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?

@FlipFlopsButNoSun

I don't think you've got your facts right OP.

Pen is an amazing man. He has so much loyalty to his staff. He has worked tirelessly to ensure they all got visas and documents and the government were able to accept them for travel our of Afghanistan. He has risked his Life to ensure none of his staff are left behind to face death.

He has arranged a private plane to accommodate him and the staff. This means the space they would otherwise take up on a government military plane is freed up for others. The animals are going in the cargo hold where people can't go, so they are not taking space from anyone.

Furthermore, Pen has space on his plane and has offered those spaces to anyone the government needs to fly home.

He is incredible and I wish him all the very best. If all his staff land safely in the UK it is largely down to him.

If it was left to the government, all the animals would have died, and a large majority of Pen's staff would have been shot or killed by Taliban.

Amazing man. I bet you wouldn't have his backbone OP. I know I wouldn't have had the courage to do what he's been doing. Incredible.

Would make an amazing film. Hope one is made one day so people like the OP can see exactly how brave, selfless and inspiring this man has been.

Here here 👏

I still think they should get the people who are at risk out.

And they are. The animals will take up no space that humans could. The time spent loading them on will be less than the planes are sitting on runway for anyway. And the plane can take other humans as well as Nowzad staff. So all good.

@MakemeaCake

Yes, this man is being set up as a distraction and scapegoat by the government for their despicable decision to withdraw followed by their shambolic actual withdrawal,

We withdrew years ago.

What on earth are you on about?

The situation has been created by Trump who laid down plans for the withdrawal of the US soldiers and now agreed on by Biden.

You don't have a clue what you are talking about.

No we didn't, we had a partial withdrawal, ANA doing the fighting, still left 1000s upon 1000s of UK citizens in Afghan inc all the Afghani's who helped.

Even the Govt says we wont get them all out, so we are complicit in their murder.

MakemeaCake
'No his real name is Paul, he changed it for effect.

Nuff said'

His name's Paul Farthing - nickname Penny Farthing, like the bike, it's not rocket science!

@3cats4poniesandababy

I haven't read all the messages but

A private US business man has said he will fund the plane.

The public has raised/donated enough money to cover the animal costs and support the Nowzad workers when they land until they get the right to work.

Pen has stated his has a plan to get into the airport that doesn't involve the British military helping.

He says he has got a plan to get the animals loaded within 60 mins. Planes were known to be sat on the tarmac for several hours waiting to be filled with enough passengers earlier in the week and the taking off half empty. Pen was ready days ago just waiting to be told he had a landing time.

Pen wanted to aim to get into the airport 24 hours before his plane. Obviously that was a few days ago. If he had been given thr go ahead then he wouldn't have been jumping the queue at the airport processing.

If he can plan how to get his people and animals into the airport without support it is a shame he hasn't been operating a programme to help the people who are at most risk. We could rename him The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Just think how he could have helped some of those desperate women trying to hand their babies to strangers.

@MissTrip82

Maybe just list the top five things - not all of them, just the top five - you’re doing to help?

That way, we can all learn.

I'm interested in that, too.

Only two from me, but they take up a fair bit of time, and I'm just a middle-aged parent (translator/interpreter in a previous life):

1. Learning Farsi (one of the main languages used in Afghanistan). I already learned some arabic some years ago, so am familiar with the script used. There were a few posts I couldn't quite work out on my twitter/social media feed, so this should (hopefully) resolve that, and leave me in a better position to help other people in general.

1. using my social media accounts to share information, and to ask for help from those in a more powerful position than me. That second part often involves switching language, so having to use translation skills quite a bit.

@user1471433754

The Genealogist Is that you Boris?

OOOh yes! I wondered how long it would take for someone to ask this,

You can't have an opinion with which some posters take offence at without being a Tory in disguise.

@MakemeaCake

Yes, this man is being set up as a distraction and scapegoat by the government for their despicable decision to withdraw followed by their shambolic actual withdrawal,

We withdrew years ago.

What on earth are you on about?

The situation has been created by Trump who laid down plans for the withdrawal of the US soldiers and now agreed on by Biden.

You don't have a clue what you are talking about.

We withdrew years ago.

What are you on about? No we didn't! We stopped our combat role some time ago but we certainly didn't withdraw years ago.

Would make an amazing film. Hope one is made one day so people like the OP can see exactly how brave, selfless and inspiring this man has been.

People like OP are miserable and only happy when bringing others down. Who cares. Let’s just get them here.

Just think how he could have helped some of those desperate women trying to hand their babies to strangers.

Indeed.

Disguise them as cats and dogs was the answer, surely

@TheAstronaut

I still think they should get the people who are at risk out.

And they are. The animals will take up no space that humans could. The time spent loading them on will be less than the planes are sitting on runway for anyway. And the plane can take other humans as well as Nowzad staff. So all good.

So are you there? I heard a military officer who is there talking about getting planes loaded so they didn't miss their take off slots and the slots of obviously limited and precious. He is taking up a landing slot and a take off slot to get his animals out while people die.

@MakemeaCake

Just think how he could have helped some of those desperate women trying to hand their babies to strangers.

Indeed.

Disguise them as cats and dogs was the answer, surely

He might have shown a bit of compassion if he thought they were cats and dogs.

@user1471433754

The Genealogist Is that you Boris?

Rumbled.

Rather than running the country I'm fannying about on Mumsnet.

Is that you Boris?

I think it’s Ben Wallace actually. Boris has actually done pretty good on this, just needs to tell his staff to know their place. Boris certainly put the not so honourable Ben Wallace in his place overnight.

@snowballer Exactly. We kept some staff there but not troops.

And? Your point is?

Makeamea

Yes, they do. People post for attention, for response, not to exercise their fingers. This board is full of attention-seekers; that's not an insult, it's an observation.

This is in the news. Where the 'facts' are, such as they are. My opinion is that this thread has been posted to be goady and provocative.

As for 'stifling discussion', what nonsense. Would that I was that powerful but I wouldn't waste that skill here...

@Peacrock

Fucking women, reading newspapers and having opinions and shit.

Not just any opinions, expert opinions based on the select things they've read that are obviously 100% right (let's not bother taking reality or other elements into consideration).

Fucking women, taking an interest in current affairs and then articulately communicating personal opinions on matters of public interest.

Woman! Know your place!

Disguise them as cats and dogs was the answer, surely

Or maybe give everyone a reg plate?

Rather than running the country I'm fannying about on Mumsnet

When has Bojo every tried running the country?

He and the all the senior ministers and civil servants were all on hols whilst this crisis unfolded.

‘Pen’ is his army nickname. Sounds reasonable to me.

Staff would be in danger having worked with ex UK military. A lot of animals were rehomed to ex military.

He claims his charity, Nowzad, trained the first female vets in Afghanistan. They would presumably be jobless or forced to ‘marry’ ie raped by Taliban fighters or worse.

I believe dogs are routinely mutilated and abused in Afghanistan. Dog fighting is rife.

A UK vet chain has offered his staff jobs. He is also supported by the RCVS etc.

I don’t think he will be successful but at least he is trying to support his staff and won’t abandon them. I read on social media that some animals have already been PTS.

Rather than running the country I'm fannying about on Mumsnet.

Quite possible except he probably wouldn't be on MN

[quote MakemeaCake]@snowballer Exactly. We kept some staff there but not troops.

And? Your point is?[/quote]
We kept troops there. They didn't fight, they were there in a mentoring, training and advisory capacity, supporting the ANSF.

Seriously, check your facts because you're just embarrassing yourself now.