Afghanistan, Dannatt and Honesty

A British soldier from the Royal Scots Borders, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, has been killed in an explosion if Afghanistan. He was serving as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force when killed by a last on Nad-e Ali District of Helmand.

This soldier was killed by a Rocket Propelled Grenade.

Another soldier, from the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, has died in the UK from injuries sustained in Afghanistan.

Now we have 333 of our military personnel killed in this war and 88 of those died this year. That doesn't mean the deaths of those in previous years are any less important but it does show the so-called strategy is non-existent as I've said before. Politicians are winging this war in the hope that all their lies, repeated on a daily basis, will be believed by their electorate. If oil wasn't connected with this country, and others in the middle east, we would never have been present.

As for the revelations in Sir Richard Dannatt's book, I'm angry - nay furious. If he felt that Blair and Brown weren't treating our armed services well then - after doing his upmost to improve the situation - he should have resigned. That would have been the biggest statement anyone in a position of power, be it military or political, could have made. Yet he continued in the post. Of course we know why, because he would have lost his extremely handsome pension if he hadn't hung on until his retiral. If he truly believed his men and women were being compromised then he should have spoken out. Told the truth. But he didn't.

That's part of the problem with the heirarchy of the military. Most of our armed forces work for far less than they would receive in a Civvie Street job, yet they're aware they are entitled to a reasonable pension, if they enlist long-term, upon retirement. If they resign then the pension is radically reduced.

That doesn't happen in the 'public' sector does it? Seems within councils if you're hopeless at a job then they'll pay you a fortune to get rid of you.

That apart, would Dannatt's resignation on a point of principle saved lives? Who knows - only those at the front line know the truth and I doubt many of them will be writing books which will be promoted in the MSM. Sometimes it's better to stick to the modern saying: Either put up or shut up. That can save lives.

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Sir Richard Joins Forces with the Tories

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the army who repeatedly clashed with ministers over troop levels and equipment in Afghanistan, is to join the Conservatives as a military adviser.

David Cameron will announce in his closing speech to the Tory conference that Dannatt will become a working peer, paving the way for him to serve as a defence minister after the election.

Some Tories expressed unease about the appointment saying it handed an easy victory to labour, which stood accused recently of running a 'smear' campaign against Dannatt.

The tories are planning to axe thousands of jobs within the MoD if they win the next election and they have asked civil servants at the MoD to draw up plans to reduce the cost of running the government department by 25% before 2012.

There are no plans to reduce the number of uninformed personnel to reach the 25% target, but instead sweeping cuts would be applied to the 89,300 strong workforce of civilian staff employed.

I would have preferred Sir Richard to be a cross-bencher if he intends to go to the Lords because that is the tradition for former defence chiefs but of course it's his choice.

The purge of the MoD is more than welcome. Perhaps a trimmed department will be more efficient than the present bloated Whitehall.

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An Officer and a Gentleman

Yesterday the topic was Kenny MacAskill's decision to release Megrahi and this subject was more or less ignored.

I've known men who are or have been officers and each and every one of them are still gentlemen. Character and morals don't vanish from someone when they retire from their desired occupation.

It has been widely reported that the labour party were intent on exposing the expenses of General Sir Richard Dannatt (pictured above) by suggesting he used taxpayers money to host lavish dinners at his official London home.

Kevan Jones the labour MP for North Durham has tried to insinuate Sir Richard has misused taxpayers money in the past and along with that prolific letter writer of FOI requests George Foulkes, they have tried again very recently.

Sir Richard has called their bluff and agreed his expenses could be published in the News of the World. Every credit to the gentleman.

It seems Sir Richard has been more than economical with our money when he has entertained the great and the good who are connected with our military. His total expenses over the last four financial years, including 18 months official expenses as Commander in Chief Land Forces, were a modest £19,290.77.

Compare that with Mr Jones' allowance claim of £144.841 in 2007/2008 - one year. Meanwhile Sir Richard's boss Bob Ainsworth claimed £130,817 in 2007/2008 alone and made profit from the allowances system of 'flipping' his second home.

George Foulkes, who asked for details of costs for providing "accommodation and chauffeur-driven cars" for Sir Richard, claimed £54,527 in expenses from the House of Lords last year - the equivalent of £580 a day.

Mr Jones denied there was a campaign to smear Sir Richard. "The idea there's a labour plot is ridiculous," he insisted. "I'm not involved in any smear."

We all hear Gordon Brown and his ministers saying "lessons will be learned." I do hope this is one they will take to heart. Don't mess with people who know their job and do it well. They are far smarter than you could ever hope to be.

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