#coalition
Evening Quickie #soldierporn: Now you’re just being ironic.
Coalition force members, in a play on words, pop smoke as they depart a village stability platform in Khak-E-Safed district, Farah province, Afghanistan. Coalition force members were located at Village Stability Platform Khak-E-Safed in order to train and mentor Afghan National Security Forces. Coalition force members de-militarized the VSP allowing ANSF to single-handedly continue counter-terrorism operations and bring security and stability to people of the district.
(U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau, 25 FEB 2013.)
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Majestic mountains, dangerous desert.
Coalition force tactical vehicles move across the desert departing Khak-E-Safed district, Farah province, Afghanistan. Coalition force members were located at Village Stability Platform Khak-E-Safed in order to train and mentor Afghan National Security Forces. Coalition force members de-militarized the VSP allowing ANSF to single-handedly continue counter-terrorism operations and bring security and stability to people of the district.
(U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau, 25 FEB 2013.)
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Winch me, baby.
Coalition force members use winches to pull a stuck vehicle out of a soft spot in the desert after departing a village stability platform in Khak-E-Safed district, Farah province, Afghanistan. Coalition force members were located at Village Stability Platform Khak-E-Safed in order to train and mentor Afghan National Security Forces. Coalition force members de-militarized the VSP allowing ANSF to single handedly continue counter-terrorism operations and bring security and stability to people of the district.
(Photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau, 25 FEB 2013.)
[I just cannot get over how amazing a photographer this combat camera is. Every time I see his surname in the credits, I make little pleasure-noises. -R]
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Evening Quickie #soldierporn: Hairy bastard, hard worker.
Paris, a coalition force military working dog, gets ready to attend a transition shura in Khak-E-Safed district, Farah province, Afghanistan. Farah Provincial Governor Dr. Mohammed Akram Khpalwak used the transition shura as an opportunity to highlight Afghan National Security Forces’, especially Afghan Local Police, successes which allowed the de-militarization of coalition forces in the area. Afghan National Security Forces will continue counter insurgency operations without the presence or mentorship of coalition forces. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau, 23 FEB 2013.)
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Insomniac #soldierporn: Warrior spirit, sheepdog soul.
A coalition force member provides security during a mission that arrested a Haqqani facilitator in Pul-e ‘Alam district, Logar province. The detained Haqqani facilitator was responsible for the acquisition and delivery of weapons to Haqqani fighters within Logar province. He coordinated and executed kidnappings and assassinations of Afghan Local Police as well as government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials.
(Photo by Pfc. Coty M. Kuhn, 21 JAN 2013.)
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Late Night Nookie #soldierporn: Night life.
An Afghan-led security force, supported by coalition troops, prepare for a mission that arrested a Taliban facilitator in Khost district, Khost province. The detained Taliban facilitator was responsible for the acquisition and transfer of weapons and ammunition to multiple Taliban and Haqqani cells operating within Logar province. He coordinated the sale and delivery of multiple heavy weapons to include machine guns, rockets and improvised explosive devices to insurgents throughout Kabul, Pul - e ‘Alam and Baraki Barak districts.
(Photos by Pfc. Codie Mendenhall, 26 JAN 2013.)
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It’s been the big will-they-won’t-they romance of the summer so far, but Theresa May has finallysnagged her woman. Something the DUP probably wouldn’t approve of in any other circumstances…
Yes,the Tories have reached a deal with the DUP, ending over two weeks of talks.
Firstly, the good news: it is nota coalition. In the UK, coalitions have been very rare - the 2010 Lib-Con coalition was the first for 70 years - but usually they involve the smaller party being allowed to nominate ministers and propose their own bills.
This is not that.
The DUP have entered into a confidence and supply deal with the Tories. In return for £1bn extra funding for Northern Ireland, the DUP have agreed to support the Tories in votes of confidence and in budgetary matters. It is likely the 8 DUP MPs will be allowed to vote with their conscience when other policy issues are debated.
In return, the DUP are allowed a little influence over some Tory policy - the Conservatives have already agreed not to scrap Triple Lock Pensions and to find an alternative to means testing winter fuel tax.
So is there bad news? If you’re a Labour voter, yes. If you’re LGBT, you might think so. If you don’t like seeing a woman embroiled in financial scandal being bought for £1bn, almost certainly. And we’ve yet to see how the Tories will defend their neutrality clause in the Good Friday Agreement…
In the end, it’s what the deal symbolises which is concerning. The Tories have clung to power by spending £1bn of tax payer money that, just a few months ago, wasn’t available for education, the health service or social housing.
For more information on the DUP from out NI reporter, check out our article: Who Are the DUP?
tl;dr Theresa May has finally pulled Arlene Foster, but it’s not a formal arrangement
Who is Vince Cable?
With Tim Farron stepping down as leader of the Liberal Democrats, it’s time to look for a new leader. Enter: Vince Cable. Yes, the former Business Secretary from those heady coalition days is the first to throw his hat in the ring for Lib Dem leadership.
Which begs the question: exactlywho is Vince Cable?
For a lot of young voters, the 2010 General Election was lost to the stress of school exams and trips to the park with mum and dad. For Vince Cable, it provided a moment of glorious opportunity.
With the election resulting in a hung parliament (not unlike in 2017), the Lib Dems held the power. Cable was instrumental in the coalition agreement between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives. He was rewarded with the role of Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
It was a role he was more than prepared for. Cable studied Economics at Cambridge and earned a PhD in the subject from the University of Glasgow in 1973. He worked in both the public and private sectors before being elected as MP for Twickenham in 1997.
So was he a good Business Secretary?
Cable’s great error (because every top-level MP will have one) was the sale of the Royal Mail, which was considered a right royal cock-up by a lot of people. In the privatisation of the Royal Mail, Cable and his team were accused of undervaluing the company, setting share prices at 38p when within a year they were selling for 70p - this potentially lost the tax-payer billions of pounds.
He did try, at least in the beginning, to curb Tory policies. When it came to the Tory plan to sell laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, Cable refused to sign off on the deal until he received assurance from the Ministry of Defence that the Saudis would not be allowed to use them on Yemeni civilians. It turned out the MoD were in no position to promise this, but the good intent was there.
It’s also important to highlight his attitudes to big banks: he’s not their biggest fan. Calling bankers a bigger threat to the UK than trade unions (the arch nemesis of the Tories), Cable consistently criticised banker bonuses after the 2008 crash as ‘rewards for failure’.
Too bad it didn’t hold him back from agreeing to 5 years of Conservative-determined austerity and pushing the £9000 uni fee cap through the House…
What do you think? There are many who think the Lib Dems would do better to distance themselves entirely from the vote-killer that was their coalition shambles, but who knows. Could this 74 year old Yorkshireman make a good leader?
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NOTE: In Australia, the Liberal Party is our conservative party (currently running the national and NSW Govt)
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