Remembrance Sunday

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6908366.ece

"A British soldier who died yesterday in an explosion in Helmand Province was the 200th to have been killed in action during the Afghan conflict, the Ministry of Defence said today.

The gruesome milestone was reached as millions around the the country marked Remembrance Day and observed two minutes' silence for the nation's war dead."

because British politicians from Brown downwards have not got the guts to withdraw them since it would mean admitting the strategic and political failure of the policy of intervention. They are all sitting on their hands hoping that Obama will make the tough decision for them. Even Daily Mail columnists such as Max Hastings and Andrew Alexander have long realised the war is unwinnable

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-1225626/MAX-HASTINGS-Dont-fool--Afghanistan-unwinnable-war.html

The statement that - 'were there because were there' - really sums up the lack of vision or forethought from Britains leaders.

All this makes todays Remembrance Sunday particularly poignant as you know that the soldiers who have sacrificed and will sacrifice their lives in this conflict are likely to have died in vain. No doubt Tony Blair and other advocates of 'Blood Sacrifice' will think it all worthwhile since these wasted lives have given them a few more minutes to sell themselves to all comers on the international stage. There are not really words to express my loathing for politicians of this ilk so I wont even bother trying.

as a result Davey Cameron, the BNP and the Tory rags have followed suit. They're not opposing it for moral reasons, it's pure politics.

as does the editorial line in the Telegraph and the Mail. Hastings and Alexanders views are still a minority on the Right.

To be fair to Brown this is still ostensibly a NATO mission unlike Iraq so just taking the troops home is not that easy without at least the tacit consent if our allies (although I suspect it is a position most Europeans are happy to adopt). He has been lumbered with this mess by Blair who naturally legged it before the crap hit the fan. Nonetheless, it is still depressing that the PM is not more active in trying to resolve the situation. Sadly, Brown gives the impression that this is an aspect of his job that he would prefer to ignore.