Fitaloon at MicroShaft

Kay Burley’s expression at the end just says it all.

Please listen to this update on the terrible Afghanistan situation and the depths the Defence budget is sinking to at the moment. Paddy says the situation in Afghanistan is extremely bad and getting worse. He details the fact that this year we lost 12 members of our Armed Forces in May versus 3  in 2008.  The USA lost 70 personnel in the same time. Also the fact the we have divisions in the alliance about how we are tackling the problem. If it was not for MP’s expenses this would and should be Front Page news every day.

According to Paddy we may shortly have one option and that is containment. Our Defence budget is apparently so bad, according to Paddy,  that both Labour and Conservatives will not talk about it for fear of exposing how much it is overspent. Paddy says it is about 9 billion pounds per year on a budget of 36 billion. If this is true it means that we now have a Defence Ministry in Crisis and  we have the lickspittle “slow Bob” Ainsworth supposedly in charge, this is the stuff of nightmares.

We must do more for our Armed Forces and in particular we must make sure their sacrifices in Afghanistan are not in vain. Containment is not what we should be seeking, we must do better and come up with a joint strategy that deals with the Afghanistan position, we cannot just hope to sweep this story under the carpet and leave it to fester, we must attack it head on and ensure that our Armed Forces are supported and funded properly and that we and our allies have a path forward that ensures a successful outcome in Afghanistan.

Here are some extracts from the Interview.

Lord Ashdown said that the situation in Afghanistan was deteriorating and had become “extremely bad” both in terms of the military and political position.

“I’ve been watching the situation very, very closely. I think it’s now extremely bad, I think the dynamic is now accelerating against us,’ he said.

He warned that there were divisions within the alliance at the strategy of forces there had become a “laughing stock” on the ground.

“The policy of take and hold and build is basically a laughing stock because we’re not taking anything really except a few kilometres from our bases,” he said.

“The soldiers are as always doing a magnificent job, but there are divisions in the alliance,” he added warning of “serious concerns, even criticism, in Washington about the lack of offensive spirit of British forces”.

Lord Ashdown also said that the military strategy needed to be backed up with a political strategy in Afghanistan, warning that an increase in troop numbers would accomplish little on its own.

He warned that the country was facing a ‘political crisis’ as the Taliban were gaining from the unpopularity of President Hamid Karzai, who he claimed had “hoodwinked” his western backers by seeking re-election,.

“I don’t think he has the support among his own people,” he said. “They will turn more likely to the Taliban for the support if he does get re-elected”.