The cracks are becoming too wide to paper over

At a meeting of the House of Commons Defence Committee yesterday, the Committee, freshly back from a visit to British troops in Basra told the Government that the role of the British forces in Basra was effectively over and that British soldiers were running suicide missions every night in order to deliver supplies to the Basra garrison, attacked nightly by gangs who were a mixture of insurgents,armed local teenagers and 'a large criminal element'

Kevin Jones, a spokesman for the Committee and who made the trip to Iraq, said British Commanders were of the opinion that the soldiers were just 'sitting targets' now, had no further constructive military purpose and were only there still because of pressure from Washington. The Americans have asked Britain to keep a substantial number of soldiers in southern Iraq to try and limit public demand in America for cuts in US troop numbers and to guard the convoys taking supplies to the American forces.

Mr Jones said he believed that we were there still, only because of maintaining good relations with the United States and asked 'if the price in British lives is worth that'.

Our new Minister of State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth, just back from Iraq himself, admitted that the situation was grim and that 'it has been a long time since any of us spoke of victory in Iraq' but would not concede the point that we were 'pandering to a United States domestic agenda'



Bob Ainsworth



Well as Mandy Rice Davies said of Lord Astor's denials in the Profumo affair, "Well he would, wouldn't he!" It is quite clear that Britain IS pandering to a US domestic agenda and quite understandable that a Government Minister is publicly reluctant to admit that. However the point is rapidly being reached where the cracks, both in our ability to provide the military support the operation requires and the illusion that we are at one with the US on the future commitments of men and resources, are beginning to show.

Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of staff of the British Army, said only last week that our troops are now so stretched that we have none left for any emergency and this was proven by the absence of soldiers available to help with the flood disasters of recent days. Whats more its clear that Dannatt and his commanders, though their language is coded, are sick to death of the situation our troops are in - one which if we were masters of our own destiny we would resolve by pulling them out. But we are not. We are playing second fiddle to a disastrous campaign initiated by the United States and our politicians believe we have to show loyalty or lose face.



Sir Richard Dannatt



But how long must this go on? The war in Iraq is lost to all intents and purposes - or certainly not winnable - primarily because it was an ill judged venture and because there was absolutely no planning for what happened afterwards. All that is water under the bridge. We can't turn back the clock and prevent a fiasco. What we can do - and should do - is announce a very clear deadline, maybe not next week or next month, but a very clear deadline by which time all British soldiers will be brought home.

That doesn't leave America in the lurch - but it does make it clear to Bush and his cohorts that we are not prepared to continue squandering British lives in a failed enterprise just to prop up his ailing administration. Lets face it, nearly 70% of Americans want their troops brought home too. It will force Bush to make some very hard decisions and maybe uncomfortable ones for his own ego and prestige....but he made this particular bed - he should be forced to lie on it!