Does Gordon have the courage to Ride in "Snatch" Land Rover.

No, is the simple answer, yet he expects our troops to do it. Despite all his bletherings about how much money he has or will spend, the problem is that at the moment there is no choice. Not enough helicopters and not enough of the new vehicles on the ground.

When Gordon or one of his minions travels to to Iraq or Afghanistan, they seldom travel in anything but planes and helicopters, which are what the soldiers would choose as well if they had enough of them.

I attended a families day recently for the Royal Marines and saw the vehicles they would be using on the ground on their current tour. They still included the "snatch" Land Rovers and Vikings that have caused so many deaths.

According to the Telegraph

The recriminations over the resignation of SAS officer Major Sebastian Morley in protest over the Ministry of Defence's "gross negligence" in forcing his troops into the vulnerable vehicles spilled over into Prime Minster's Questions. Gordon Brown was asked by Gerald Howarth, the shadow defence minister, if he accepted that when Major Morley deployed in Snatch he "had no choice whatsoever contrary to all the assurances given to commanders that they would have whatever equipment they require?"
Mr Brown said the Government had "done our best in recent years to provide the equipment that is necessary" spending £1 billion on 1,200 new armoured vehicles.
Families and opposition MPs rounded on Gordon Brown, criticising his evasive answers in the Commons on the day another British soldier was killed in Afghanistan.

Col Bob Stewart, who used the flimsy Snatch during his time as a commander in Bosnia in the 90s, said the Prime Minister's comments that the Government had "done its best" was not enough to prevent the loss of 34 lives

"The Government certainly has not done it best. If they had done their best they would have found other vehicles that would have saved lives. They might have ordered these better vehicles now but its too late for the 34 people soldiers who have already died in Snatch. This problem has been highlighted for many years now but only now have they came round to the idea of addressing it.

Let us not forget this is not a new problem Have a look at this article from June 2006 nearly 2 1/2 years ago on the exact same problem. The BBC reported then:

Our correspondent says 18 British troops have been killed by
roadside bombs while travelling in Land Rovers. It equates to almost a quarter of British soldiers killed in hostile action, Conservative MP Roger Gale told the Commons. "These vehicles are widely recognised to be inadequately armoured to withstand roadside bombs and in consequence are seen as a soft target for insurgents," he said.

Des Browne the multi-tasking Defence Secretary responded

"This is a serious issue. I've asked for a review into this," he said. "There are medium and long-term plans in relation to vehicles and I will be looking in the short-term at what we can do to respond to the situation."

So 30 months and a further 16 lives later our forces are still being forced to use this vehicle. This is government ineptitude on a gross scale.

As usual this government is doing too little too late. It has done this in almost all its aspects of government be it defence, the economy, foreign policy, policing, environment or the NHS. It is incapable of preventing problems and can only apply a sticking plaster on the gushing wounds it has helped create.

The only good thing is that people are now seeing this and will again give Brown and his minions a bloody nose as they vote in Glenrothes, the constituency next door to his own, and return an SNP MP.


Gordon Brown accused of 'evasive' response over SAS deaths - Telegraph

President Obama - Cameron:Important moment for world

Conservative leader David Cameron said Mr Obama was the first of a new generation of world leaders.

"In electing Barack Obama, America has made history and proved to the world that it is a nation eager for change," he said.

"This has been an exciting and inspirational contest with two great candidates.

"In these difficult times people everywhere are crying out for change. Barack Obama is the first of a new generation of leaders who will deliver it - he has my whole-hearted congratulations.

"This is an important moment not just for America but for the world.

"Barack Obama's victory will give people a new opportunity to look at the United States and see her for what I believe she is - a beacon of opportunity, freedom and democracy."

Let us hope this is the first of a number of changes in World Leadership to rid us of stale and discredited leaders.


Ananova - Cameron: Important moment for world

Sack this Idiot - Quentin Davies

I see Quentin Davies was forced to make an abject apology to the father of one of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan according to the Telegraph:

The defence minister Quentin Davies has been forced to make an "unreserved apology" to the father of the first woman soldier to be killed in Afghanistan following remarks he made about the safety of military vehicles.

Perhaps now he will also apologise to SAS commander Major Sebastian Morley who resigned in disgust at the "gross negligence" of the Government to equip Special Forces troops.

Quentin Davies is not fit to lick the boots of any of our service personnel and should be sacked by his masters.

Tobias Elwood at Conservative Blogs had this to say.

Regimental ties were a plenty at Defence Questions yesterday, with Conservative Members queuing up to demand an apology from the newly appointed Procurement Minster and turncoat Quentin Davies.

The Minister struck a very lonely figure indeed on the Labour Front Bench as no less than six Conservative MPs asked him to apologise to the House of Commons, indeed, to the British Army for suggesting that British military commanders based in Helmand Province were choosing the wrong vehicles to take out on patrol.

As if there was a choice. Dozens of soldiers have been killed or injured using the soft skinned 'snatch landrover', a relic of the Northern Ireland hostilities, so called for its role in plucking undesirables off the streets of Belfast; an asset in Ulster but now a liability in Afghanistan. There have been repeated requests for this vehicle to be replaced and, last year, the Government finally conceded. To avoid a lengthy procurement process the MOD bought the reliable and heavily armoured Mastiff and Jackal vehicles 'off the shelf' and these are now arriving in Helmand.

We waited in vain for a proper apology. When the Minister makes his first trip to Afghanistan he will quickly learn about the limitations commanders have in relation to mobility and protection. Until then the Defence Secretary might want to keep him on a tighter leash...

The cry for a tighter leash would be better said as letting him off the leash to wander aimlessly like the turncoat he is.

Who would want this man on their side in any battle.

Minister forced to apologise for Army family insult - Telegraph

Quentin Davies - An idiot

A request I sent to Malcolm Bruce's office today.

I note that Mr Bruce is down for a Topical Question this afternoon at Defence Questions. As the Next of Kin of a serving Scottish serviceman currently deployed in Afghanistan, can I ask that he might ask a question about the suitability of Quentin Davies for a Ministerial Role at the MOD in the light of his statements this weekend, in particular his statement as follows "Obviously there may be occasions when in retrospect a commander chose the wrong piece of equipment, the wrong vehicle, for the particular threat that the patrol or whatever it was encountered and we had some casualties as a result.", in reference to the use of so-called "Snatch" Land Rovers. The impact this sort of statement has on the morale of those serving at the moment makes this sort of crass idiocy beyond belief.

I realise that Mr Bruce is not my MP but his constituency is the closest to mine and those of many of the service personnel currently serving in Afghanistan who are based at Arbroath.

Yours in hope

Minister accused of 'insulting the memory of soldiers over SAS chief slur' - Telegraph

MSP's hack the Hack's

Superb, just what you would expect from some Politician's and some real Hack's.

A charity football match between MSPs and sport pundits was abandoned after the bad-tempered game erupted into a mass stand-off between the two sides

The story in the Telegraph continues

The game started with players exchanging aggressive banter, but the flashpoint came after 40 minutes when Labour's John Park and BBC commentator Chick Young both went for the ball.

Mr Park's tackle was mistimed and Mr Young had to be stretchered off. He labelled the MSP team an "absolute disgrace" and claimed he had been left with six stud marks in his leg.

The MSP was ordered from the pitch by the referee and replaced, but relations between the two sides got worse in the second half when at least one punch was thrown.

Players from both teams squared up to each other, pushing their opponents in the chest. The referee decided he had seen enough and abandoned the match after about 55 minutes with the score 6-2 to the politicians.

The referee apparently said he'd never seen anything like it. He refs a lot of kids' games and said under-10s behave better on a Sunday morning."

H/T Easter Road on Political Betting

MSP football match abandoned after mass stand-off - Telegraph

Plods Guide on photography

Ever wondered where you can take photographs? According to the Register this may be tightened up with the usual excuse of terror laws.

Terror Laws due to be passed this autumn, could provide Police with a new and significant power to stop individuals taking photographs.

This follows reassurances from Home secretary Jacqui Smith that there is "no legal restriction on taking photographs in public places", which is why she will shortly be issuing police with updated guidelines on ... how to enforce legal restrictions on photography.

However according to the Register things may be changing as

Far more worrying is s.75 of the Counter-Terrorism Bill, even now tracking its weary way through the Lords. This makes it an offence to "elicit or attempt to elicit information about" members of the armed forces, intelligence services, or policemen, where this information could be of use to a terrorist.

Names? Addresses? Photographs? Since almost every other item of anti-Terror law has eventually been broadened out beyond its original scope, there must be some concern that once in place, these new powers will be used to make life uncomfortable for anyone wishing to photograph police at demonstrations. Or just police anywhere?

After all, if you are out demonstrating, you probably have a political axe to grind, and as far as New Labour are concerned, the dividing line between political activism, extremism, generally disagreeing with our current plight and involvement in Terror is increasingly fuzzy. Woe betide you disagree with our Glorious Leader or would like to enquire of an Officer's number as he cudgels you into the back of the van.

Home Office guides plods on photography • The Register

Nato's Afghan forces 'hit limit'

Coalition forces in Afghanistan have

"now reached their limit"

according to General Sir Michael Rose, former commander of UN forces in Bosnia.

What does he mean by this?

General Rose, who has recently returned from Afghanistan, says while the international community is clearly committed to a victory there, serious operational problems remain which could still undo NATO's mission.

He also points out that there are only 8,000 servicemen and women in a vast swathe of territory that is home to more than a million Afghans.

He then goes onto say

As in all insurgency wars, winning the confidence and consent of the people of Afghanistan will always be more important than winning any particular tactical level military battle against the Taleban

This is not new thinking and particularly not new thinking for Britain. The "Emergency" in Malaya (as was) was won by this sort of tactic, getting the people on board and using them to win the war. We and the USA in particular have been very poor at achieving this both in in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gen Rose also suggests forming Afghan tribal militias to aid western forces and the Afghan army.

"By winning the support of the Pashtun tribes who live on both sides of the border and by developing a sympathetic understanding of their complex tribal systems, it should be possible to achieve security in the key eastern and southern areas of Afghanistan,"

However, he does believe the war is being won - at least on a military level - for now.

"Afghanistan is not Vietnam, it is not even Iraq. The insurgency war that is being fought in Afghanistan today is militarily winnable and it is slowly being won."

How long it would take to win this war and how many of our servicemen's lives this will cost is not clear and this should be a huge concern. Only by getting the people of Afghanistan and Iraq involved can we really hope to see this war won without many years of conflict.

BBC NEWS UK Nato's Afghan forces 'hit limit'

Darling scraps Brown's Golden Rules

The Brown "Golden Rules" are no more.

No more boom and bust - Ha!

FT.com / World - Darling to scrap Brown’s fiscal rules

Service for fallen Scots soldiers

Last night I dropped my Nephew, Ben, off with his Mum, Gill, after he had spent the weekend with us and his granny, aunt and cousin's. Today he will attend a Special Service for Gill's Husband and Ben's Stepfather Captain John Mcdermid and the 36 other Scottish servicemen who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq in the current conflicts.

Ben will march with some of his school to honour the Scottish Servicemen who have given their life in the conflicts. Let us not forget them. RIP.

Also let us think of Ben's father who is currently abroad on active service and the many others who are serving with him and in other locations.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Service for fallen Scots soldiers

Mandy says he "misled" us about Deripaska

Mandy explains in a letter to the Times how he came to "mislead" us about meetings with the Russian oligarch Deripaska. The Times says

Lord Mandelson has admitted that the public were misled about when he first met the oligarch Oleg Deripaska and acknowledged that his new ministerial role requires him to be more careful about his contacts with the wealthy.

Amazing how he only came out with this statement after he had Mandied Osborne along with his pal Rothschild. You would have thought that someone so involved with this case would have remembered his prior contacts a little earlier.

Mandelson's full letter is here where he promises to be a good little boy in the future. What else will he remember and when are we going to hear some more about the alleged tapes of his meetings with Deripaska.

I’ll be more careful, says Lord Mandelson - Times Online

October 24, 1929 vs 24th October 2008

Don't want to worry you but back on the 24th October 1929 the Wall Street crash started. Are we looking at this again?

October 24, 1929: start of Wall Street crash - Telegraph

Paramedic becomes Doner in Kebab shop

The Independent reports that

A man who went berserk in a kebab shop left two paramedics in hospital today after biting one on the leg. Another ambulance worker was slightly injured when he was later headbutted by the man in Clontarf Garda station.

The paramedics from Dublin Fire Brigade were called to a disturbance at the take-away in Fairview Strand, north Dublin at around 4am. Gardai also arrived at the scene around the same time to find the man foaming at the mouth and threatening violence.

The man, suspected of being intoxicated, turned on one of the ambulance workers and bit him on the leg, according to Dublin Fire Brigade. After gardai were forced to restrain him and bring him to Clontarf Garda station, paramedics were again called out at around 5am to bring the man to hospital. Another disturbance erupted during which a paramedic was headbutted as he attempted to take the man for medical help.
Both ambulance workers have since been released from hospital and their injuries are not serious.

Gardai are expected to question the man when he is released from
medical care.

The Independent does not report if the drunk thought the man's leg was tastier than a Kebab.

Paramedic bitten on leg in kebab shop - Europe, World - The Independent

BBC says "Downturn" ends £1bn plant project in Scotland

The "Downturn" is apparently responsible for the end of plans to build a £1bn wood processing plant that could have created thousands of jobs. Note the BBC statement it was the "Downturn", not the Recession.

Forscot said it had decided not to proceed with its proposals for a paper, pulp and energy plant at Invergordon due to a lack of funding.The company said there was also little chance of attracting investment in the current economic climate.

This is a sad end to a project which would have provided much needed employment in this area.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Downturn ends £1bn plant project

Not the R word page - BBC Mandied

As I said a couple of days ago the BBC has been Mandied and we are now in a "Downturn".

Need I say more.

By the way Sterling down 6 cents to day. FTSE down 6% and GDP down 0.5%. No more "Boom and Bust"

BBC NEWS | Special Reports | downturn

Wot - No R word here says BBC

Sister Moonshine from the album Challenge, What Challenge by Supertramp.
I would have used The Meaning but I can't find a decent video of it

Mandy and that nice Mr Campbell must have on the blower to their old pals at the BBC to explain to them that the R word is forbidden. There is no R word and they must not use the R word. They will have explained that under Labour the R word it is not a R word but a "downturn", this is because as we know under Brown there is no possibility of "Boom and Bust". Also they are now turning a Crisis into a "Challenge". So officially for the BBC Friday when the latest figures appear it it will be a Downturn day rather than a R word Day. Will it also be D-Day for Brown.

As Matthew Parris says in the Times

Corporate challenge

Crisis? What crisis? I'm looking forward to catching out BBC newscasters and editors using that word. From tomorrow there is to be a corporation-wide ban on broadcast references to any “economic crisis” when discussing what our Government might prefer to call the “global financial challenge”. In place of “crisis” BBC staff have apparently been instructed to say “downturn” - the same word, incidentally, that Cabinet ministers are pointedly employing in place of “recession” or even “coming recession”. Friday is D (for Downturn) Day in corporation-speak.

Move along now no bias at the BBC.

Now that we've come to the crunch... | Matthew Parris - Times Online

Mandy and his Friends

According to the Times

Lord Mandelson has frequently accepted hospitality from Nathaniel Rothschild, including a stay at his chalet in the Alps.

The depth of the friendship between the former European Trade Commissioner and the international financier has emerged as the extent of business links between Mr Rothschild and Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch, has become clear.

Lord Mandelson stayed at Mr Rothschild’s home in Klosters, Switzerland, earlier this year. In August he was a guest of Mr Rothschild in Corfu, during which he was “billeted” on Mr Deripaska’s yacht because there were so many guests staying at the family villa.

The Times then goes onto explain a little of the web that links Mandy to this little partnership and explain how throughout this the sainted Mandelson has not been affected in performing his roles at the EU and now in the British Parliament.

Whilst the Times may believe that, and from my reading, they are more than a little reluctant to do so, I am more than a little worried that someone who has already had to resign twice because of some "difficulties" might again got himself into a pickle.

If Osborne is supposed to have show a degree of lack of judgment, then Mandelson has a complete lack of judgment, that has already impacted his chosen career.

It's time that this servant of us, the public, came clean and told the full story of the relationship he has with Mr Rothschild's, Deripaska and the others in his little web.

Perhaps the Prime Minister might want to get someone to answer these allegations.

Lord Mandelson’s friendships ‘did not affect his EU role’ - Times Online

Hercules Deaths Result Of Serious Systemic Failures

Yet again we have a report of serious systemic failures causing the deaths of servicemen. The Herald reports

The deaths of 10 British servicemen killed when their RAF Hercules was shot downin Iraq was the result of "serious systemic failures", a coroner said today. The fact that the Ministry of Defence and RAF had not fitted the Hercules fleet with ESF (explosion-suppressant foam) was a factor in the tragedy, coroner David Masters said.

He continues

"The failure to fit ESF was on the facts found a serious systemic failure and a contributory factor in the loss of the aircraft."There was a loss of opportunity for the survival of the crew by that failure."The Hercules C130k aircraft, 47 Squadron Special Forces flight XV179, was flying at low-level (about 150ft) in daylight from Baghdad to Balad to await further tasking orders when it was downed by insurgents. The coroner, ruling that the 10 men were unlawfully killed, highlighted the way intelligence was not passed on about a previous attack by insurgents on the US Blackhawks on the same day in the same sector. He described this as another "failure." But he said XV179's decision to fly at low level was not a failure because the Hercules flying community at the time had no idea of their vulnerability to small arms fire, which they were in range of at 150ft.

More information on the Hercules case here.

Hercules Inquest Deaths Result Of Serious Systemic Failures

Brown makes it up again

I see our erstwhile PM whilst forgetting to answer any questions at PMQ's yet again has managed to answer one from the "Beast of Bolsover" Dennis Skinner who was somehow allowed to ask the last question at PMQ's by his mate "Gorbals Mick" the "non-partisan" Speaker of the House of Commons.

Unfortunately his answer as is usual with our lying and fudging Prime Minister does not make a lot of sense. Gordon demanded an investifThis from the BBC

The No 10 spokesman also refused to be drawn on which "authorities" would carry out an investigation, saying "whichever authorities are appropriate".

The Electoral Commission told BBC Radio 4's The World at One it would not be investigating the claims as "soliciting a donation is not an offence".

Labour MP Tony Wright, chairman of the public administration select committee, also dismissed calls for a probe.

"Gordon obviously thinks it was a serious matter, and I suppose in a sense it is a serious matter," he said.

"But we are not talking about corruption here, there was no corruption. We're not talking about law-breaking, there is no law-breaking. What there is is a massive misjudgement.

"I am not sure which authorities Gordon thought he was talking about. The only one I can think of is the Conservative Party."

Conservative MP John Redwood said Lord Mandelson should be forced to answer questions about his presence on Mr Deripaska's yacht and he rejected claims Mr Osborne had shown poor judgement.

"There is no crime committed and this is just an absurd media fantasy," he told WATO.

As usual Gordon has made it up again to cover for his stupidity.

Brown makes it up again

Sterling Plunging - Labour Recession is here

After last nights speech by Mervyn King saying we are in recession Sterling plunged on the markets.

Not really surprising when you consider the state this country is in.

Guardian has this

The pound began tumbling last night as the Bank of England governor told business leaders in Leeds that the economy is shrinking and hinted at fresh interest rate cuts.

By this morning it had fallen by seven cents to $1.6209, a drop of more than 4%. Traders reported frantic selling as investors rushed to cut their losses by selling the UK currency.

Shares also fell sharply in London this morning, with the FTSE 100 shedding over 100 points, or 2.3%, in early trading to 4127.29.

Sterling had already been hit yesterday by unexpectedly gloomy manufacturing data showing that confidence has collapsed, and King's comments appear to have added to concern over quite how weak the British economy now is.

Guido has this

Government borrowing is at record levels, unemployment is heading towards two million, car workers are on a 3-day week, public sector workers are threatening strikes, nationalisation is back, Deripaska-owned Leyland is even in back the news and we are entering a recession. To complete the whole 70s era feel we have a sterling collapse. 6% last night, 20% since the beginning of the year.

The BBC's business editor is focusing on political gossip. Guido will therefore have to take up the slack on the business reporting front..

Pound falls to five-year low as Bank head admits recession is here | Business | guardian.co.uk

The R word has happened

Recession is apparently upon us or so the Governor of The Bank of England whispered in a speech to the CBI last night, hardly reported by the MSM yesterday. Mr King had this to say

Why has the outlook deteriorated so quickly? The banking crisis dealt a severe blow to the availability of credit. Growth in secured lending to households fell to an annualised rate of 1.9% in the three months to August, its lowest level in more than a decade. The Bank of England’s survey of credit conditions suggests that the terms on which banks provide credit to companies have tightened even further. And, on some estimates, the supply of finance to the UK corporate sector has ground to a halt. This credit shock has come on top of a fall in real disposable incomes resulting from the rise in energy and food prices earlier in the year. So, taken together, the combination of a squeeze on real take home pay and a decline in the availability of credit poses the risk of a sharp and prolonged slowdown in domestic demand. Indeed, it now seems likely that the UK economy is entering a recession.

So what are the media concentrating on instead, the story that George Osborne might have discussed a donation to the Tory Coffers of £50,000 pounds from a possibly illegal donor. Not a donation but a possibility of a donation that was refused. Even the main protagonist Nat Rothschild needed 3 attempts to get his "idea" of the facts correct.

Here we are in the middle of a crisis that has seen banks collapse, the apparent almost collapse of the banking system in Britain and on a day we learn that we are officially in Recession and the media are frothing at a Mandelson spin story.

As Hezza said in an interview on Radio 4 interview for the PM programme

Extraordinary, bizzare, have we all gone mad

How better can I express it.

Market jitters continue as bank chief uses the 'R' word - Scotsman.com News