Afghan manoeuvres

David Lindsay

Define "the Right". The High Toryism of Owen Patterson and the Social Catholicism of IDS are not a million miles from each other, especially in practice. But they are as far removed as can be from the neoconservative hawkery of Liam Fox, with, as much as anything else, its prioritisation of Israeli and (in Fox's case, especially) American interests over British ones.

Scalping that tendency would do Cameron no harm whatever either within or beyond his party. He is widely suspected of being, like Osborne and Gove, an economic and social liberal who is therefore a foreign policy neocon. But he isn't. So he could do with proving once and for all that he isn't.

Frank P

Minge should hang up his boots. He has now achieved his ultimate in politics: bank bencher in a bastardised administration and part of the 'government' by sheer accident. Had it not been for the 'accident' he would have been like all other members of the Liberal Party for the past 100 years - powerless and hopeless. He should either sit quietly and think himself lucky, or piss off and write his memoirs - if he can persuade anyone to publish 'em.

Commentator

Ming Campbell is a bad parody of Paddy Ashdown. At least Ashdown once served in the SBS. And Ming?

Vulture

Ming Campbell - a stupid, embittered old man. The Grocer Heath de nos jours.

Should be put out to grass - or to sleep.

Fred Blogs

Perhaps Sir Ming should listen carefully to his own words: "it would have been better had these remarks not been made".

And James - your suggestion that Dr. Fox is a right-flanker proves that your usage of rhyming slang is coming on nicely.

TrevorsDen

Ming Campbell whinges ... big deal.

I am getting fed up of all this scratching around looking for trouble.
Fox's job is to ensure the right equipment gets to our troops in a timely manner and they are pursuing the correct strategy and tactics.

If he does not than he deserves to be sacked. We do not need to indulge in political skulduggery - or fantasy.

There is no dispute about timing in Afghanistan. Even when we are in a position to stop doing the main fighting we will still be there for many years 'mentoring' and 'training' and 'advising'.

Personally I think its sickening to see journalists and faded politicians seeking to cause trouble whilst our soldiers are dying.
Cameron specifically said that our involvement would last long after our main fighting forces left. There is self evidently no division and if we are to see crass politicking and reporting bases on tin pot nit picking then we certainly will see our effort undermined.

Finally - there HAS to be a timetable; a timetable for handing over to Afghan troops. All wars have timetables. There was a time table for D-Day; Eisenhower took a huge gamble to meet that timetable.
without a timetable there is no incentive for the Afghan govt and no yardstick to measure our progress.

TGF UKIP

This pompous, self-inflated pillock should get together with Cable to debate their synchronized switch to Labour.

Fox's parliamentary allies should tell him to piss off and make use of the vacant seat left by his best mate, the "Hon" Member for Kirkaldy.

Austin Barry

Ming should give up politics and pursue an acting career.

He is perfect casting for those fuddy-duddy, slightly gibbering, geriatric judge roles once expertly essayed by Sir Felix Aylmer.

David Ossitt

“Dr Fox’s allies are less than pleased by Ming’s grandstanding. They take the not unreasonable view that the Secretary of State for Defence has every right to express his views on a war that this country is fighting without being second guessed by a backbencher from the junior Coalition partner.”

Absolutely Dr Fox grows in stature by the day; he is no ones lackey and has shown his true metal from the very start.

When one looks back with shame to all of those lacklustre cowardly incompetent labour trolls that brought this high office to an all-time low, Dr Fox is the man to put right the wrongs that they did.

“Ming” has always been, is now and will ever be an incompetent bumbling old fart.

JohnPage

Ming often overestimates his own importance at considerable length. Fox was a lightweight in Opposition and is shaping up no better in government.

Is he likely to get sacked so soon? Sadly, no. Are there other right wingers who would be capable of doing they job? Yes, certainly.

So this post is wrong on several levals.

paulg

Parliament is the right place for people to air their views. The British people hold many different opinions, between them and it is correct that MP'S air those views.

Those of us who love Parliament and its traditions welcome blood and guts debate.

It makes such a change from the stifling labour years of yes and placemen.

New Conservative Utopia

I've been completely out of the loop for a month and have returned to avidly hoover up the news. Observations therefore from another country: this Government seem even less coherent on Defence and Afghanistan than the last one. And Hague, who was less than lacklustre in the year running up to the election suddenly wants more 'influence' in Europe and is busy cheerleading for HAMAS before the bodies even hit the deck.
This is not looking good.

toni

"Personally I think its sickening to see journalists and faded politicians seeking to cause trouble whilst our soldiers are dying."

My thoughts exactly - for years.

David Booth

Perhaps we should tell nurse that Ming is out of bed and wandering around bothering people and let nurse take him back to the ward.
When out of power Lib/Dems can wander around rambling on whatever subject catches their attention for 10 minutes, but when in power they should exercise a little more discipline.
Ming C is the fag end of the pathetic shabby Liberal party of old and should give up his post to a younger person or at least one under 60 years old

Danko

Tell Ming to grow up or naff off. He has failed at everything he could have failed at within politics - leader, speaker, Foreign Affairs Chairman. Now he is going after Fox because he wants to make a name for himself as a lefty outrider. He should watch his tread, because if he tries something similar again, I suspect he might get badly mauled or just stamped on, hard.

James B

I have little time for Ming these days, and was glad to have voted against him in his constituency.

However, I'm not much of a fan of Dr Fox either. He's not an especially affable man in public, he continues (apparently) to harbour ambitions to lead the party, despite the fact he is about as unelectable as Simon Heffer (and that's not where the similarity ends...)

The 13th Century comment was the final straw I thought.