Anstruther Postscript

One of the villages we passed through, like most of them in the East Neuk, long thin affairs, positioned right on the coast and often the main street closely follows the sometimes jagged, sometimes perfectly straight coastline, was just a village like any other until we came to one house almost at the end of the village. Like its neighbours, it was what you might call terraced but the whole street was the terrace, it was white with black highlights and a pink sheet over the front door.

Somehow, that kind of thing draws your attention. As we passed, and glanced to the right, the message emblazoned on the pink sheet, written by a child, and even nows emotion wells up thinking of it:

“Welcome home from Afghanistan, Daddy”

In that small village one soldier was coming home to his daughter and wife.

If only for a short while.

 

JohnF

Land of Hope and Glory, Land of the free.

So in London, England another Last night of the Proms has arrived. It’s a much bigger affair than it was when I was a kid and we can now attend our own “Last Night” in Glasgow Green if it’s dry of course.

It used to be a celebration of Englishness disguised thinly as Britishness. Gordon Brown’s infantile attempts to make us all feel British including the Scottish – British (similar to African-Americans) have been in vain and are now no longer talked about; like most of his populist ideas to try to stimulate his flagging prominence in the UK political scene.

Last Night of the Proms comes at the end of a summer long extravaganza of music and culture and some of it was really good – I heard a great night devoted to Bollywood one Sunday night in August driving down from Oban to Glasgow across the now landslip blocked (again) Rest and Be Thankful.

Actually it still is an English celebration:

Jerusalem will be sung –

Till we have built Jerusalem,

In England’s green & pleasant Land.

Rule Britannia will be sung (Yes- it is about Britons, but when the English sing about Britain, they always mean England)

Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must in their turn, to tyrants fall,

It was 9-11 yesterday and there was actually very little presence in the UK by way of a memorial or mention. Bush’s War on terror certainly made sure that other nations sat up and paid attention. Other Nations – Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (and I’m sure there are others) have clearly been not so blest as Britain and the US  as those other nations have in turn fallen under tyrants’ rule.

But then how do you define tyrant?

And when it comes down to it how free we are really, I do wonder when we hear every day about some new rule designed to protect us from ourselves, the nanny state becoming increasingly nannying.

But we should count our blessings: we have freedom of movement – within limits, freedom of expression – we can say what we feel unless it offends someone else or potentially might, freedom of association – on condition its agreed by the authorities, freedom of belief – provided we don’t express it in public, and freedom of thought.

I think I can still think my own thoughts without getting permission….

JohnF

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s….

We headed down to Ayrshire yesterday.

We’ve had our caravan at Craig Tara for as long as I can remember now and we’ve pretty much decided to move it. Craig Tara is great for kids and those who want a beer drinking, nightclub-by, dancing and partying sort of holiday. Hang on though, I’m not saying that everyone who stays there does any or all of those things but that’s the kind of facilities that they offer and which we end up paying for as part of the annual site fees whether you want it or not.

We don’t, so we’re thinking of moving. We love Ayrshire now so we want to stay in the “shire” by the sea and we’ve found what could be the ideal spot – no holiday lettings; friends and family only. I’m not telling you what it’s called – I don’t want you getting there first! I promise though, when we move to let you into the secret.

Anyhow, on the way back up to Saltcoats to get a new bed for Moscow, our Big Black Daft Russian Terrier, we noticed, as we passed the big roundabout at Ayr on the A77, cars stopped in every lay-by, people out standing on the grass verge in our beautiful summer rain. Every slip road, country lane, every nook and cranny was filled with cars and people looking to the sky.

Maybe Airforce 1 is due to land at Prestwick (or as it’s known, Glasgow Prestwick International) Airport? Maybe the alien invasion is starting? Maybe our troops are coming home from Afghanistan?

We eventually pulled in at the next big roundabout and Maureen, my wife, got out and asked a person standing with his eyes, ears and binoculars all trained at the grey, low cloud that was Ayrshire on Saturday, 5^th September 2009.

“We’re waiting for the new Airbus 380. 500 seater. Can you imagine it”, he said, “a 500 seater?”

I couldn’t. But I didn’t have to wait too long: it flew over us a few minutes later what seemed like just 500 feet up in the air, did a major left hand turn over the airport and another loop round before flying off towards Northern Ireland. I think it had escaped from the Airshow at Portrush we’d heard about on the BBC Ulster travel report earlier that day. Since you missed it, here’s it’s picture in Emirates colours we saw it in Airbus colours.

500 seater, you know….!

JohnF

Troop deaths in Afghanistan

UK troops killed in action so far number over 200 already and July and August have been particularly heavy with fatalities.

It is reported that we have about 9000 troops in the country with a further 700 committed soon apparently. Like most of the UK government’s policy actions, you never really know how much of what you hear is truth or half truth or just plain no truth. So whether or not our troops are making a difference to preventing terrorism in the UK is anyone’s guess. I wonder what the success measures are and how we will know when it’s time to get out. Will it be when they catch Osama – if he’s still alive anyway? When Gordon and his government have finished training the new Afghan army just like they did in Iran? When the death rate increases to “unacceptable levels”?

To date we have lost over 2% of the total military forces contributed by the UK.

Wait a bit though, here in the UK we never hear about US troops and the losses they have experienced to date – so lets take a look at that. The Americans have about 57000 troops in Afghanistan and this year have lost 295 troops so far overtaking last year’s losses of 294 for the whole year. To date the total US troops killed in action has been 807. Total troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom has been 1347 across all of the allied forces, so Britain and the US have borne 75% of all  the casualties. US deaths come to about 1.5% of total troops

So what?

What matters is why are we all there and what is going to be achieved by it? I agree we can’t let the terrorists win, but every time one of our guys gets killed, the terrorists win another victim and one of our families loses a son or daughter. We never hear of successes against the Taliban or other results in the War on Terror – would we believe them if they were published? Maybe not, but it would give us back home some comfort that something was being achieved.

Don’t get me wrong, I know the boys are doing a great job.

I suppose the deaths are few compared to the two world conflicts of last century, of Vietnam and other major wars, but that doesn’t make it right.

I don’t have the answer to this, I wish I did…

JohnF

Photographs: British forces from http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/07_03/poppygrabMS2807_468x343.jpg

US image from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/28/world/main5270852.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.3