To ask if you think ben wallace has done a bad job?

[Needapoodle]

Loads of people on social media calling for Ben's (defence secretary) resignation over pen farthing and his operation ark.

I think ben and his department have suddenly been thrust into a highly volatile and constantly changing dangerous situation in which he has to make decisions for the good of the most amount of people possible. I also think that the insistence on evacuating hundreds of animals will undoubtedly have taken resources away from getting people out of Afghanistan and prevented human lives from being saved. I don't think that calling for ben's resignation over some animals not being able to be evacuated is reasonable at all. Or have i missed something?

@WiddlinDiddlin

Yes, he's done a shocking job.

He blocked Pen's original flight.

Had he NOT done that, all the Nowzad staff plus any extras with the correct paperwork would have been on the charter flight out of there DAYS earlier.

That would have been before Biden changed the paperwork requirements which have meant Nowzad staff and others are stuck there.

He created a problem that didn't need to happen, and thats just the most recent of disasters frankly.

The whole thing has been a shitshow and Pen and Nowzad have been used to distract people from spotting who is really to blame for that!

This. All this bollocks trying to smear Pen Farthing is low, but nothing surprises me with this govt. This is a govt trying to make it illegal to claim asylum, ffs.

If Pen's team had been allowed in when they arrived outside the airport, that plane could have been filled, and another 130 people rescued. Instead, the UK govt wasn't satisfied with blocking it, they tried to smear him, too. No idea why, with multiple other charter flights allowed, but this fellow was doing something good, and trying to save people, and he ends up on the receiving end of a vile smear campaign.

Wallace declared his home secretary was backing him on this. Well, she would, wouldn't she. Those two are very well matched.

'He blocked Pen's original flight.'

Nothing was blocked, rather a private jet to accommodate animals wasn't prioritised. Rightly so.

It's fascinating how his supporters are now spinning it, apparently the leak of his disturbing 'I will destroy you!' messages was only to distracted from an alleged government cock up 🙄. They evacuated over 15000 people, quite good going despite PF and pals demanding minister's time on rescue pets.
The twitter mob wailing over this has been ridiculous, they should admit it and stop enabling each other with all the 'blocked flights' conspiracy crap.

Farthing and his staff could have accessed a military flight at least 24 hrs earlier but they wouldn't leave without the dogs and cats.

He got this very wrong, he needs to admit that and thank the MOD for their assistance. Really hope he doesn't play the wronged hero egged on by that prat Dominic Dyer.

[quote Doodlebug71]**@Tele12345* 1. Had Pen just taken his staff on the military flight they were offered, they would most likely have gotten out. His staff did not need to wait for a chartered plane, that was solely to benefit the animals.*

They didn't need an RAF flight, because they had a chartered flight. Those service animals were going in the hold, with NOWZAD staff and their families in the seat, and the 130ish other seats offered to whoever was eligible to take them.

I'm guessing that Wallace didn't like being shown up for the contemptuous Tory he really is by someone who'd organised a humanitarian flight.

Do also remember that NOWZAD were kept waiting outside that airport for over 10 hours, despite Wallace specifically telling them to go for processing. When they were finally allowed in, it turned out that changes to visa requirements 2 hours earlier (whilst they were stuck outside, waiting to be allowed in) meant that NOWZAD staff were refused safe passage, and had to leave.

Are you actually suggesting that they would have been allowed onto a military flight, despite the fact they were refused access because of changes to visa rules? If so, you'd better tell the Americans that you're right and they're wrong, and should allow all those Afghans outside safe passage. Go on....[/quote]
Yes, if the staff had arrived at the airport before the change in VISA rules they would have been allowed on a military flight. They had the choice to leave earlier and leave the animals behind.

Instead they decided to wait for a charter flight to be cleared by the UK government'. That was the whole thing they had a twitter campaign about 'we are not getting the military flights provided as we would have to leave the animals behind. We are not leaving without the animals, the animals need a special plane with a cargo hold, we will all go together or not at all. They were campaigning for flight for the animals'.

If they had no animals, they could have gone straight to the airport when the UK government issued the staff permission, instead of delaying, and that might have meant the staff arrived before the visa rules changed and they could have gone.

The delay was always going to be risky, Pen ended up being the last UK citizen evacuated. He had a choice to leave earlier too, but he also decided to wait for the animals to have permission to fly.

The staff didn’t get cleared from foreign office til Wednesday. They left a few hours later and made way to the airport and waited....and waited....are you saying without the animals, they would have been allowed through the gates sooner?

Pen and his staff were part of 15,000 others the Uk had to evacuate. Plus the military presence at the airport had to be evacuated too. Plus the 'end of the queue' have been left behind. Plus there was only one runway, and the constant threat of terrorist attack, and people dying at the gate.

'What could Wallace have done about them being left waiting outside of the airport? '

Oh well apparently once his cats and dogs were loaded on the multiple trucks his fans wanted him fast tracked through the airport! Nevermind the fact families had been waiting for days with little in the way of sanitisation and food etc, hero Farthing should have been waved though and pesky Biden acted on intelligence blocked him, how very dare he. Honestly this saga just needs to stop, however Farthing has already tweeted
'Arrived Heathrow with partial success of #OpArk Mixed emotions & true deep feeling of sadness for Afghan today. Heathrow Ops centre, Border Force, HARC & Air Pets were all bloody amazing. Witnessed 1st hand the compassion Heathrow is showing Afghan'

'Partial success'. I mean fgs. No mention of the MOD or apologies for his pals hijacking Twitter with 'we need a call sign!' when there is no such thing since 2014 apparently.

Doodle. He tweeted they were cleared before Wed. They should have set off tue, we all know it.

Kabul Small animal rescue have a plane. Hopefully Charlotte and her staff will be on it. 🙏🏻

@Tele12345

Pen and his staff were part of 15,000 others the Uk had to evacuate. Plus the military presence at the airport had to be evacuated too. Plus the 'end of the queue' have been left behind. Plus there was only one runway, and the constant threat of terrorist attack, and people dying at the gate.

Oh yes but all his supporters will bleat is 'the cats were going in the hold!!!!', utterly ignoring the fact it was the logistics of getting to the airport and being processed that was the problem. Time and resources scarce and of course the situation was so volatile, as demonstrated when they finally decided to get there.

Refugees left with hardly any belongings, but this ex military bloke thought his 200 animals and all the paraphernalia were more important.

Dom Dyer will be on LBC tonight at 8pm for those interested.

And now Peter Egan joining with the tone deaf brigade saying PF 'has been to hell and back'. Really???? I'd suggest the families of those who have been murdered, those left behind or those waiting in the sewerage filled canal outside the airport for days may have had a slightly more hellish time of things tbh.

What is wrong with these people, they really don't seem to know when to stop with their silly tweets. I should stop looking, twitter thankfully doesn't seem to represent public opinion in rl.

Peter Egan is one of the most lovely people I have ever met. A true gentleman.

'He’s not just joined in. He’s been involved all the way through and has known Pen for years. Get your facts right..... again'

Oh I'm sorry let me rephrase and now Peter Egan has tweeted inappropriately. That better?

It is not the time to say he has been to hell and back in light of all the actual suffering we are witnessing. Jesus.

Your emojis are funny superman. Well done you!

Oh I'm sorry let me rephrase and now Peter Egan has tweeted inappropriately. That better?

Nothing inappropriate. Unless we’re doing competitive suffering. He’s feared for his life, the lives of staff he classes as family, the Taliban have moved in next door, had guns pointed at him, not known if he’ll see his wife again, had to face that he will no longer be able to help Afghan people and animals which he has devoted his life to, etc....it’s not been a good time. Others of course have been through unimaginable awful things, but Pen hasn’t exactly been having fun.

Your emojis are funny superman. Well done you!

Thanks. 😘

Some of Pens animals are now safely at their temporary shelter. Lovely photos on twitter. Beautiful dogs that are now safe.
Dom Dyer has said they are trying to get the staff out and are working on plans of how to do that.

@IAmSuperman

Some of Pens animals are now safely at their temporary shelter. Lovely photos on twitter. Beautiful dogs that are now safe. Dom Dyer has said they are trying to get the staff out and are working on plans of how to do that.

That’s lovely news.

Hoping so much the staff get out now.

Glad to see the animals are settled and well.

Saucery

I so hope the staff can get out. And all those left behind. It’s a dreadful, dreadful situation.

But it is lovely to see the animals, they’ve had a very stressful few days with no understanding of what’s happening. There will definitely be no shortage of homes for them.

I must say I always thought Peter Egan was a decent man, but I didn’t know the extent of his support for animal welfare. I find Twitter a bit ‘noisy’ and ephemeral but maybe I just didn’t follow the right people!

The U.K. will struggle to get British nationals out let alone the Afghan staff.

I’m not saying that he should have, but if Farthing had stayed they may have had a better chance purely as the U.K. govt would have lobbied for his return.

Maybe the Taliban will allow free travel but I cannot see it somehow.

I believe Iran and Pakistan have said they will return anyone who crosses the borders, but the terrain makes crossing difficult anyway.

'Dom Dyer has said they are trying to get the staff out and are working on plans of how to do that.'

Hmm I'd say he needs to eat some humble pie and liaise, like grown ups, with the MOD.

Peter Egan has done so much for animal welfare. He’s a vegan and an all round lovely, lovely man.

Hmm I'd say he needs to eat some humble pie and liaise, like grown ups, with the MOD.

I’d say the MOD are the ones who need to grow up here. Shameful.