Aside from Chris Grayling’s faux pas yesterday in assuming that the announcement regarding General Sir Richard Dannatt’s appointment was a government one, ‘a gimmick’ as he called it, when in actual fact an announcement is to happen today at the Conservative Conference to appoint him as a working peer (paving the way for him to serve as a defence minister after the election) I believe that Sir Richard Dannatt should resign his position as General.
I’m not supportive of the war in Afghanistan at all, and I believe that British troops should be removed from the country. Nonetheless, Sir Richard Dannatt is appointed by the government, and should perform his duty accordingly. The role isn’t a political one, and is certainly not a party political role. If he wishes to see more troops in Afghanistan or more support from the government, then he should raise this with the Minister in charge, and in confidence. If he is unhappy, or takes issue with the direction of the military in said country, then my advice is that he takes the decision not work for the Government anymore, whose strategy it is to remain in Afghanistan despite 8 years of war, and minimal signs of a solution by violent means.
If he has announced his intentions to advise the Tories on policy at this juncture, then how can the Government be sure that he does not breach confidentiality, or compromise his position in any way? And if Dannatt wants to advise the Tories and become a Lord, then do so by all means, but be sure to leave the Military first.
If more and more General’s start speaking out against the Government in public, where will it stop? Will the military define and scope the political agenda of the government in question? This could be very dangerous. What of the military in lower ranks, who are aggrieved at being sent to Afghanistan to fight a pointless war? Surely they would be disciplined, as they have been in past instances, for putting forward their own individual opinions in the press, knowing full well what they have signed up to as members of the military forces? Shouldn’t they accept the responsibilities that come alongside that role, or leave their positions immediately to speak out freely against the government’s activities?
I agree with Menzies Campbell, who has said the following in today’s Guardian-
“By convention, our senior military are non-political, and an assertion of political allegiance so soon after leaving the Ministry of Defence will break that convention.”
But aside from this particular topic on Dannatt’s comments, I truly believe that we need a debate here in Wales on Afghanistan considering that there are Welsh troops fighting in the country. There is a protest in late October in London organised by Stop the War, but I think that we need to organise here in Wales, and to intensify the debate in opposition to the war, as was done during and before the Iraq war. It seems that there is currently a passive acceptance to Britain’s role in Afghanistan, and we need to challenge this from all angles.
