The best way of supporting the young men and women who are currently serving in Afghanistan, is to demand the government brings them home. NOW!

Those who have touted the ‘red poppy’ over the last month, have more than had their day this year.  Due to the UK's military involvement in the war on Afghanistan, the lead in to remembrance day started way back in the first week of October. The main UK media outlets in the run up to yesterdays Remembrance Day, have mounted what can only be described as a full blown advertising campaign in support of the war. With the tabloid press, the Mirror, Sun and Daily Mail having had page after page about ‘our boys’ and the British armies ‘heroic dead,’ whilst the broadsheets, BBC, Sky and ITV have been little better.

Both the Tories and Blue Labour have also played a major role in ramping up the type of  jingoism we last witnessed in this country during the Falkland's war. Which is hardly surprising, as between the UK government and Tory opposition, there is not a cigarette paper between them as far as support for this hopeless and criminal war is concerned.

As things on the ground in Afghanistan deteriorate further, with Karsi, who was to be NATO's rabbet out of the hat, mired in corruption and an electoral fix. The Afghan police exposed as corrupt and totally unreliable, with Karsi’s army not far behind; and a US army officer only last week having murdered 13 of his fellow Gi’s due to his feelings of confusion and despair over the Afghan/Iraq wars.

Two weeks ago in London I marched through the city’s streets demanding ‘Troops out of Afghanistan’ with ‘serving’ British army solders marching alongside me, something I have never in my lifetime experienced before when protesting against UK foreign policy. More to the point, one of them reported on returning to his army base the following week, he received a round of applause from his comrades, not as he had feared, withering looks of anger and contempt.

Yet the more this wicked and futile war is proved to be a charade, the more jingoistic the media, Blue Labour and the Tories become. Whilst the mass media insisted on making bizarre surface judgments as to how many red poppies were worn this year by people on the streets of the UK's cities. They would have done better to have asked those wearing the red poppy and their fellow citizens what they really think about this war? For UK opinion polls make it increasingly clear that wearing the Red Poppy is no longer a sign of support for the war in Afghanistan. People wear the red poppy for a host of differing and often complex personal reasons, which are in no way connected to the obscene jingoistic media stampede which applauds the deaths of other peoples sons and daughters and does not give a thought to the deaths of thousands of Afghan people.

After the Afghan presidential election result was announced, the US and British government openly admitted Karsi’s election as President could not stand, as it was fraudulent and there would have to be an election rerun. When Karsi’s opponent refused to play ball and withdrew, due to Karsi’s refusal to put in place the necessary democratic checks and balances if a second round were to be held. Our gallant politicians, Obama, Brown, Cameron, etc, etc, shrugged their shoulders and thought problem solved. They then picked up the phone and said, “President Karsi, good luck for your second term in office.” When almost the whole world knows they should have dismissed Karsi and his government from Office; and placed into power a temporary administration made up of a true cross section of Afghan society, including the Talaban, until fresh elections could be held in the spring.

Could NATO and its political masters have acted in a more contemptuous manner towards the Afghan people than acknowledging Karsi as president for a second term? I cannot see how.

Shame on all who support the sending of young squadies to die in support of Karsi, an incompetent quisling and reactionary crook who brought power with our tax dollars@pounds and the military might of NATO; and who maintains the support of our politicians for no better reason than, like the Soviets before them until Gorbachev took the bull by the horns, they are unwilling or unable to think outside the box and take the only logical decision to withdraw.

Until they do, we all have blood on our hands, but make no mistake in time NATO will withdraw from Afghanistan in much the same way as the Soviets did. But by then, the Sun, Mirror and the rest of these rags will no longer have use for dead squadies. Having reverted to treating the squadies and Gi’s in the manner Kipling best summed up here.

 If we civilians do not speak out and oppose NATO military presence in Afghanistan, then there will be no one speaking up for the squadies, bar the cheer leaders for war, let alone for the Afghan people who bear the brunt of western military intervention.

I have just read a review of a new biography of the late Harry Patch which set out this old soldiers take on war; especially WW1, which he regarded as a totally obscene and unnecessary slaughter, and I have no doubt many of today's NATO troops feel much the same about Afghanistan.

To my mind the best way of supporting the young men and women who are currently serving in Afghanistan, is to demand the government brings them home. NOW!