“… of course full debate should be encouraged, there should be frankness and transparency about our progress in Afghanistan.”
So said Senator John Faulkner this morning at yet another press conference announcing the latest soldier to die in Afghanistan, the third Australian soldier killed in just four days.
Of course, we didn’t have it. The debate, that is. Like so many issues during the election campaign about nothing, this conversation fell off a cliff — except for one day of the campaign, in which both major party candidates attended the funeral of soldier Nathan Bewes.
Post-campaign, we’re quickly learning, it’s a whole new world, and at least one politician agrees with Senator Faulkner on the debate point.
Enter Independent Andrew Wilkie.
Here’s the man almost certainly set to be the new member for Denison, and the fourth independent in our increasingly complicated minor government line-up, this morning:
“We certainly do need a debate about why we’re there … And one of the great lies, one of the big lies of this federal election campaign — a lie told by both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party — is that we have to be there to fight terrorists for Australia’s national security. And that became a lie years ago once the global extremist Islamic threat morphed into a network around the world …
If Western forces — the US in particular — had stayed [in Afghanistan] in 2002 and finished the job we wouldn’t be there now, but instead they raced off to invade Iraq and to prepare to invade Iraq …
… So people are dying now in Afghanistan, including our soldiers, unnecessarily because of the decisions of the Howard government back in 2002.
… Ultimately, we have to get out as quickly as we can and let Afghanistan find its own natural political level. And a lot of people will die in the process.”
One thing’s for sure, Wilkie’s presence on the scene is set to ensure this issue isn’t going away, even if the deaths don’t.
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Caretaker government? Deals with independents? Undecided seats? This is complicated. Stay informed on all things Hung (over) 2010 here.
About time we had a debate on going to war. We have had to swallow bile and bullshit about our reasons for being there- none of them true.
For Gods Sake if we have ademocracy of any standing surely we the people have a right to decide if the reasons given are enough to send our young off to die.
Hallalujah for the Independents
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
You’re right, no debate, worse, no real discussion.
How do these discussions, debates between the pollies, Government and ‘the people’ happen in a large community (Nation) like ours, via a medium known to us as ‘the media’ which except for Crikey and the ABC mostly (and maybe some other I’m not familiar with) wasn’t a medium with quality transmitting of such a national conversation but acted as toxic cow using all of its smarts to do the opposite and influence political outcomes callously and with an evil spirit careless of doing untold harm to this community serving it’s own deluded sense of purpose, its owners financial and commercial power. Now that the damage is done they are all finding the ability to do the duty better.
NO i refuse the logic that says we get out, Afghanistan finds it level, and many people will die.
We, ie the coalition of fighting nations, went in there we set up schools for girls we allowed men to go around without beards we bought change and people embraced that .
When we leave all those people are in danger of the inevitable Taliban resurgence an example of the kind of danger was on the front cover of an american magazine recently.
If we are a moral, democratic , a good nation then we and the rest have to offer all these people at risk from our withdrawal asylum in the coalition nation of their choice.
It will be their decision if they want to leave or stay but we cannot abandon them and have any claim to have a humanitarian bone in our national DNA.
Dear Dire
if only what you say was true. The coalition forces are operating with the former warlords and avery Corrupt government. there is no way that our presence is in any way stopping the awful abuse of women or the arbitrary violence towards minorities like the Hazara people. Look at the evidence Hazaras are leaving in droves- over 99% of Afghans arriving in australia by boat are Hazara.
If they cannot take their families they are doing what the truly oppressed do to survive- sending one child out-JULY 28 Australia had locked up in detention 386 UAMS – unaccompanied minors- teenagers to you and I.
Some of these boys have now been in detention for up to 8 months. Their nights are wracked by memories of fathers beheaded, sisters stolen, night letters threatening violence, houses burned and people slaughtered.
What are our forces doing to stop this?
Cooperating with the warlords.
As one boy said of a local warlord who wanted his 15 year old sister -the americans call him commander – we call him talib (taliban). this boys father was killed shortly after refusing to hand over his daughter.