The Best Laid Plans ...

As I said a couple of weeks ago I intended to return to blogging but on a reduced scale. Since then my friend who was waiting for an appointment with the breast clinic has had her operation and the surgeon was unable to give her good news.  The next part of the 'process' is 5-day radiotherapy for several weeks and because her family live many miles away, another close friend of hers and myself have offered to help her husband with the hospital attendances which vary from an hour and a half to four hours so far.

Two days before her operation she became a grandmother for the first time and she has been unable to see her beautiful new grandson because she is too ill at present. Every day she sees him on Skype though - another blessing for the internet.

Now to the point of this post. I was furious to hear on the news last night that senior MPs have been pressing David Cameron to hold another vote on invention into Syria if definitive evidence merges linking the Assad regime to the chemical weapons attack.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind led the calls for options to be kept open and of course Paddy Ashdown was close behind.  Last week he stated, in his rounds of the media studios, that : "I've never felt so depressed or ashamed".  I'm sure many of us can remember at least one occasion when he ought to have felt worse.

The PR from the US has been abysmal with Kerry insisting the US has evidence that sarin was used in the attack. Obviously the US has little regard for UN inspectors as he stated his evidence comes from other sources.  Haven't we been down this road before not so long ago?

Critics insist that David Cameron's position is on a shoogly peg but, if he sticks to his promise of respecting last Thursday's vote, then he should be commended rather than pilloried.

The crucial question is: Was it Assad or the 'rebel' forces who used the sarin? That will be more or less impossible to answer and with so many factions - each with their own motive - is it right that we go to war again?  I think not. The consequences would be disastrous for the UK.

It's so easy to make the case on moral grounds but far more difficult to find an intervention that will make things better rather than worse.

The best development, at this point, would be for the Russians to reduce support for Assad and join the effort to find a way to begin to reduce the violence. A diplomatic, political solution is the way forward towards peace.

Let's not forget Vince Cable's department has been found to have permitted companies to sell chemicals, capable of being used to produce nerve gas, to Syria. The government has yet to produce details of any sale.

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The US Has Chosen

It was a long night for political pundits as the US election votes were, until around 3am, continually too close to call.

I feel asleep listening to Radio5 Live's commentary and wondering how many BBC staff were in the US covering the event.  It seems that BBC radio and television broadcasting staff work entirely separate and 'ne're the twain shall meet'.  An expensive business indeed.

JRB posted a comment on yesterday's post about the US election and just in case some missed it I'll repeat it today.

Am I alone in thinking that elections in America have descended to an obscene and grotesque level where the questionable power and influence of the mighty dollar far outweighs any sense of reason, let alone democracy?

The amount of money spent by both parties on this election campaign could have removed the debt of several third world countries, eradicated several killer diseases, lifted entire nations out of poverty - in short it could have done endless amount of good.
But no, the Americans prefer to squander such wealth on advertising and promotion so their man and their party can have its four years of power.

Such is not Democracy, such is Obscenity.

He's correct of course.  The money spent on this campaign is obscene and makes it even more important that Alex Salmond manages to restrict the independent referendum campaign spending.  I disagree with Magnus Gardham of the Herald, who suggests that a restriction on expenditure would limit debate.

Since when was debate so expensive?

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Will Americans Protest?

On the day when Winchester welcomed back its own and Obama sacks his commander in Afghanistan, another British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan.

Once more he was a Royal Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines and was killed today by small arms fire. The Royal Marines are taking the brunt of the Taliban's insurgency recently and must be feeling the loss of another colleague is a loss too far. We have now lost 303 of our military in this bloody war. Why? Again I ask the question because it has never been answered by our politicians. We're not protecting our country fighting this war. This government is continuing the message of the last one and that PM had no interest in the war. His only interest was ensuring he was internationally recognised as the US's best friend.

Now, in the US, regardless of the messages from the Afghan government supporting General McCrystal, Obama has decided to sack him. I doubt this has little to do with a magazine article but far more to do with personalities.

According to the BBC Obama said he had made the decision because General McCrystal had failed to "meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general". In other words those is charge must toe the political line or else.

It was poor judgement from McCrystal, he ought to have known better, but his comments were personal about members of the US government and did not reflect upon his ability to do his job. Obama is obviously so insecure he has to sack someone he disliked. How will the American public react to this? Will they begin to ask the serious question of their politicians 'Why are we there? and insist on an honest answer. I do hope so.

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The Karzia Brothers - A Must Read

left to right: Hamed Karzia, Ahmed Wali Karzia

Hamed Karzai is the head of Afghanistan's government. Ahmed Wali Kazai is the most powerful figure in a large area of southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest, and is said to be in the pay of the CIA. They are brothers.

The American ties to Mr Ahmed Karzai have created deep divisions within the Obama administration. The critics say the ties complicate American's increasingly tense relationship with President Hamid Karzai, who has struggled to build sustained popularity among Afghans and has long been portrayed by the Taliban as an American puppet.

More broadly, some American officials argue that the reliance on Ahmed Wali Karzai undermines the American push to develop an effective central government that can maintain law and order and eventually allow the US to withdraw.

The above is part of an article in today's New York Times and I suggest you may like to read the whole of it in order to see the big picture.

Now I can see the reason why Obama is stalling on the question of strategy in Afghanistan.

Our troops are out there fighting for their lives while America pays Ahmed Wali Karzai this mafialike individual who lords it over southern Afghanistan. The article also implies Karzai is involved in the drugs trade which of course he denies.

We should withdraw from that country and leave American to get on with their games. I do hope this reaches the MSM, then the support for this war will surely evaporate.

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Brown's Snub to the Queen

Sometimes if I waken in the night I listen to TalkSport, mainly for its soporific value, but on occasion the main topic is quite interesting.  That was the case yesterday morning when Mike Graham's anger was evident.  What was his topic?  The fact that the Queen has not been invited to the 65th commemorations of the D-Day Landings.

He strongly felt that Gordon Brown had acted improperly by ignoring the Royal Family.  As I said in this post, protocol requires the government to invite royalty to such occasions.  No such invitation has been received by Buckingham Palace.

It has been said that Mr Sarkozy wanted the event to be primarily a Franco-American ceremony. Once Mr Brown heard this he ought to have contacted Mr Sarkozy and informed him that British and Canadian forces were the majority and he must include a royal representative from Britain.  It has been reported France said it was not up to France to determine the British representation.  Then, if you remember, when France announced Barack Obama would be present, Gordon Brown decided he would attend.

As some of you may know, I'm not an avid royalist but I am a fervent support of HM Forces and those few remaining veterans who will be attending this ceremony are of a generation which hold the Queen in the highest regard.  That is why I think she should have been invited.

Gordon Brown has proved himself to be possibly the worst PM in history but he'll certainly also be recorded as the least diplomatic.  We pay a fortune for him to have advisers - what do they do for their massive salaries?

Update:  After the intervention of the White House, it now appears Prince Charles will attend and represent the Queen.  Now Brown needs the help of the US with his basic PR.  Shameful.

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BBC and MISINFORMATION

I've been working in the sitooterie this afternoon with the radio for company.  BBC Scotland news reported that Barack Obama is visiting Iraq and is at a US airbase, but he's unable to meet the President because the weather is too bad for helicopters to fly. It was also said President Obama will be telephoning the Iraqi President instead. As I used to say 20 years ago 'big deal.'

We all know a US military base in Iraq comes under the US constitution and is not part of the occupied country, therefore Obama is not in Iraq he's visiting a US base.  Quite an insult to the Iraqi hierarchy for him to act in such a manner and I'm sure there will be plenty international comment.

Yesterday Obama told the Austrians their language was Austrian and now another big faux pas. It's my understanding the American President has an entourage of hundreds with him on this trip. Obviously he's forgotten to bring any talent from his Foreign Office and Diplomatic Service.

As I was writing this I notice Craig Murray, who has considerable expertise in the diplomatic field,  has posted about the same thing.  Like me he's astonished at the level of insult to the Iraqi President.  

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