The Afghan way

'But that's the way we do things in Afghanistan'

That was the answer that a world bank official had from President Karzai.  She had demanded that he should intervene when a million dollar contract  had been 'sold' for a single dollar. The money was aid from the stupid rich world. The Afghans have accepted $25 billion worth of it. Only one dollar in five has got through to the poor-the rest has been pocketed by Afghans. That's the Afghan way.

For ever British soldier who has died in Afghanistan, there is at least one new Afghan millionaire-some of them are related to Karzai.

The insurgent stronghold in the Babaji was captured freeing 80,000 potential voters from Taliban control. But only 150 people turned up to vote, 13 polling stations were set up within the district but these averaged just over 11 voters each.

Today an American official Richard Holbrook complained that the presidential elections were rigged. British and other Nato soldiers have died to make the election free. That's the British way. No doubt Karzai was baffled at the complaint. Of course the election is corrupt.

That's the Afghan way.

Time to in-shore

Any job losses are bad news. 

But the announcement from Lloyds TSB does not yet mean 50 redundancies in Newport. The firm assured me that would be the last resort. They are now the biggest employers in the city. There should be vacancies arising here where they emply 2088 or elsewhere in the UK where they employ 75,000 people.

The bank unions are right to complain that Lloyds TSB could start to reverse their outshoring of jobs to India. Inshoring some of them for the benefit of Newport staff would be fair and just.

Prior to the merger there were two competing General Insurance Office in Newport and in Leeds. Rationalisation means that 50 jobs are threatened here and 100 in Leeds. 

Lloyds TSB have a great record compared with other banks. On their own they made a small profit last year. Buying HBOS was a disaster that many LloydsTSB employees are paying for now. The low and medium paid workers at Newport made their full contribution to the success of the company.

They deserve better than the anxiety of the threat of redundancy.

Happiness

Thanks for the good wishes about the new arrival.

She was born at home as planned. Everything is going very well. Apart from being parent, few things in life have given me greater happiness than being a grandparent. Now for the third time! Bliss.

250,000

Today this blog recorded its quarter of a million hits. Thanks to all those who have contributed an average of twelve comments on every blog. They have been great. It not just the numbers it's the quality of debate. I have the best regular readers with the wisest and most incisive comments. I have learnt a great deal. Keep writing please.

Comments

[Adam]

There is no justification for the loss of NATO soldiers’ lives or those of the several thousand Afghan civilians that NATO has killed. Of course anybody who pays attention to the media will know that they all too rarely challenge the government and the supporters of this war. They will parrot them saying that our national security requires these soldiers lives; but the argument for national security as a basis for this war is false.

On this false basis they will say that regrettably it is worth the lives of Britain’s soldiers. They will stop short of saying weather it is worth the lives of even greater numbers of Afghan civilians. The government will blunder on with ‘resolve’ and the press will parrot the governments’ arguments and provide jingoistic support.

Of course, neither of these entities will say that they are simply following America and repeating what those in Washington say. There is an American establishment built on the back of a military expenditure which is almost as big as the rest of the world combined. Britain itself is the fourth highest. The Pentagon must justify its own existence just as it had to during the cold war fighting in places like Vietnam.

[Paul Flynn]

An instant summary Tony of the history of the past 200 years in Afghanistan is that the tribes have always fought each other. If there are foreigners in their country, they fight them then go back to fighting each other.

The Afghans say now to us'You have the watches, we have the time.'

[Tony]

If we are talking about 'the way' of western nations operating in Afghanistan then should we refer to the British experience in the 19th centry the Russian in the 20th ?
Seems to me that they quite like their way of doing things, the money we give is quite handy and in the end we tend to leave them to get on with it ..
Is it reasonable for me to expect the same again this time round - eventually ?