Britannia Radio

The meaning of "courage" devalued by Brown
The prime minister has shown how shallow is his appreciation of
Courage, despite being the ‘author’ of a book of that name. . when
he said yesterday to our soldiers in Afghanistan "this week also I
believe that our Olympic athletes and everybody else in our country
will remember that you have showed exactly the same courage,
professionalism and dedication."

So people who run and jump and swim for their own personal
satisfaction are an inspiration to the best of our youth who fight
and die for us! ---- To call this "exactly the same courage" passes
belief,

Mr Brown should be pilloried for that and the rest of us should
remember that these are only Olympic Games.

The rest of his formal speech was well written for him by his staff.

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TELEGRAPH 21.8.08
Gordon Brown: Troops in Afghanistan like Olympic heroes
Gordon Brown has told troops fighting the Taliban that their
achievements match that of Britain's Olympic heroes every day of the
year.

By Rosa Prince, in Camp Bastion

During a surprise visit to Afghanistan on his way to the Beijing
Games, the Prime Minister met some of the 5,000 UK Forces stationed
at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, and told how proud the whole
country was of them.

Dressed in his shirt sleeves under a baking desert sun, Mr Brown
said: "we are celebrating the Olympics where we have had great success.
"This week also I believe, that our Olympic athletes, who like
everyone else in the country, will remember you have shown exactly
the same courage, professionalism and dedication.
"You make the country proud every day of the week and every week of
the year.
"You are truly the heroes of our country and I wish to say how proud
of you I am today."

During his 90 minute visit the Prime Minster toured a field hospital
and met injured soldiers including one who had been taken in after
being hit by a road-side bomb earlier in the day.

He also spoke with members of the 3,000 National Afghan Army
contingents being trained at Bastion.

In his address to 300 soldiers, Mr Brown said how important the
continued struggle against the Taliban was at home and internationally.
He told them: "what you are doing is part of an incredibly important
process creating not only a terrorist free Afghanistan but an
Afghanistan where there will be democracy and a stake in the future
long term.
"You know that you are on the front line in the fight against the
Taliban.
"You know that by what you are doing here you prevent terrorism
coming to the streets of Britain."

He was briefed about progress in the region by the overall commander
Brigadier Mark Carelton Smith, who told him that steady progress was
being made and Nato was expanding its area of control in the South.

Later, Mr Brown held talks in the capital, Kabul with President Karzai.

Even in Afghanistan, Mr Brown was dogged by questions about his
leadership and relationship with David Miliband, the Foreign
Secretary, who he denied was “plotting” against him.

He was not helped during his press conference with President Hamid
Karzai, when the Afghan leader intervened to say: “Cabinet ministers
plotting is nothing new. We have it in Afghanistan – although not my
foreign minister.”

Mr Brown looked irritated by the questions, as he repeatedly insisted
“It is a good relationship. We get on with the job.”

The leadership issue threatened to overshadow the Prime Minister's
attempts to focus attention on his role on the international stage,
as he announced a $17 million (£8.5 million) package of funds to set
up a new radio station in the south to counter Taliban propaganda.

He also renewed Britain's commitment to helping the Afghans in their
fight for freedom – gaining a round of applause when the said he
hoped yesterday's bronze win for the new democracy would herald more
medal success at the London 2012 Games.

”We are utterly resolved in our determination to support this new
democracy in Afghanistan,” he said.
”We will not relax from our efforts to support the renewal of
Afghanistan, because we understand that with Afghanistan, the front
line against the Taliban affects the rest of the world.”

Mr Karzai said: “Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been personally
interested in Afghanistan. He has a very kind heart and especially a
kind heart for Afghanistan.
”Britain is one of the lead countries in helping the people of
Afghanistan. They have soldiers here and their soldiers have
sacrificed [their lives] here. They are among the largest donors to
Afghanistan.
”They have been with us all along from 2002 until today.”

The two leaders both called on the warring coalition in Pakistan to
come together to stop terrorists crossing the border into Afghanistan.
Mr Brown arrives in China tomorrow for a four-day trip to attend the
Beijing Games.
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Mr Brown made [a] bullish prediction of a Labour victory despite a
Mori/Ipsos opinion poll released last night which showed the
Conservatives now have a record 24-point lead. Labour have hit a 30-
year voter rating low with just 24 per cent of people saying they
will vote for Mr Brown compared to 48 per cent for the Tories.