Nick Robinson's Newslog (Free subscription) | 13/11/2009
He did not start this war. He cannot stop it. Yet Afghanistan is fast becoming the third crisis to face the prime minister - as if the economic and political crises were not enough. It is, above all, a crisis of confidence. Few fear defeat, but there are growing doubts among public and politicians alike about whether "success" can be achieved - whatever success actually means. Ironically,...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009
Peers accuse prime minister of lacking commitment to the war and failing to support British troops Three former defence chiefs have accused Gordon Brown of failing in his commitment to the war in Afghanistan and support for British troops. Field Marshal Lord Inge said the armed forces never really believed Brown was "on their side" while General Lord Guthrie accused the prime minister of...
"ROGUE GUNNER" (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009
Paul Asprey, a Falklands veteran from Darlington, celebrated his 50th birthday. Nobody was more surprised than he was to have survived that long Happy birthday Paul and best of luck with the rest of your life. “Among Falklands veterans it takes 14.3 years on average for PTSD to emerge.” Afghanistan death blast soldier named RIP Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles Ex-defence...
Events dear boy, events (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009
Well, that didn't take long. No sooner had Brown finished his little speech , up pop three ex-generals to give their considered judgement on how the Prime Minister is conducting himself towards the armed forces. Lord Boyce, Chief of the Defence Staff between 2001 and 2003, said: It is too much to hope that the present government will provide the necessary cash to allow its aspirations to be realised...
Talk about Newsnight (Free subscription) | 06/11/2009
COMING UP ON NEWSNIGHT WITH GAVIN ELSER: Prime Minister Gordon Brown has come under fire from former defence chiefs who have criticised his Afghanistan strategy and questioned his support for British troops there. During a House of Lords debate, Chief of the Defence Staff Field Marshal Lord Inge said the armed forces had never really believed the prime minister was "on their side". General...
Raedwald (Free subscription) | 08/10/2009
Had Richard Dannatt held his post just a few years ago, he would be leaving office in the rank of Field Marshal rather than General, five-star rather than four-star rank. A peculiarity of the baton is that holders are appointed on the active list for life; FM Lord Inge remains a serving soldier at the age of 74. This has caused us some problems in the past - notably with Herbert Kitchener. After being...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 08/09/2009
A cross-party group of ex-ministers and former generals will be launched next month to push for global nuclear disarmament. The group, chaired by a former defence secretary, Des Browne, will seek to rally European support for a US-led initiative to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons through radical, co-ordinated cuts in the arsenals of existing nuclear states, in an effort to persuade emerging...
codshit.com (Free subscription) | 20/08/2009
by Trowbridge H. Ford The terrible state of public accountability in the Anglo-American world became all too clear when Britain had to make some kind of accounting of its devastating wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - where it had only followed American orders by joining, and felt increasingly obliged to render some scrutiny of since Washington did so too. When Washington did agree to the Iraq Intelligence...
Raedwald (Free subscription) | 17/01/2009
The Mail is quite wrong in referring to FM Lord Bramall as a 'retired general' . At the age of 86 he continues to be a serving officer. Along with 74 year old FM Lord Inge. Field marshals are unique in remaining on the active list for life. It's one of the delightful minor quirks that continues to elude Labour's ruthless destruction of all such national idiosyncrasies. And Ld Bramall at 83 still had...
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