Afghanistan.

This morning I started by commenting on a post over on Rosies blog on Afghanistan and The never ending sadness of the news that just keeps on coming.

It quickly turned into a blog post as every thing just poured out.

It is becoming very painful when you compare our rate of attrition to that of the Americans. We suffer four times their rate in propotion to the numbers on the ground.

Having watched Ainsworth on the Marr show this morning it has become really desperate. He is so thick and inept and just slow, it is just infuriating. For example the reason the Mastiffs have not been given to the troops is that they have not been trained for Gods sake. And apparently they have to be UK trained, dear God help me to bear this mans oiky horrible utterances.

When I began my 9 years service it was in an armoured recce regiment, we had four different types of vehicle. Saladin, Saracen, Ferret, and Landrover. Within a very short space of time I was driving all four vehicle as if you are competent enough to drive one safely then the rest of them are just common sense.

But apparently the Mastiff has to be held for the next brigade who will have been trained on them, what utter utter bollocks. I say that as an ex regimental driving instructor. A vehicle is a vehicle, give it to a competent squaddie and he will quickly utilise it. This health and safety box ticking arse covering madness that civvies are infected with, does not work in the Army when your life depends on having good kit. Imagine how demoralised these guys are right now as their comrades die, and they know there is kit there available but being held up by some box ticking civil servant jobs worth fuck wit. That could have made a difference.

Super Puma helicopters will now be another 3 years being modified by Germany and France before we can give them to the troops.

Merlin heliscopters which were in Iraq sat for a year in a hanger before the decision was made to modify them and sent them to Afghanistan, and they still are not operational.

Apparently, even although Britain has now had it's arse kicked out of Afghanistan 3 times since 1839, (and it looks like this will be 4,) Ainsworth has only just discovered that Afghanistan is a hot high country with very different terrain to Iraq. He also tells us that it is very complicated and very very difficult, "out there." WOW. The breathtaking knowledge and insight of the man is terrifying. He goes on to say that the forces have ability in "spade fulls," what a pity that we could not find a minister with the same level of ability to fight their corner. If Ainsworth was my shop steward I would leave the union. The fact he occupies one of the highest and most responsible offices of state in Britian really frightens me. Imagine if another crisis worse than this one shows up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Secrecy sounding the armour on new vehicles destined for British troops in Afghanistan is preventing them from being flown into the conflict zone.

The cladding on the Ridgbacks has been classified as so secret that only British transport aircraft are allowed to ferry them to the troops in Helmand province.

As a consequence, the much-needed vehicles have been queuing up in Dubai, with long delays before sufficient UK transport aircraft can be found to take them to Afghanistan.


Rosie Gentles son Gordon died for that very reason.

These are the same people. Desk-bound civil servants working in Iraq and Afghanistan are earning bonuses worth more than double the wages of front-line troops.

This is making me sick just thinking about it all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Below is a previous response to one of Rosie posts:

One reason why the unelected Brown does not want an open transparent enquiry is that his tenure in No11 will see him exposed as one of the main reasons that troops were deprived of very basic equipment taken for granted by other armies, such as proper robust vehicles and not ex NI snatch landrovers, good modern body armour and most important good air cover and medivac facilities. His restraints put on Whitehall at the time were the main reason for these disgracefull failures.

Grieving mothers like Rosie Gentle who's son Gordon died for want of electronic counter measures, which was being held back in a bloody store somewhere, instead of being issued.

This is how Rosie found out:

"Fusileer Gentle was travelling with a convoy of Snatch Land Rovers as it left Basra Palace at 8.30 on the morning of Monday 28 June. Fusileer Sean Gill, next to him, told the inquest he was dazzled by a huge flash as the bomb exploded. "I was disorientated for a few seconds. He was lying on his back with his eyes open."

Shrapnel had pierced Gordon's upper back, cutting an artery and stopping the flow of blood to his brain. A camera crew with the convoy filmed the efforts of his colleagues to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Within hours, a censored version of the footage appeared on the breakfast news – and was seen by Rose Gentle as she drank a morning coffee. "I thought, 'God, some poor mammy's going to see her son lying on the ground.'" She did think for one awful moment that she recognised Gordon, but thought, "It can't be, I would have been told."

Three hours later, two soldiers came to the shop where she worked. They asked her to sit in their car, and then they told her. "All I can remember is running out the car, screaming.'"

Her husband, George, a construction ground worker, collapsed from the shock when she rang to tell him. "I just says, 'The wee man's been killed.'" George has not worked since. He supports his wife's campaigning, but plays no public part in it. While we talk, he stays out of the way in Gordon's room, on the computer."

And this is how the bastards respond:

http://tinyurl.com/ns4hyy

On his very first test on his much trumpeted transparency and accountability, Brown is exposed as the lying demagog he is and always will be who puts his and his morraly bankrupt party before all.

Well Gordon Brown you are finished so why don't you just piss of and take your rag bag of scum sucking crooks with you.

Thanks for reading, I feel a blog post coming on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The "trilogy" that Ainsworth referred to on Marr, was broken a long time ago. I take it he was referring to the covenant we should have with our forces. Blair broke that, the forces are left exposed and vulnerable by box ticking incompetent civil servants and a mirage of ever changing defence ministers who are career politician and look after them selves only. The forces are just a necessary evil to these snobby hypocrites, but a great photo opportunity when their popularity rating goes down as Brown has shown again and again with his cynical popping up in Iraq and Afghanistan, smiling that disgusting rictus smile as he shakes the hand of a warrior who's boots he could not lace.

Politicians I worship the ground that is coming to them.