This Pen Farthing guy

[TheGenealogist]

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. 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?

@BackInBlackAgain

Totally non goady question, just interested. Why didnt his wife take the animals/staff with her to Norway? I believe the plane was virtually empty so they would have all been able to go on that one.

She didn't know it was going to be empty.

She was appalled when she boarded and realised it was empty. Too late to do anything about it.

Another reason to be appalled at the actions of the Western military in this shambles.

@BittaOrange

I am shocked that a ‘vehicle’ was airlifted out, what the hell was all that about?

I don't think it takes too much imagination. These vehicles contain military tech, and would be very appealing for countries like China and Russia to give £££s for if left. If that happened, which is very likely, all of the comms equipment along with everything else would have to be changed as it would no longer be secure on ops- this would cost fuck loads. The other option would have been to destroy them, which would put the troops in a lot of danger of escalating the situation and putting themselves and others in danger. Loading them, which is well practiced, done quickly, and partly what the aircraft is designed for is safer. Or should they have driven it back?

@Peacrock

The animals are not taking the place of people as they're going in the hold.

But timeslots are extremely limited, by having his plane on the tarmac for any amount of time is taking spaces away from vessels that can carry more people with a quicker turnaround- a shortage of planes is not the issue at all with evacuating people.

UK Govt has had since April, to remove afghans and british personnel.

The fact that they have left it to beyond the last minute is on them, not a guy doing his best for his staff.

There is a shortage of planes as the uk hasn't enough military ones

@BackInBlackAgain I think his wife works for a different NGO and has been focusing on getting her people out.

Pen was working on getting UK visas for his staff as his charity is UK founded, and KSAR have been trying to get US visas for their people as the charity is US founded.

I'm no political expert but I believe they couldn't just get on a flight to Norway if it's a UK visa they have - there would have to be some sort of agreement in place between Norway and the UK to host them temporarily before they come here, which maybe wasn't in place. I'm also not sure if his staff actually had their visas on the day his wife left, so they wouldn't have been allowed on a flight regardless.

Someone may know better than me but that's my take on it based on what I've been reading.

You are bring dogs over that have spent their lives on the street or in a mass kennel in a rural rescue.
You then put them in a townhouse in close proximity to people and expect them to be lovely family dogs who like walks in the park and pub lunches.

It rarely works with the Rommie dogs and it won’t work with these.

Kind of reminds me of mumsnet lately!

@PicsInRed

The workers would be treated as collaborators and shot, so they needed to be evacuated.

Farthing wanted to put animals in unused space in the freight hold where humans cannot be and are not put. Wasted space.

The UK literally evacuated a fucking car the other day, shown just before takeoff by a reporter on live television, that car in the same space occupied by actual humans, and which could theoretically have taken more actual humans. A fucking car.

Ben Wallace made a tit of himself, recognised his own tithood and rightly reversed the decision.

I completely agree.

To the poster who wants to know how the staff have jobs, we have a shortage of vets in the UK and a group has offered to employ them.

There are some really vile people on this thread and if it came down to rescuing a stray dog or them the dog would win every time.

I think is clear his wife was very surprised her plane was empty.

If you don't anticipate an empty plane, you can't plan to fill it.

The truth is that NONE of you posting here know the truth.

What you read online is just that- journalism. For security reasons, there could be all sorts going on that you do not know about, which is protecting the safety of other UK people out there.

Pen F has a media presence and he is using it but none of you know if he is being honest.

I don't know the truth either, but I don't feel good about what I see of him.

He's playing on the animals and his staff and his past role in the military as reasons to queue jump. It's far from being so simple as 'Iv'e paid for a plane for myself and other folks can jump on board if they want to.'

Some of you are incredibly naive if you think that is the whole truth.

UK Govt has had since April, to remove afghans and british personnel.

Ok but the animal charity also knew it. Why this was not arranged in April?

How about the family who went to a wedding from the U.K?

[quote Iamclaracowbell]@BackInBlackAgain I think his wife works for a different NGO and has been focusing on getting her people out.

Pen was working on getting UK visas for his staff as his charity is UK founded, and KSAR have been trying to get US visas for their people as the charity is US founded.

I'm no political expert but I believe they couldn't just get on a flight to Norway if it's a UK visa they have - there would have to be some sort of agreement in place between Norway and the UK to host them temporarily before they come here, which maybe wasn't in place. I'm also not sure if his staff actually had their visas on the day his wife left, so they wouldn't have been allowed on a flight regardless.

Someone may know better than me but that's my take on it based on what I've been reading.[/quote]
ah right, thank you, that does make sense. Surely in a situation like this you would like to think that Norway and others would make sure the planes are full and not worry about which Visa each person has, just get them out of there.

@ArcherDog

You are bring dogs over that have spent their lives on the street or in a mass kennel in a rural rescue. You then put them in a townhouse in close proximity to people and expect them to be lovely family dogs who like walks in the park and pub lunches.

It rarely works with the Rommie dogs and it won’t work with these.

How come Nowzad have rehomed over a thousand dogs and cats if it doesn't work?

He's playing on the animals and his staff and his past role in the military as reasons to queue jump

He isn't queue jumping. I don't think there are many white Westerners left there now. Especially not white Western civilians.

He could have left a lot earlier (like that adventure tourist who was evaculated days ago).

@Iamclaracowbell

Obviously there are thousands of other Afghans waiting to get out. But if you, as a British person, had a voice to advocate for the 70 or so Afghan people and 200 animals you personally know, love and feel responsible for, and get them out safely, are you telling me you wouldn't use it? Like others I have followed this from the beginning, and I can only admire his bravery in staying there to make sure that they all get out - even with the right approvals / paperwork the safety of his people would have been in no way assured if he had left.

Charlotte from Kabul Small Animal Rescue posted a video yesterday saying that the Taliban had told her to go to the airport and let her staff follow later - she was very clear that she wasn't willing to do that as she knew what their fate would be if she left first.

Many of the animals are the pets of ex-servicemen and women who are already in the UK waiting for them to arrive, they aren't just 'random animals'. I saw a post from such an ex-serviceman this morning about how his Nowzad rescue has been a lifesaver for him given the PTSD and depression he suffers as a result of his service.

Whether you agree with Pen's dedication to getting his animals out or not, personally I can only admire a man who is fighting for what he believes in and will not leave his people or animals behind. Not many people would have the balls or the fight to do what he's doing. He can't save all the Afghans who need to get out, but he can save the ones he knows, and hopefully some others too with the extra seats on his plane. Blame the US for the 31 August deadline, not a man who is doing what he can to save the people and animals he loves.

I'm praying for the moment I see the news of them all arriving safely in the UK.

👏 👏 👏

@Iamclaracowbell

Obviously there are thousands of other Afghans waiting to get out. But if you, as a British person, had a voice to advocate for the 70 or so Afghan people and 200 animals you personally know, love and feel responsible for, and get them out safely, are you telling me you wouldn't use it? Like others I have followed this from the beginning, and I can only admire his bravery in staying there to make sure that they all get out - even with the right approvals / paperwork the safety of his people would have been in no way assured if he had left.

Charlotte from Kabul Small Animal Rescue posted a video yesterday saying that the Taliban had told her to go to the airport and let her staff follow later - she was very clear that she wasn't willing to do that as she knew what their fate would be if she left first.

Many of the animals are the pets of ex-servicemen and women who are already in the UK waiting for them to arrive, they aren't just 'random animals'. I saw a post from such an ex-serviceman this morning about how his Nowzad rescue has been a lifesaver for him given the PTSD and depression he suffers as a result of his service.

Whether you agree with Pen's dedication to getting his animals out or not, personally I can only admire a man who is fighting for what he believes in and will not leave his people or animals behind. Not many people would have the balls or the fight to do what he's doing. He can't save all the Afghans who need to get out, but he can save the ones he knows, and hopefully some others too with the extra seats on his plane. Blame the US for the 31 August deadline, not a man who is doing what he can to save the people and animals he loves.

I'm praying for the moment I see the news of them all arriving safely in the UK.

This^^ Why do people get sneered at for standing up for things they believe in? Blame the governments for this fiasco, not a man trying to do his best and risk his own safety for his staff and animals.

Not that skin colour makes a difference, but looking at the scenes at the airport, the people struggling to convince soliiers to let them on planes were sadly Afghan-looking people with UK passports.

*Obviously there are thousands of other Afghans waiting to get out. But if you, as a British person, had a voice to advocate for the 70 or so Afghan people and 200 animals you personally know, love and feel responsible for, and get them out safely, are you telling me you wouldn't use it? Like others I have followed this from the beginning, and I can only admire his bravery in staying there to make sure that they all get out - even with the right approvals / paperwork the safety of his people would have been in no way assured if he had left.

Charlotte from Kabul Small Animal Rescue posted a video yesterday saying that the Taliban had told her to go to the airport and let her staff follow later - she was very clear that she wasn't willing to do that as she knew what their fate would be if she left first.

Many of the animals are the pets of ex-servicemen and women who are already in the UK waiting for them to arrive, they aren't just 'random animals'. I saw a post from such an ex-serviceman this morning about how his Nowzad rescue has been a lifesaver for him given the PTSD and depression he suffers as a result of his service.

Whether you agree with Pen's dedication to getting his animals out or not, personally I can only admire a man who is fighting for what he believes in and will not leave his people or animals behind. Not many people would have the balls or the fight to do what he's doing. He can't save all the Afghans who need to get out, but he can save the ones he knows, and hopefully some others too with the extra seats on his plane. Blame the US for the 31 August deadline, not a man who is doing what he can to save the people and animals he loves.

I'm praying for the moment I see the news of them all arriving safely in the UK.*

This. This. Agree.

the government said if they give the plane a slot - how is he going to get in front of the others outside the airport ( 1000s of them) who also have their papers ? They have no control over that

so the plane lands - and him and his staff and his animals push past ? how is that going to work ?

Some of you are incredibly naive if you think that is the whole truth.

We shall see in the next few months if Pen has an agenda.

@BittaOrange

I am shocked that a ‘vehicle’ was airlifted out, what the hell was all that about?

Or they could leave it full of hardware like the Americans did.

@deliciouschilli

He's taking up a landing slot with his small private jet that could have been taken by a larger plane that could be filled with refugees who are dying at the gates.

This

@DancesWithTortoises

My heart breaks at the thought of the desperate women and children in that crowd seeing animals loaded onto a plane.

I like animals but people matter more.

The man is a bully.

Can you imagine? Hope to God they don't see it.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat
Yes, some individual dogs do adapt. The 10 year old dogs that he is using to tug on your heart strings? If they could have been rehomed, they would have. The majority of the ones left at the shelter are there because they were unsuitable for rehoming.

@BackInBlackAgain
No country is taking people without processing. the reason the MOD gave for the car was anyone already processed was boarded so they took cargo within the landing slot time allocation. The car didn’t take precedence over any people.

It was a Vauxhall so I doubt it was for its value. It must contain things to be prioritised over other cargo. Well I guess it could be driven on quickly rather than loaded like other cargo. But I think the MOD knows what it’s doing over conjecture any of us may have.

@failedbyGP

He's playing on the animals and his staff and his past role in the military as reasons to queue jump

He isn't queue jumping. I don't think there are many white Westerners left there now. Especially not white Western civilians.

He could have left a lot earlier (like that adventure tourist who was evaculated days ago).

You have no bloody idea who many westerners are left. Stop inventing facts when they are your opinion.

So if he's not queue jumping what IS he doing?
Why all the fuss from him?
Why didn't he leave when he could have with his wife?

He's being cynical and making political points.

It's not as simple as people here suggest.