The Prime Minister said today that "our troops did not die in vain" in their mission in Afghanistan. I know the good spirit in which such hollow words are spoken, and I understand why the PM has to say them publicly.
According to Tony Blair's book "A Journey" I also understand much better the circumstances that preceed such phrases. Sitting comfortably in an armchair near a cozy fireplace, brandy, whiskey or red wine in one hand, telephone receiver with a link to Washington in the other, the stark images of 'our' troops being torn to pieces, stabbed or hacked to death, shot or blown to bits by roadside bombs, all become blurry and abstract.
I do believe that the final judgement, whether a young person in his and her prime has died in a remote and desolate corner of the world not in vain, should rest with the family of the deceased. I am sure that, if given the chance, the victims would also slightly differ with politicians, who so graciously and with great grandeur, praise them for their unsuspected and usually unexpected fatal demise. Silence seems to be the most appropriate way to commemorate those who have fallen far from home and next of kin.
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