Peter Rhodes on 'safe' Ukraine, deadly Afghanistan and a sermon about fences
Defence Secretary John Healey says if there's a ceasefire in Ukraine, Britain is ready to put UK boots on the ground to help “secure the safe skies, safe seas.” All sounds jolly safe, doesn't it?
I'm reminded of 2006 when a previous defence secretary, John Reid, said British troops being sent to Afghanistan would be “perfectly happy to leave again in three years' time without firing one shot.” The Taliban and al Qaeda had other ideas, By 2021, a total of 457 British armed forces personnel had died in Afghanistan. From Londonderry to Kyiv via Kabul, peace-keeping first requires peace.
Learner drivers are to be tested on their knowledge of resuscitation and defibrillators, on the grounds that motorists are often first on the scene after someone has a cardiac arrest. Maybe so. But the theory section of the driving test is already hugely demanding and this will make it much tougher.
One might suspect the real aim is to stop people passing the test. Fewer cars means fewer accidents, fewer pot holes and more people forced on to public transport. Cynical, me?
