Is it me or do I look at the problem too simply? Why are we sending 5,000 British troops to Afghanistan, they (the ever increasingly righteous Labour Government) say it’s to help stop the growing of Opium poppies (huge amount of which ends up on the UK Drugs market) at source.
I have suggestion; surely it would be cheaper to let the growers carry on and then at the end of the season, simply buy up all the opium stock and burn it!!
This must cost less than predicted £1 billion cost and many lives of the 5,000 troops that will have to endure a long term stay – some say three years!!!
I wonder sometimes if politicians study history; many different countries have tried to tame Afghanistan and many have failed! I hope that this ‘adventure’ will not suffer the same fate.
Here’s two very good recent articles on the background to this subject.
Beasley's Place 