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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

This Pen Farthing guy

999 replies

TheGenealogist · 25/08/2021 10:54

The bloke with the animal shelter in Kabul.

Refusing to leave unless he can take ALL of his 60 odd staff and ALL of his 200+ cats and dogs with him. Hmm Expecting the government to make special rules for him and his friends.

Getting people out - understandable. The Taliban aren't going to look kindly on people who have translated for the military, or "collaborated" in other ways. But staff at an animal shelter?

And as for the refusing to leave without the animals and making this all out to be the UK government's fault? For not falling over themselves to arrange transport for a bunch of ownerless animals nobody wants when there are human beings in fear of their lives?

What is this guy playing at?

OP posts:
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8
Hoppinggreen · 25/08/2021 11:19

Also, we are very short of veterinary staff here at the moment

snowballer · 25/08/2021 11:19

@TheGenealogist

Course he is. And playing the "i'm ex military" for everything it's worth.

Sense of responsibility towards staff (or volunteers, that's unclear too) is understandable if they are at more risk of persecution than any other Afghani. But are they? And expecting the UK government (or anyone else to be fair) to be that fussed about a bunch of rescue/cats dogs when people are desperately trying to leave is just utterly selfish.

There's already a thread running on this, where you can join in with the other angry posters who are slagging him off.

Also:

Afghani = currency
Afghan = person.

HTH.

StoneofDestiny · 25/08/2021 11:20

He's basically saying "my animals are more important than some of the people in this queue" and that's fundamentally wrong

True.

MissyB1 · 25/08/2021 11:21

Vile thread.

ChickpeaCrunch · 25/08/2021 11:22

Everyone wants to get out at this stage. It's not like queuing for a bus stop. Everyone who can get out just needs to get out.

Brollypackedforscottishholiday · 25/08/2021 11:23

He is also preparing to pts all those animals on the runway. Will you watch that guilt free op? He served for his country. He is still wanting to save lives....
Arguably who is more important.

To him those animals are...

EvilPea · 25/08/2021 11:23

He's basically saying "my animals are more important than some of the people in this queue" and that's fundamentally wrong

No he isn’t. He’s saying, here’s a plane for my animals. Look it can take 100 people from that queue.

Or he could not bother with that and leave those 100 people in the queue

ChicChaos · 25/08/2021 11:24

I find him really annoying. He's not mentioned the plane landing anywhere else, just wants it to be treated as a military flight so it can land at Kabul. He has refused to go without the animals, he can still be airlifted out but his staff may have missed the cut now.

His wife struggled to get through at the airport but he's going to manage to get all the animals inside? Last I heard was that he'd been told to get the animals to the airport which must be quite a task in itself. He can get out because he's a foreign national but how are his staff going to get through all the Taliban checkpoints to the airport?

His intransigence isn't doing him any favours. I hope he gets his staff out but he's running out of time.

Kittyswhiskers · 25/08/2021 11:25

The plane is funded. The animals will go in the hold. He refuses to leave the Afghan staff who have helped him run the shelter. I don’t know what the problem is?

All he needs is permission to land the plane which is already waiting and ready. You sound really mean. Confused

user1471447924 · 25/08/2021 11:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn as it quotes a deleted post.

Polkadots2021 · 25/08/2021 11:25

@EverybodyIsInteresting

I don't think it matters what anyone says, you won't change your mind on this. I'm not sure why you posted in aibu.

He's done all the organising. He's paid for the flight. He clearly cares about the animals otherwise he wouldn't have an animal shelter in the first place.

He doesn't need the UK government to care about the animals. Let's face it, we all know that don't care much for most people. Look at the way they treated the Windrush Generation. He just needs permission for the flight and occupants to get here. It's not a lot to ask in the circumstances.

I agree with this. Every single person stuck in that hellscape feeling pure justified desperation to escape and each one deserves our utter sympathy, not 'ooh i think he's playing it up for the media isn't he?'. I hope to God everyone gets out and the incompetent fools running our govt aren't going to make much of an effort, are they? So it must be pure fear a lot of people like him are feeling right now.I hope this guy and everyone with him can leave.
EvilPea · 25/08/2021 11:25

I think that’s why there’s the panic, is that he’s aware he’s got hours to get this done and the government keep moving goal posts

Petardos · 25/08/2021 11:27

all bagelsandoranges

Can you summarise the facts? I love animals but how in such a mess at Kabul airport how can this be achieved?

ChickpeaCrunch · 25/08/2021 11:28

@EvilPea

He's basically saying "my animals are more important than some of the people in this queue" and that's fundamentally wrong

No he isn’t. He’s saying, here’s a plane for my animals. Look it can take 100 people from that queue.

Or he could not bother with that and leave those 100 people in the queue

Exactly this.
DancesWithTortoises · 25/08/2021 11:30

If he gets a slot it will mean a plane full of people lose one.

He had already been told he and his staff would have places but he had a hissy fit all over the TV and bullied his way to getting what he wanted.

Loathsome man.

Wrongsideofhistorymyarse · 25/08/2021 11:34

There are unsurprisingly very few landing / taking off slots from Kabul right now. A military plane could take over 400 people with a 30 minute turnaround. Putting 200+ animals on a civilian flight would take time that the authorities don't have.

He's put his Afghan staff at extreme risk by staying put. And is it fair that the paras, who have to go into Kabul to rescue people and bring them to the airport, risk their lives for animals?

PegasusReturns · 25/08/2021 11:39

The whole thing is strange.

Enough money to fund the charter of a plane

An ability to have his peoples visas processed before others who are at direct risk.

The ability to have his people get to the airport and through the queues ahead of others, also with legit, paperwork.

AlternativePerspective · 25/08/2021 11:40

He’s using animals as emotional blackmail. Everyone loves a cute dog or cat story, and he’s utilising that to his full potential.

The staff need to be evacuated, but without the cute dogs and cats they’re just one in a number of others iyswim. So by playing the brave rescuer of dogs and cats card he’s trying to win favour to get his staff out above others.

They were given permission to leave days ago. The truth here is that he’s actually endangering the lives of the staff he’s claiming to want to help by dragging this out. They could have been on their way out now were it not for the animals.

If these staff end up being killed because he refused to budge without the animals then he is culpable.

The staff need to get out. If that means euthanising the animals then so be it. They’re not more important than the people, or even as important as the people.

Doggydoodah123 · 25/08/2021 11:40

As an animal lover I think you and your opinion are a disgrace.

Wrongsideofhistorymyarse · 25/08/2021 11:40

The ability to have his people get to the airport and through the queues ahead of others, also with legit, paperwork.

I'm calling shenanigans on that.

Cleverpolly3 · 25/08/2021 11:41

@TheGenealogist

Save your ire for the “World Leaders” that caused this shit show

Not a man who in my view is a principled and dynamic man who has shown more communication, marshalling and logistics skills in his little fingernail than any of this sorry rabble at the top of the political food chain

Cleverpolly3 · 25/08/2021 11:41

@Wrongsideofhistorymyarse

The ability to have his people get to the airport and through the queues ahead of others, also with legit, paperwork.

I'm calling shenanigans on that.

If that’s the case then he could pass some of it onto Biden
Original poster
TheGenealogist · 25/08/2021 11:41

@EvilPea

Your hugely under estimating the power of the vet and animal community to pull together to find places and jobs for those staff.

I donated towards the effort, the government did initially offer to help but then changed their mind. Hence the celeb support and subsequent media interest.

Have you read the stories on the animals? It’s heartbreaking. A lot of that is our doing for having this war in the first place. Completely innocent animals maimed as a result of us.

We are arseholes

They can't give them jobs until their asylum claims are decided. Whether you agree with that or not, that's the rule and employing people who are pending an asylum ruling is illegal.

And no I haven't read stories about the animals because when there are people trying to flee in fear of their lives, animals are way down the priority list.

I also agree that the "he's got a plane" is only the tip of the iceberg, and as others have said, the processing time for his pets could be costing human lives.

OP posts:
Goofers · 25/08/2021 11:42

Well, his plane has been given permission to land now…

Original poster
TheGenealogist · 25/08/2021 11:43

Oh and just because I think this Farthing guy is unhinged and selfish, that doesn't mean I think Biden and Boris and the rest of them are doing an amazing job either.

OP posts:
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