His words have been fine, and his speeches grand, but when it comes to deeds, Tony Blair’s government has constantly neglected to do what it needs to do to maintain Britain’s defences. The British army is now paying a terrible price for this in Afghanistan. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Con Coughlin has this to say:
Whatever people might think about the wisdom of committing 5,000 British troops to southern Afghanistan to fight a war most experts believe can never be won, the young soldiers on the front line have displayed immense bravery during the intense fire fights they have encountered with the enemy, a fact that is reflected in the large number of recommendations made for gallantry awards – including at least half-a-dozen for the Victoria Cross. Which makes the appalling treatment those injured in the line of duty receive when they are medivaced back to Britain for treatment all the more shameful. Thanks to the almost pathological obsession of the Treasury with slashing defence costs, in the past decade seven military hospitals have been sold off to property developers, and Britain’s last remaining military hospital, at Haslar, Portsmouth, can expect to suffer a similar fate next year…The Blair Government’s woeful disregard for the welfare or our Armed Forces is nothing new. This summer’s military campaign in Afghanistan has been blighted by a seemingly never-ending series of revelations about equipment shortages and failings that could easily have been avoided had the Treasury been prepared to provide adequate funding. Soldiers are regularly asked to go out on patrol in some of Afghanistan’s most inhospitable terrain in vehicles that offer ineffectual protection against the Taliban’s carefully orchestrated attacks. RAF crews flying C-130 transport aircraft conduct missions knowing that their repeated requests to have the fuel tanks covered with protective foam have been deferred because of budget shortages…And all this because the Government is so obsessed with ploughing countless billions of pounds into the bottomless pit that is the nation’s health and education systems that it is unable, or more likely unwilling, to provide adequate financial provision for our Armed Forces…One of the more unpalatable truths about the Blair Government is that, while it has few qualms about placing our troops in harm’s way, it does not feel any moral obligation to make sure they are properly looked after. There is a simple quid pro quo that the Government must accept for putting the lives of our young men and women at risk in defence of our freedoms. In return for sending our soldiers, sailors and airmen to some of the most inhospitable and unwelcoming places on earth, the Government should make it their priority that they receive the best equipment to ensure the mission is a success, and to ensure that they receive the best possible treatment when they stray in harm’s way.
Obvious, you would think, but not to the Labour government.