Cabinet splits on Afghanistan withdrawal as Defence Secretary risks fury over 'broken 13th century

Cabinet splits on Afghanistan withdrawal as Defence Secretary risks fury over 'broken 13th century' country jibe

[url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1280421/Defence-secretary-signals-speed-British-troop-withdrawal-Afghanistan.html]www.dailymail.co.uk[/ur l]

'We have to reset expectations and timelines,' Mr Fox said in an eve-of-visit interview with The Times.

'National security is the focus now. We are not a global policeman.

'We are not in Afghanistan for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th-century country. We are there so the people of Britain and our global interests are not threatened.'

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well said Mr Fox! At last we have a government with balls..... Yesterday we had Dave Cameron telling the EU to stuff themselves, we aint helping you, now we have a change in tac with Afganistan too...

Also from the article;

Dr Fox hinted strongly he would speed up the withdrawal of British troops from the country and admitted 'expectations' needed to change in terms of Britain's role in the country.

He also risked infuriating President Hamid Karzai by referring to Afghanistan as a 'broken 13th century country'.

Does this signal a change in tac with the so-called "special relationship" with the USA? Do we now have a PM who does not care to be a poodle for a US president like Bliar was??

I think so!

[url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1280421/Defence-secretary-signals-speed-British-troop-withdrawal-Afghanistan.html]www.dailymail.co.uk[/ur l]
(visit the link for the full news article)

It's definately a very strong stance for someone who is just in the job. It's refreshing to hear a politician saying what's on his mind without fear of political correctness getting in the way. He's right, it IS broken.

reply to post by invetro
Guess who broke Afghanistan in the first place?

Yeah, Alexander the Great, England, Russia, then the coalition of America, Canada and England.

Afghanistan has never been left alone in its history.

Afghanistan was a very different place just a few decades ago.

reply to post by invetro


Yeah, you are right.... "He risked offending Karsai"..... So what?? Our boys have been fighting and dying for his corrupt little ass... I belive that gives us the right to say what the bloody hell we like!!

reply to post by star in a jar


UK mate, not England. Get it right FFS. It's like saying that Illinois invaded Iraq in 2003.

And Afghanistan has often successfully resisted foreign invasion. It beat the British Empire in the 1800's but was subsequently turned into a sattelite state by the British as a buffer between it and the expanding Russian Empire. Look up the Great Game.

Also, Afghan of a few decades ago was a different place, but they are as much to blame for the craphole it's in now as anyone else. They've been at each other's throats for a good quarter of a century. In fact, it is preciesly because Islamic revolutionaries attempted to take over that the USSR got involved so to limit any spread into their domain.

I know it's fashionable to blame the West or what have you, but the mess of late is largely of their own making.

EDIT: I've always liked Liam Fox, even before the election. seems like an honest guy who says it how it is.

Bottom line is, we've been there for 9 years and still bugger all real change has happeend within the Afghan power structure. What exactly are we fighting for if they can't be bothered to make changes themselves?

[edit on 22/5/10 by stumason]

reply to post by star in a jar


I agree... Time to pull out.... Bring our troops home to secure our borders... Let them sort themselves out... I would give it a week before the Taliban took over again though... But thats thee problem not ours...

British troops should be securing British interests... IMO they should be used to reinforce the Falklands to protect our econmic interests.. We can stat being benevolent again when we have sorted ou own stuff out first...