TOPIC: British Legacy

What have the British ever done for us?

British soldiers are already leaving Afghanistan although the official date is sometime in 2014. What will be their legacy?  Will the Afghan army be able to cope?

‘Will Afghanistan be any better off when the British soldiers leave? When the Romans left Britain all those years ago they left behind them a legacy. Remember Monty Python?

‘So what have the Romans ever done for us then?

Stan: The aqueduct.

Voices from public: Oh yeah, yeah they gave us that. Yeah. That's true.

Francis: And the sanitation!

Matthias: The aqueduct.

Reg: Oh yeah, yeah they gave us that. Yeah. That's true.

Activist: And the sanitation!

Stan: Oh yes... sanitation, Reg, you remember what the city used to be like.

Reg: All right, I'll grant you that the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done...

Matthias: And the roads...

Reg:  (sharply) Well yes obviously the roads... the roads go without saying. But apart from the aqueduct, the sanitation and the roads..

Voices from public: Irrigation. Medicine, Education, Health

Reg: Alright. Fair enough.

Francis: And the wine

Reg: Oh yes true!

Francis: That’s something we’d really miss, Reg

Activist: Public baths!

Stan: And it’s safe to walk in the streets at night now

Francis: Yes, they certainly know how to keep order... (general nodding)... let's face it, they're the only ones who could in a place like this.

(more general murmurs of agreement)

Reg: All right... all right... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the Romans done for us?

Xercis: Brought peace!’

Now can we say that about Afghanistan? Always a sorry place, Afghanistan remains a sorry place. Corruption is rife and democracy seems a long way off. Attempts at training up police have been met with scorn. Tribal law rules and the Taliban remains a powerful force. It would have been interesting to see what might have happened if we had taken all that money spent on arms and policing and put it into providing infrastructure. If we had built a few hospitals, a decent transport system, an education system fit for purpose and if we had established a number of viable, substantial businesses in the country, perhaps then Afghanistan might have had the potential for a brighter future. When are governments going to realize that there is no such thing as a military solution?