Media Beats Defeatist Afghan Drum

I must defend the Government. That is an unusual sentence in this column, in this newspaper, at this time. But the way our media go on, you would think that Gordon Brown's indifference, arrogance and penny-pinching are causing the pointless death of a generation of British youth in Afghanistan.

These accusations are essentially false. I do not mind, of course, if this Government is thrown out. Good riddance! But there are bigger issues at stake.