Are British troops being put in an impossible position in Afghanistan?
That's what Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg thinks. He says our troops don't have the resources they need to win the fight against the Taliban. He thinks politicians are letting them down.
With seven deaths in seven days, the number of soldiers to die in there now stands at 176. The defence minister has warned more lives will be lost, but says the war against the Taliban is making Britain's streets safer.
What do you think?
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we dont need goverment and media propaganda in how great a job we are doing in afghanistan and how we are meant to be putting democracy in there its a nonsense afghanistan is the new vietnam its unwinnable its never been a war in the first place its a invasion and we should bring the troops back how can we defeat a country that will fight till the end these people are warriors that will not be defeated
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what is the point of a blog if you dont read out our messages yet the text messages are well the hand picked ones cos i sent a text and i posted this message but neither of them have been read out
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jimmy-dean - you are priceless! PLEASE learn to spell and punctuate your sentences and then someone will be able to read you offerings out.
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jimmy-dean-2009 makes a good point though, zeldalicious. We are encouraged to get in touch via the blog, as all the ads say for Breakfast and Victoria's programmes, but they never refer to messages on them.
(Didn't see Victoria at the match yesterday although obviously I know she was there.)
Good luck to England today.
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You don't believe them though do you carrie? Texts are much quicker to read out than what we put on here. This area is just a sop to us losing the radio boards IMO of course.
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Clegg seems to pick up on any headline and run with it. He is lightweight and out of touch.Should every soldier be given a tank to withstand roadside bombs? Perhaps the Taliban would then use anti tank weapons the cheats.
The truth is in the terrain the army is operating in only certain vehicles can be used to keep up the required operational mobility of the troops, and war IS risky.The losses sustained have in no way impaired the operation.
While understanding the devastation that each family must feel at each loss, one must remember they did join voluntarily.
The job they do is vital,which Clegg seemed to agree with.His thoughts were very confused and frankly juvenile.
God help us if he ever had a share of power.
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Irritates me too because texts from Channel Island network providers don't "work". Having said that I recall having a blog contribution read out recently.
Jimmy-Dean - Zelda has a point and I have made a similar point - your posts are intelligible; just stream of consciousness. You really need to use punctuation so that others can make sense of what you're saying.
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bob ainsworth tried his best yesterday - essentially according to him the war is to save the afghans from themselves , to civilise - you know democracy, education, god and country - really - how to be good "coolies" to their new overlords - just as we did in the good old empire days. its unfinished business.you know.
we also aim to eradicate the taliban, who just happen to be afghans fighting armies of occupation for their freedom, land, country and sovereignty but dont let those little matters deter you bob.
and we are there for the uk national interest and security, because unlike those wily irish dissidents who dont need to go to the taliban or al qaeda to kill or blow up innocent people we all know radical muslims being n-o-t t-o-o c-l-e-v-e-r in the uk can only learn to bomb by going to the taliban or al qaeda .
it should be stated that it has nothing to do with china, or gas/oil pipelines, to destabilise iran or training militia who find themselves inside pakistan creating death and chaos. so its better left unmentioned.
curiously its reported but not too loudly here that some of the pakistan taliban are being paid by the usa , one man lost his life for stating this fact about baitullah mehsud 9pakistan taliban leader) another man states of his brother that the jondollah (pakistan taliban group) that he leads has regular meetings and payments to destabilse iran/paksitan.. seymour hersh reported similarly last year and the iranians have been stating it for several years.
as for clegg - ive said too much already.
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"While understanding the devastation that each family must feel at each loss, one must remember they did join voluntarily."
it should also be mentioned that whilst 53 innocents died on the 7/7 the uk govt has through its deceits killed more innocent members of our armed forces in afghanistan with around 600 badly injured/maimed. yet they try to legitimise it in the manner of bob ainsworths crass rhetoric of national security and national interest.
its a real pity no one takes the govt to task on their claims and propaganda. maybe in the servuice of national interest its not allowed.
compliant and supine.
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i wonder why this terrorism isnt being reported with banner headlines?
"A network of suspected far-right extremists with access to 300 weapons and 80 bombs has been uncovered by counter-terrorism detectives.
Thirty-two people have been questioned in a police operation that raises the prospect of a right-wing bombing campaign against mosques. Police are said to have recovered a British National party membership card and other right-wing literature during a raid on the home of one suspect charged under the Terrorism Act.
In Englands largest seizure of a suspected terrorist arsenal since the IRA mainland bombings of the early 1990s, rocket launchers, grenades, pipe bombs and dozens of firearms have been recovered in the past six weeks during raids on more than 20 properties."
as reported on the July 5, 2009 sunday times.
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The fact that the public and radio phone in programmes like this question why our forces are serving in Afghanistan only after a spate of British forces deaths highlights the failure of this aspect of foreign policy, which, just like Iraq has been based on lies!
UK forces are only there because the current New Labour Government's foreign policy (backed by the Tory opposition and the pathetic Lib Dem's) is servile to the US. Like all imperialist military interventions in the past, whether it be Aiden, Korea, Vietnam,Somalia, Iraq, Balkans, they're really about protecting vital resources to protect markets or to establish military bases. Career politicians, fully aware that a passive apathetic electorate won't be on the receiving end of any military action then dress these deployments up as being humanitarian missions in the interests of establishing freedom and democracy and more latterly, to prevent the spread of terrorism.
If the argument is about eradicating the Taliban then it should be remembered that this organisation formed out of the refugee camps which were result of years of occupation by both Soviet and US military occupations. The idea that we are there to uphold democracy and to ensure free elections is sheer hypocrisy whilst we militarily occupy the country by force!
Not only is our military presence (through no fault of our troops)causing many Afghans to either join or sympathise with the Taliban but like any other aspect of UK foreign policy it just creates the potential for more terrorism.
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It isn't the new Vietnam or the new Korea or whatever. But it's another war on a terrain we don't know. And you never know who is the enemy. You cannot see the difference between a civilian and a terrorist. Regards, Patrick
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