REMEMBRANCE

Last night I watched "The Fallen" a epic 3 hour programme in which every soldier killed in Afghanistan and Iraq was named. It told the stories of many of the fallen soldiers and their families. So much pain, so many tears shed. I spoke to a several people after our own Remembrance service last Sunday who expressed the view that the war in Afghanistan is not one we should be involved in. This viewpoint echoes a BBC poll in which two thirds of those who were interviewed thought that British troops should be withdrawn within 1 year.This view also came across from quite a number of the people interviewed last night. I hope that many politicians watched "The Fallen" and were perhaps challenged to ask whether there is a better way forward in Afghanistan. For how much longer are British soldiers going to give their lives in this violent conflict which looks like it can go on for decades? The programme gave me a new appreciation for the armed forces and their families.