Home Truths

Whatever the hoohaa over Cameron and Pakistan the essential truth remains and we have to face it. It is not unusual for intellgence services to be split on ideological issues. We had some problems of our own during the cold war and there is powerful evidence of large scale betrayal during WWII of SOE by MI6 double agents. The probelm in Pakistan is that the military, intelligence services and government often work to different agendas. Both Pakistan and indeed the whole region has been seriously de-stabilised by the so called war on terror, which has proved entirely counter productive.

The country is now flooded with CIA operatives amid increasing unrest among the young who see radical Islam as nationalism which will restore their country’s independence. What the West  needs to do is get its forces out of the region and with our allies, ring fence it to give it time and space to find its own way forward. Plenty of economic aid but no military involvement is the recipe. Our potential allies are China, India and Russia, all of whom would be happy to see our troops come home. We need a fresh approach to Iran too.

The oily Miliband is having his moment on the airwaves. Somebody needs to remind him of his failures in the Middle East, Iraq and Afhghanistan, together with his clumsiness in the Georgia crisis,  his ineptidude in Iran and his impotence in Europe. Under his stewardship there was a complete stagnation in every sphere. The sole decision of merit was the release of the Lockerbie so called bomber, of which, in craven submission to his masters in the State Department, he entirely washed his hands.