our body politic. That after all is democracy, anything else is tyranny.
The people will be heard.
RFB, thanks. I'm part of the lawful rebellion I hope.
Yes different tune from Ainsworth yesterday morning John.
They're upping the propaganda to ensure we're kept in a state of confusion and as you say fear.
I've just read the following and it's appropriate here:
What terrifies the agents of power is the awakening of people: of public consciousness.
Thousands of youngsters in cadet and brigade uniforms were out on Saturday collecting money for the Poppy Appeal. Some that I saw were barely ten or twelve years old but all acted diligently and courteously thanking everyone individually who donated. It is sobering to think that many of these youngsters, braving a long and very cold Perth day to collect money, may within a few years find themselves receiving the benefit of those monies they collected last Saturday.
Indeed it is Clarinda. I've just been reading a speech John Pilger made in Australia very recently.
Here's an extract:
'But we need to make haste. An historic shift is taking place. The major western democracies are moving towards a corporatism. Democracy has become a business plan, with a bottom line for every human activity, every dream, every decency, every hope. The main parliamentary parties are now devoted to the same economic policies -- socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor -- and the same foreign policy of servility to endless war.
This is not democracy. It is to politics what McDonalds is to food.'
I can say no more.
Aye, I've met John a few times, Subrosa. A good man and a gentleman. He's making sense, as per usual.
Good piece, by the way. Mind If I lift it?
.
No not at all wisnaeme. I'll give you the link for his whole speech. Hold on.
Here you are:
http://tiny.cc/DntBy
Great rant, SR.
If brown really wanted to defend the streets of Britain, he would bring our troops home to do the job properly and if he really wanted to control immigration, who better than our boys to form a border force and keep the bastards out!
But then Brown is a lying #@%&*#@ nonentity!
I have never understood why supporting the brave people in the Armed Forces is also supposed to include support getting them KILLEd--especially, killed for no good reason!
That is NOT supporting them. Most are willing to give their lives for us. We owe it to them to see that their lives are NOT wasted.
Endless war indeed which leads to profit for the corporations that lead this horror we have gone into.
Thanks for that SR and for the John Pilger link, one of those lefty Journos who is always worth reading.
Was chatting to a youg RM Officer just the othe day about how we, the public, support the Armed Forces in their efforts but not necessarilly the Afghan war itself. He pointed out that he owed his duty to The Queen as expressed by Her Defence Minister Jobsworth but did agree with me that keeping the lid on in Afghanistan was not going to prevent a home grown terrorist from blowing himself up in Birmingham or London.
Personally, he was keen to get out to where the action is.
You have excelled yourself SubR.
That's what government's do Jeanne isn't it? Because most countries always support their armed forces, politicians then try to twist truth and imply that in order to do so we must support their policies.
It's a desperate measure of course.
I don't think they could do their job if they didn't view it that way banned. For me that's part of their courage being able to blank such things.
What Clarinda posted just hit me like a mallet. A wee fresh-faced Air Cadet who I was chatting to a couple of weeks ago, was talking about going regular in the RAF Regiment.He's still at school but could be in Afghanistan next year...
Auch Billy thank you. You flatter me.
The army would sort out the borders right enough and the air force and navy would manage our coastlines perfectly I'm sure BS.
Have you noticed more and more info coming about labour's determination to fill the UK with immigrants who have never been investigated?
No wonder so many of them are criminals.
That's the courage of youth Conan, particularly those who want to join up.
Without their positiveness we wouldn't have armed forces would we?
But yes, it scares me regardless of their age. Particularly in today's climate where there's no plan. Our politicians seem to have deleted 'battle plans' from English.
I agree, we should support our troops. I went on an anti-war march BEFORE the war, but now we are in it, our troops need the support to get the job done. A world without the Taleban is a world which is better off.
Moral code, the troops are in no doubt they're supported by the majority of the country.
Plus they understand why the public do not support the policy of the politicians.
Two completely separate issues which politicians like to make into one in order to place blame on the public.
Thankfully the public aren't taking any more of this behaviour from our politicians - they've been found out.
Hence Bob Ainsworth saying only yesterday that the public opinion doesn't matter now.
Great article Subrosa but what also hurts is that some of the NATO nations that support the USA and the UK in the Afghan war are not putting their troops into heavy conflict areas which is resulting in higher British casualties.
Some freinds they are.
The Germans can't put troops in the front line Spook, because of their constitution, but they still have less than 50% of our numbers out there.
France has even less and again few in the 'heavy' areas. Other countries have just paid lipservice to the whole thing, because their electorate are anti this war.
Imagine, a government that responds to the feelings of the electorate about their wars. Awesome notion don't you think?
Don't suppose there is any chance that this could happen here? Nope, our lot are too busy listening to the Voice of America.
This war will be the end of the UK Tris. No other European country has invested so much in it militarily-wise and we'll be made to pay eventually by the Islamic countries.
Sad to say I don't blame them.
Fair comment SR.
I have been saying that, somewhat disloyally maybe, for a while. I can't help but think if I were a young Iraqi or Afghan, and a whole load of people from half a world away were poking their nose in my country, supporting an corrupt government, and had bombed, killed and maimed, I'd find it hard just to forgive and forget.
Tris I'm convinced I'm right but I doubt if I'll live to see the hellish results of our invasions in the recent past. That's up to your generation to handle but I have no idea what you can do.
The future of this country scares me for you young ones.
If the SNP took a stand against the Afghan war then perhaps it may alleviate the harm to Scotland, but they won't. Alex gives platitudes about withdrawal strategies etc yesterday but that's not enough.
The SNP need to stand firm and say they're against this war. For goodness sake it's simple and common sense!
Post a Comment