Gordon's Afghan Sleepover

And we're supposed to be impressed, right?

It is one thing to visit. It is another to stay over.

But this is exactly what Gordon Brown has done in Afghanistan, the first prime minister since World War II to spend a night in a combat zone.

He bunked down in a basic hut with limited heating and shared latrine in Kandahar airbase, which comes under rocket fire at least once a week. "No frills," was how one officer described it. "One star at most," said another.

Really, so what if Gordon Brown* chose to have a sleepover in Afghanistan? Does that make up for all the other shitty things he has ever done? I mean, do the troops gain anything by having Gordo there for an overnight stay? Or is just additional hassle with all the extra security that they have to have to protect him? On top of the problem of having to put up with the malign fucker for an extended period of time.

Now, there may well be reasons why every British Prime Minister since World War II has chosen not spend the night in a combat zone. Comfort may well be one of the reasons. But security might be another crucial reason. The additional burden of having the Prime Minister staying might have been judged as not being a worthwhile use of resources. Now, I don't know this for sure, but it has the ring of truth to it.

And finally, stressing the "one star" nature of the accommodation doesn't make Gordon Brown look like some sort of hero who is willing to slum it with his troops, but rather stresses the fact that the troops are expected to slum it 24/7 when in combat zones. It merely highlights the ongoing problem that this government seems to have with equipping their troops to even a basic standard. This ends up being another example of the patented Gordon Brown approach to photo opportunities; instead of showing how great he is, instead they merely highlight his ongoing failings.

*Who, dressed up in protective gear in the photo, looks a lot like an Action Man who has melted.