Ingrate Karzai

 

Why the feigned surprise on Wikileaks news that Karzai, the ingrate, insulted the courage of our British soldiers?. What's new? I looked up part of a speech I make in the Commons in March 2008.

"Matters came to a bit of a head on Christmas day last year, when our ambassador to Afghanistan was summoned to meet President Karzai and told that a number of British diplomats were in contact with the Taliban. Two diplomats, who happened to be very experienced, very skilled and Pashto-speaking were expelled from the country. At about the same time, Karzai attacked our troops and said that they had made the situation in Helmand "worse", which was an incredible thing for that ingrate President to say when 89 of our soldiers had laid down their lives for his Government.

We are in trouble as far as our allies in America are concerned, because they are convinced that the only way to deal with the opium production is to spray chemicals from the air. We are equally convinced that such a policy would lose further hearts and minds and turn a crisis into a hopeless situation.

Twenty four television paraded their line-up of apologists for the Afghan War. They burbled their lies. The public is mis-informed and the tragedy continues to its inevitable dreadful climax of defeat and bloodshed.

Will we ever learn?

Too high a price

A Newport casualty of the Afghan was recalled in Paris this week. I was there for the rekindling of the flame at the Arc de Triomphe. It was in remembrance of all European soldiers and civilians who lost their lives on military operations in 2010. There were more British names than nearly all the total of other European nations. Sergeant  Andrew James Jones was the 339th British soldier to die. I attended his moving funeral at Newport Cathedral recently.

 

The 250 names on the  roll of honour is at annex and can be found on the  HYPERLINK "http://www.assembly-weu.org/documents/Plenary%20DEC%202009/2009_Soldier_killed.pdf" Assembly website.

 

In the presence of parliamentarians who had come from all over Europe to attend the Assembly’s plenary session, as well as of diplomats and high-ranking military officers, British MP Robert Walter laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

 

The disproportionally high blood price being paid by Britain is indefensible.

 

Justice

The Phil Woolas and David Chaytor sagas are nearing their ends.

The results were inevitable. Their mistakes were compounded by their acceptance of atrocious legal advice. It was stupid to call on parliamentary privilege as an excuse for alleged law breaking. It prolonged the misery and destroyed efforts to rebuild trust in politics.

I refused to contribute the requested £100 for Phil Woolas'appeal because it had no chance of success. The election campaign conducted in his seat was an abomination. There can be no defence for deliberately stirring up race hatred.

Comments

[Kay Tie]

"For heaven's sake KayTie, as Paul has often gone against the party line your point makes no sense on any level."

You're confusing "government" with "party". Paul has rebelled against a Labour government many times. But when it comes to the party, he backs it over everything else. Just look back at a few posts around the time Mandelson came back.

"Your constant parrot..[blah]"

Your constant chipping in with non sequiturs is even more telling.

[HuwOS]

"Not anyone else, just those who aren't in Paul's tribe, motto "My Party, right or wrong."- KayTie

For heaven's sake KayTie, as Paul has often gone against the party line your point makes no sense on any level.
Your constant parrot like accusation of tribalism against anyone you perceive as being Labour whether they are or are not says a heck of a lot more truth about you than it does about anyone else.

[Kay Tie]

"Is this another version of you saying the truth is all very well for you to speak but wrong for anyone else"

Not anyone else, just those who aren't in Paul's tribe, motto "My Party, right or wrong."

You know, I reckon that Paul has got a young and foolish intern in to take over the blog posting, because it is starting to read like some of the rubbish spouted from silly students.

[HuwOS]

You know, whatever Karzai actually is, he is simply being factual when stating that the British presence in Helmand made things worse,
and you know that because that is what you have been saying all along, Paul.
Is this another version of you saying the truth is all very well for you to speak but wrong for anyone else to do as with Clegg saying the Iraq war was illegal and now with Karzai too?