how we support our army

In Kuwait the American forces have nicknamed the British forces - the Borrowers - this is because - our noble British government - has not given our troops - proper boots - desert clothing - tanks that work - guns that go BANG - when you fire the trigger. So using the technique of living off the land - our troops are borrowing - begging and - erm - borrowing - without informing the owners.

This follows the Ministry of Defence's strategy of recommending that troops take vaccinations against some of the nasties they may come up against - but then making the soldiers sign a document - saying - that if the vaccinations go wrong - the soldier has no right to sue the Ministry of Defence - which is effectively saying - if you get harmed in this war - don't call us - and we'll distance ourselves from you.

The final indignity - according to yesterday's Sun newspaper - is that two of the three British bases have no toilet paper. Surely - this has to be obvious - even to our civil service - that soldiers shit - and - I know the old school boy stories of the desert tribes - only eat with the right hand because - erm - and no - I don't even think about describing why - or how - this was a story of the Second World War and Lawrence - the world has moved on in 50+ years.

So Tony - with your £100,000 pension when you leave office - what are you going to do - about supporting our troops - you put them there - you should be supporting them.