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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

730 replies

Needapoodle · 27/08/2021 08:41

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?

OP posts:
Tele12345 · 30/08/2021 15:56

It was incorrect to state anyone 'blocked' the animals and staff getting into the airport. Although Pen was tweeting the Taliban telling them they should not block his access, implying the taliban had something to do with it.

Pen was warned that it could take 24 hours to process people through the airport. He was not turned away and sent home from the airport by Ben Wallace. He was added to the long processing queue, which he was told he would be in, and Ben Wallace stated he would not give him priority over other families and children in that queue, ie 'no pets before people', who were also waiting to be processed. Other army officials said they felt it would not be right to drive cats and dogs in front of babies and mothers, and they would have wait in line.

As for the cats being killed - being military I would assume Pen was fully aware of the risk he was taking travelling to the airport; people had recently died at those gates, the soldiers were under constant threat of bombings, and there were large crowds in a state of panic, constant gun shots etc. He took the animals to the airport having been warned of the processing time, knowing the chaotic situation there.

The whole reason for the delay in approving his extra flight for the animals was the processing time it would take, slowing down the already long wait even more.

fourminutestosavetheworld · 30/08/2021 15:58

"I’m sure he did. As a last resort, he’s fond of twitter, he could have sent a private message to Pen."

I'm afraid you've got delusions of grandeur there. With thousands of other equally - more - deserving cases to contend with, a credible security threat, changing political goalposts, I expect he was busy.

Tele12345 · 30/08/2021 15:59

And to be clear - the UK government assisted his charter plane by sponsoring the clearance for his flight, a difficult thing to achieve in war zone type conditions. So if I was him I would be extremely grateful as without that help from the government he most likely would have had to drive the animals to the border.

Tele12345 · 30/08/2021 16:01

Does anyone know who is overseeing care for the animals in the UK now? I see Pen is visiting his family in Norway and I believe incredibly sadly the staff are still in Afghanistan?

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:05

Yes he has. MoD have confirmed that there was nobody processed left to board.

Ben himself has confirmed that animals were not given priority over people.

I expect they could have done without the sm onslaught in the middle of all of this though, very undignified.

Part of Politics today I’m afraid, especially if you put yourself all over social media.

Saucery · 30/08/2021 16:05

@Tele12345

And to be clear - the UK government assisted his charter plane by sponsoring the clearance for his flight, a difficult thing to achieve in war zone type conditions. So if I was him I would be extremely grateful as without that help from the government he most likely would have had to drive the animals to the border.
But his primary aim was to provide a shield for his staff and their families. An aim that was scuppered by the mishandling of processing those Afghan people. Repeatedly. It might be incompetence, it might be malicious intent, who knows. The fact is that Afghan people who are extremely vulnerable to targeted Taliban reprisals have been left high and dry by the UK govt. Nowzad staff are by no means the only ones left in that position.

There’s a narrative being spun about orderly queues of women and children and PF being arsey and entitled wanting to jump them holding a basket of puppies and kittens. It’s a total lie.

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:07

I'm afraid you've got delusions of grandeur there. With thousands of other equally - more - deserving cases to contend with, a credible security threat, changing political goalposts, I expect he was busy.

My response was only in answer to someone asking if he had a way of contacting him.

SueSaid · 30/08/2021 16:08

@Tele12345

Does anyone know who is overseeing care for the animals in the UK now? I see Pen is visiting his family in Norway and I believe incredibly sadly the staff are still in Afghanistan?
Seriously?! He's dumped his animals and ran off visiting? I mean surely you'd wait what a week or perhaps his wife could come here to visit.

Doesn't Farthing have to quarantine? i thought those flown in were all isolating on their return.

Saucery · 30/08/2021 16:10

I’m pretty sure he hasn’t left them in a cardboard box outside Battersea Dogs Home Grin Grin Grin

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:13

Does anyone know who is overseeing care for the animals in the UK now? I see Pen is visiting his family in Norway and I believe incredibly sadly the staff are still in Afghanistan?

They’re at a quarantine facility to comply with UK law.

SueSaid · 30/08/2021 16:13

'I’m pretty sure he hasn’t left them in a cardboard box outside Battersea Dogs Home'

Why are you minimising this, the optics like everything else with this saga look crap.

Why isn't he quarantining like everyone else who has flown in, why isn't he overseeing the care of these animals he was desperate to save. Absolutely tone deaf. Again.

SueSaid · 30/08/2021 16:14

'They’re at a quarantine facility to comply with UK law.'

Oh right so he isn't visiting family in Norway.

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:14

Seriously?! He's dumped his animals and ran off visiting? I mean surely you'd wait what a week or perhaps his wife could come here to visit.

Someone’s getting desperate. 🤣🤣

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:15

Oh right so he isn't visiting family in Norway.

The animals.

Tele12345 · 30/08/2021 16:15

There wasn't an orderly queue, but his escorting into the airport would have required soldiers to been taken from whatever else they were doing (ie processing woman and children who had arrived before him).

If his primary aim was to bring out the Afghan staff - he should have brought them the minute they were approved for visas and military flights to the UK. Instead he waited 24 hours until a charter plane for his cats and dogs was approved. I thought it was the other way round - he was using the threat of staying behind with his staff 'we won't leave without the animals' to ensure the charter flight for his animals was approved to land.

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:15

So desperate it’s actually funny!

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:17

Pen is allowed to go to Noway and isolate there. I have a family member than has done similar, it’s allowed.

Saucery · 30/08/2021 16:18

@Janiiejones

'I’m pretty sure he hasn’t left them in a cardboard box outside Battersea Dogs Home'

Why are you minimising this, the optics like everything else with this saga look crap.

Why isn't he quarantining like everyone else who has flown in, why isn't he overseeing the care of these animals he was desperate to save. Absolutely tone deaf. Again.

But Janiie, you said ‘dumped’ did you not? I was reassuring you that wasn’t the case. I’m sure you do know that proper animal welfare / quarantine procedures had been followed, but for whatever reason known only to yourself, you decided to go for the emotive wording over the factual wording. You also say ‘minimising’ rather a lot and erroneously at that.
SueSaid · 30/08/2021 16:18

@VeganVeg

Oh right so he isn't visiting family in Norway.

The animals.

Ah so his animals are quarantining and don't need any input from Farthing. Riiiight.

Why isn't he quarantinijg? Why are we seeing footage of Afghans in travelodges for 2 weeks?! Yet he skips onto a connecting flight to Norway. Jesus.

Saucery · 30/08/2021 16:18
SueSaid · 30/08/2021 16:21

@VeganVeg

Pen is allowed to go to Noway and isolate there. I have a family member than has done similar, it’s allowed.
'It's allowed'.

Wonder if anyone else flown in fancied a connecting flight somewhere..

Look. He has flown a load of animals in, the very least he could do was hang around oh I don't know as a source of information perhaps. Seriously, he's gone to Norway Confused

Saucery · 30/08/2021 16:22

Why are we seeing footage of Afghans in travelodges for 2 weeks?!

We should be seeing a lot more Afghan people in travelogues but oh wait…….the govt pissed about so much they couldn’t get here!

VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:25

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VeganVeg · 30/08/2021 16:27

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SueSaid · 30/08/2021 16:27

'There wasn't an orderly queue, but his escorting into the airport would have required soldiers to been taken from whatever else they were doing (ie processing woman and children who had arrived before him). If his primary aim was to bring out the Afghan staff - he should have brought them the minute they were approved for visas and military flights to the UK. Instead he waited 24 hours until a charter plane for his cats and dogs was approved. I thought it was the other way round - he was using the threat of staying behind with his staff 'we won't leave without the animals' to ensure the charter flight for his animals was approved to land.'

Indeed @Tele12345. It will fall on deaf ears here sadly.. Yes he should have focused on getting his staff to the airport quickly and quietly instead of the time wasting sideshow of twitter, abusive phone calls, private jets and animals.

Let's hope he's having a lovely time in Norway 🙄