Lessons Learnt. Not With Brown...

Afternoon,

Chairman Brown has been in Afghanistan this morning trying to get away from the angry generals who have been somewhat critical of his assertions that he gave the military whatever they needed during the Iraq fiasco.

Hmmm...

There are some things that you just do not do, when your forces are at war – you do not accuse them of lying in regards of the funds that had been put aside for equipment for the troops not just in Iraq but subsequently in Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister was further accused today by the former chief of the defence staff Lord Guthrie of costing the lives of soldiers by "not fully funding the army", and was asked three questions raised by relatives of some of the 179 British service personnel killed during the conflict during his evidence towards the Iraq enquiry in London yesterday.

Sir Lawrence Freedman, the historian and inquiry member, read out the questions:

• Were you aware of concerns about the lack of armoured vehicles?

• Did you receive any requests for funding, particularly between 1997 and 2006, for the purchase of armoured vehicles?

• Were concerns raised with you about the use of Snatch Land Rovers?

Brown replied: "I do understand the concerns of every relative. Where there has been a death in conflict it is right that we give the fullest explanation possible.

"At every point the answer to the question is: for the operation we are undertaking we have the equipment and we have the resources that are necessary. I don't believe that any prime minister would send our troops into conflict without the assurance from the military that they had the equipment necessary for the operation. I do not believe that there was any request that was made for equipment during the course of these events in Iraq that was turned down."

There can be no doubt that there is an element of the defence staff who are not at all happy with the way that in their eyes, the troops abroad are being negated by Chairman Brown and by extension the Labour government in favour of policy initiatives supposed to curry favour with Labour voters – even though these Labour voters are more likely to have relatives and friends out in the combat zones.  Genius.  What would those voters like more, policies that will never get off the ground of their loved ones coming home safe and well.  Exactly.

Furthermore, Brown is risking losing the goodwill of the voters as a consequence of taking on the military heirachy and facing them down by being so fucking stubborn.  This has been an issue for the voters for months and years nopw, and for Brown not to even hold his hands and admit to such mistakes is as bad as Commisar Blair not showing any contrition for the casualties of war. 

Worse for Labour though is the thought that just when they had clawed the deficit in the polls to barely a few percentage points, that this has the potential to change the narrative entirely.

He cannot afford to do that.  The Palace visit has to come as soon as possible.