5 January 2010

The Afghan war: an anavoidable lie

There is one lie that cannot be avoided.

Most people acquainted with the situation realise that British involvement in the war to back up the corrupt Afghan government has nothing to do with protecting Britain or promoting human rights abroad. The war is being fought to protect US face; America can’t be seen to fail.

Yet, when British soldiers die in this war, their grieving families and communities force themselves to believe that their sons (and occasionally daughters) gave their lives for Britain in a noble cause. It’s nonsense, of course, but pain rarely produces rationality.

Wootton Basset has become a symbol of that loss. The best course for progressive people is let what is in this small town be and get on with the campaign to get troops out of Afghanistan. What the idiot Choudary does, providing it’s within the law, should be just ignored.

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