Two War Tourist Stories
First from Mandrake in the Telegraph.
Mandrake hears that one of the Prime Minister’s officials telephoned the British embassy in Kabul before the Conservative leader visited troops in Helmand Province in December to request that it did not co-operate with him.
“The aide made clear that Cameron’s trip should not be a success,” says my man in the Number 10 bunker. “He said there should be no ‘media availability’.”
Happily for Cameron, the request was ignored by officials and he was photographed meeting troops in Helmand.
Brown has been criticised for using previous military visits for party-political purposes. In 2007, he made his first trip to Iraq as Prime Minister in the week of the Tory party conference.
A No 10 spokesman denies the claim. “The embassy provided full support,” he adds.
Sounds just like the sort of thing Gordon would do, Happily it looks like the Military ignored his requests.
Contrast with this story from Michael Yon.
WAR TOURISTS, a footnote: Gordon Brown just hit Afghanistan again. Last year, several British officers told me that when Gordon Brown visited in 2009, the British military resisted helping Mr. Brown by not providing airlift. They said US helicopters had to ferry Mr. Brown. I do not know where the truth begins and ends with those statements, other than that British officers told me this as truth. Please recall that I was kicked out of British embed last year, apparently for raking the British government on helicopter shortages. (Some little birds have told me that I’ll likely have better friends in the next British government. Did meet with a British officer yesterday about embed during summer.)
Oh the Irony!
How Gordon Brown tried to ‘ambush’ David Cameron’s visit to Afghanistan – Telegraph.









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