Dying for corruption

Afghan reckoning

How much longer can the self-delusion continue?  The Afghanistan mission is a hopeless failure and getting worse.Three international reports today confirm that.

The second top Karsai man in Helmand was killed today. The best hopes for peace, the help offered by Paddy Ashdown and two Pashtun speaking diplomats, have been spurned by the Karzai Government.

Worst of all was President Karsai’s insult to the memory of our soldiers when he said that Helmand has  “suffered because of the British soldiers.” Already 87 of our soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. The seven years mission has cost British taxpayers £1billion a year.

Prominent members of the Karsai Government are making fortunes from drug trafficking. Now the regime that we have spilled blood for is about to execute a man for reading literature about female equality.

This afternoon I tried to raise these issues at Business Questions in the Commons. Irritatingly I was not called so I put down an Early Day Motion that asked:

836

HELMAND MISSION (No. 2)

31.01.2008

That this House notes the ingratitude of President Karzai's statement that Helmand Province suffered after the arrival of British troops; recalls that 87 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan; and calls for a debate on whether the Government should continue to order British soldiers to risk their lives in the service of the corrupt barbaric Karzai regime.
Smears
Relative-gate rolls on with today’s ritual approval by the Commons on a motion that ends the political career of Derek Conway.

Now the scale of the offence of employing three relatives is known, sympathy to the affable Conway has disappeared. There is anger at the guilt by association list of 63 MPs published by the Daily Mail under the title Conway & Co. The only link is because they all employ one relative.

The cumulative effect of a succession of smears against MPs has dragged the reputation of MPs as a group into the gutter. Some of the accusations are justified. Most are fevered inaccuracies and exaggerations. Happily most MPs still enjoy good reputations as individuals.

But the mud sticks. There must be a thorough reform of MPs' expenses and employment practices to increase transparency. It will make life irksome and increase bureaucracy. But it is the only way to restore the unfairly battered image of the 650 MPs.

Comments

Many thanks for the valuable lively comments that have multiplied recently - some in verse!

Two problems have emerged. After about 30 comments, a second 'page' is created. The only indication are two small chevrons that are not obvious. Contributors have not noticed these and concluded that  they contributions have not been published. On 'Afghan Ingrates' a titantic debate is in progress between Patrick and Malcolm. It has now slipped into the world beyond the chevrons. Don't miss it.

Two contributions have been rejected as 'Spam'. It may be because they were lengthy. If this occurs please e-mail me the comment and I will add them directly.

Comments

[paulflynn]

Did you read Des Browne's speech at the Labour Party Conference? He is in fantasy land. The Germans have sensibly refused today to throw the lives of their soldiers away in an impossible cause. Every possible outcome is dire. deluding ourselves that progress is being made will destroy British lives.

[rwendland]

Barnett R. Rubin adds to the unfolding sad Afghan saga:

http://icga.blogspot.com/2008/01/rubin-saving-afghanistan-three-reports_5921.html

His comment that struck me was that ANA morale is falling, and mullahs who conduct funeral services for fallen ANA soldiers risk assassination. But "the US is now pressing the Afghan government to use the Afghan National Army to provide security for eradication operations. Sources in the Afghan government who do not wish to be named state that this will make the ANA fight the people and destroy its morale." It's all just a disaster. Are we going to sit there to the bitter end?

[paulflynn]

Thanks Rhys. I'll try that. It's outside of the area that I can change. I've discovered where the 'spam' comments are located. It's length I believe and I've added a n entertainih parady of the Ancient Mariner.

[rhys]

Your web developer should be able to alter the chevrons - make them bigger, or change them to text