Brown must not misjudge public mood
TWENTY-EIGHT years separate the Falklands War and today's campaign in Afghanistan.
But the two conflicts have now been linked by the rather grim milestone that the same number of British servicemen have been killed in both theatres of war.
In 1982, few people could have pointed out the Falkland Islands on a map but soon names like Port Stanley, Bluff Cove and Goose Green became well known as we followed events 8,000 miles away in the South Atlantic.
The Falklands War was short, sharp and fierce. It took 74 days to regain the islands after the Argentine invasion. Two hundred and fifty British service personnel lost their lives in the battle against the Argentines and, on one terrible day at Bluff Cove, 48 died in a single attack.
In the South Atlantic, the British forces were on their own and were up against an enemy who wore the uniform of their country. At home, the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was probably at the peak of her popularity.
Almost three decades on in Afghanistan, we have learned of new names like Helmand Province, Sangin and Kabul. British forces are part of a global Army and are fighting an enemy that operates more like a terrorist organisation. The Taliban do not wear uniforms and do not have an air force and a navy but they are an effective fighting force.
At home, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing huge pressure to withdraw from the killing fields of Afghanistan.
It has taken nine years of fighting in Afghanistan before the death toll reached the significant figure of 255, although that will give little comfort to the families of those who died or to their comrades.
In Northern Ireland, soldiers based here have served with distinction in Afghanistan but suffered high numbers of casualties.
The Royal Irish Regiment is due back in Afghanistan later this year and will no doubt be in the thick of the action, as they have been before.
When soldiers go to war, it is inevitable that some do not return.
But our government must be sure why they send troops to war in the first place and if the military loss is worth the political gain.
Margaret Thatcher judged the mood of the nation during the Falklands War but Gordon Brown is in danger of misjudging what people are thinking today.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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