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?

His plane was not an extra plane. It was a smaller plane which would take the landing, tarmac and take off slot from a larger military plane which could evacuate 3 times as many people.

Pens people have said it was an extra plane. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lots of people saying he can't jump the queue just because he has contacts and a social media presence - the news has been full of MPs personally helping ARAP applicants whose applications were still undecided, and getting them expedited. Many MPs have published details of WhatsApp correspondence with Afghans in this situation, and journalists too. The reality is there is/was no orderly queue. Making significant noise with anyone they could reach with any influence was the only option for some people.

What's really fucking monstrous is that the Home Office delayed the ARAP process so criminally that they've left behind approx 1000 people who are eligible. If this hadn't happened the "queue" of people with paperwork would have been far shorter. Blame the government for their terrible handling of this if you want to direct anger somewhere.

What disgusts me is the fact that Pen and his staff were safe within the confines of the airport and were pushed back out into the carnage of the aftermath of the bombing due to paperwork, where is the humanity?

I'd also like to know why there isn't more of an outcry over the Ugandan plane that left with just 50 passengers on board when it could hold hundreds. Getting as many as possible to any safe country should have been a priority to save lives.

Yes yes, highly super secret car, it could have been destroyed with other assets. We took a car.

And Wallace has now said they will make decisions on what equipment to bring back and what to destroy. I suppose that’s ok though. People should definitely have an issue bringing any vehicles back if they have an issue with bringing animals back.

In the midst of all this hopefully there some things we can all agree on.

Can we take a moment to celebrate the huge achievements of the UK embassy volunteers on the ground, who processed the paperwork for thousands of afghans to evacuate them to Britain, more than double the number planned for. And the soldiers who bravely worked so hard to bring thousands of families and young babies out of harms way, in a constantly changing situation and under threat of bombings.

In total over 100,000 people were evacuated, and countries all over the world worked in unison to make that happen. Tragically, not every one has been evacuated who had permission (hopefully there will be some future plans for this). At least we can acknowledge that those 100,000 people have been helped, even if sadly in the chaos the charter plane Pen asked for for his staff and rescue animals, did not get processed before the terror attacks which shut the airport, and unfortunately the British military were unable to spare the staff to assist him in bringing in the convey of vehicles past the crowds of waiting evacuees.

@KeflavikAirport

I think mass-tweeting the defence minister at a time of massive international crisis about one man, his staff and animals is kind of a dick move. There are thousands of Afghans with an equal or better claim to his time, I think forcing him to spend time on this single issue involving relatively few people is ridiculous.

Absolutely this. At a time when the Government is trying to deal with a volatile situation and an airlift of thousands of people unprecedented in my lifetime, it's also got email boxes and social media full of this. It has verged on bullying at times, and has put a lot of people off his cause. I hope Pen and his staff get out, but he's not handled this well.

'Yes yes, highly super secret car, it could have been destroyed with other assets. We took a car.'

You show such contempt for the people on the ground facilitating this desperate evacuation. As has been said on the other threads there will have been a reason for it. Not a 'highly super secret' car, but I trust our MOD 100% and know they would not prioritise equipment over people.

and unfortunately the British military were unable to spare the staff to assist him in bringing in the convey of vehicles past the crowds of waiting evacuees.

Nice dig at the end there. It was all going so well til that. 🙄

Not a 'highly super secret' car, but I trust our MOD 100% and know they would not prioritise equipment over people.

That’s very naive in my opinion.

'At a time when the Government is trying to deal with a volatile situation and an airlift of thousands of people unprecedented in my lifetime, it's also got email boxes and social media full of this'

Yes, nevermind the desperate Afghans, let's have twitter full of stupid celebs like Ricky Gervais focusing attention on 'Operation Ark' because a white western man wants to get animals out.

PA has misjudged this massively. I hope his staff get out.

Also, as the people running the evacuation have said all along, the problem is not lack of space on the aircraft BUT the time pressures of getting people into, and processed through, the airport.

This delay in processing people was why some planes were flying out near empty, and why they said they did not have time to process Pen's request for a private charter flight and 'safe passage' of his animals through the security checks.

As for vehicles, this is not the only security threat we face, if we destroy all our military equipment instead of bringing it back, will we be putting more lives in danger should a situation when this equipment is needed in the future months arise? Difficult question.

It has verged on bullying at times, and has put a lot of people off his cause.

Anyone truly behind his cause wouldn’t have been put off by this. It’s not bullying to call out someone for their actions.

As for vehicles, this is not the only security threat we face, if we destroy all our military equipment instead of bringing it back, will we be putting more lives in danger should a situation when this equipment is needed in the future months arise? Difficult question.

You do not know this. You are making it up and we could all do that go suit our argument. There is no shortage of money for defence in the UK. If you can’t justify animals on planes, you shouldn’t be justifying inanimate objects.

And they should have addressed the slow processing. Whatever needed to happen to speed that up, should have been absolute priority.

@Tele12345

In the midst of all this hopefully there some things we can all agree on.

Can we take a moment to celebrate the huge achievements of the UK embassy volunteers on the ground, who processed the paperwork for thousands of afghans to evacuate them to Britain, more than double the number planned for. And the soldiers who bravely worked so hard to bring thousands of families and young babies out of harms way, in a constantly changing situation and under threat of bombings.

In total over 100,000 people were evacuated, and countries all over the world worked in unison to make that happen. Tragically, not every one has been evacuated who had permission (hopefully there will be some future plans for this). At least we can acknowledge that those 100,000 people have been helped, even if sadly in the chaos the charter plane Pen asked for for his staff and rescue animals, did not get processed before the terror attacks which shut the airport, and unfortunately the British military were unable to spare the staff to assist him in bringing in the convey of vehicles past the crowds of waiting evacuees.

here here

@KeflavikAirport

I think mass-tweeting the defence minister at a time of massive international crisis about one man, his staff and animals is kind of a dick move. There are thousands of Afghans with an equal or better claim to his time, I think forcing him to spend time on this single issue involving relatively few people is ridiculous.

This 100%

Let the man do his job without all the social media experts interfering

Why should this one man and his particular cause take up so much time and attention

Some terrible lies and spin being repeated here.

Farthing, like so many others, has been doing his best to get people he knows (and more importantly, people he can actually help) out of Kabul.

He was offered a exit, provided he left his staff and their families to face the Taleban. He refused, and organised the documentation to get them out. Supporters funded a charter plane for his group, just like so many others have done. He offered the 130 "spare" seats to whoever was available to take them.

Wallace told him if he could get himself, his staff and animals to the airport, he'd facilitate their safe passage. When Farthing and his team arrived, Wallace refused to let them in. Left them out there for hours. The American rescue lady was allowed in with her dogs, but left her Afghan staff outside. As far as anyone can tell, her staff are still outside, with no chance of getting in and safe.

Farthing finally got in, and was then told that POTUS had changed the rules whilst he and his team were stuck outside, and his Afghan staff were no longer allowed out. Forced to leave, they were tear gassed, and attacked. They headed back for their compound, because that was the safest option at that point.

Wallace's behaviour has been shameful. You don't promise someone safe passage if they get to the airport, then refuse to let them in. That's reprehensible behaviour. Wallace behaved shamefully. He made a promise, then reneged on it, and somehow people think that's acceptable, or "he's done brilliantly"?

The smear campaign mounted against Farthing is vile. Worse is the number of people prepared to believe the lies being spouted by Wallace and other government staff. No one has jumped any queue. That would suggest an orderly queue. It's been a mad scramble, with people trying to attract the attention of whoever could help them.

Attacking an honourable man for trying to save his staff is really low. Just when I thought this government couldn't sink any lower than they already have, they do this. They do it very publically, and people are so accustomed to their abuse and gaslighting that they lap it up, and insist the govt/their ministers are doing brilliantly.

No, they're not. They've bungled the whole rescue operation terribly.

Doodlebug71

I agree with everything you’ve said.

'Anyone truly behind his cause wouldn’t have been put off by this. It’s not bullying to call out someone for their actions.'

Valuable time, manpower, MOD resources taken up by this. The MOD even having to issue statements refuting the Twitter mob's allegations that flights were blocked by Wallace.

Time has been wasted arranging animal transport. They should have been at the airport without the animals on Tuesday. I'm not sure how their supporters are stil disputing this tbh and now it's all Biden's fault they can't leave. 73 people murdered by a suicide bomber, of course he was going to react to that.

Feel sorry for Farthing really, his naive intentions were of course good but anyone could see in a deteriorating situation crates of dogs and cats was going to add to the mayhem.

Let the man do his job without all the social media experts interfering

He can ignore the tweets. If he can’t cope with people disagreeing with him, he’s in the wrong job.

'When Farthing and his team arrived, Wallace refused to let them in. Left them out there for hours'

No, there was a credible terrorist threat, then a tragic attack. Entry was restricted by the military on the ground.

@Doodlebug71 Fully agree.

The delays caused by Wallace have resulted in this horrible outcome. It's quite clear he has a personal grudge against Pen, had he just given the go ahead in a timely manner they would have got out days ago.

I imagine that both Pen Farthing and Ben Wallace both know more about it all than we do. Pen is on the ground there seeing what is going on and has a military background in the area. Until a few days ago he also knew the MoD side of things through his contact there.

Ben Wallace knows what is going on from the MoD and political side.

They are both trying to save ilves.

Ben Wallace hasnt helped himself by the way he's acted, nor by telling Pen to leave everyone he is responsible for and save himself. I don't know if he has done the right things or not as far as the evacuation, but he hasnt handled the Nowzad thing well at all.

Pen Farthing is just trying to save his people and their families (plus 100+ extra Afghanis he was going to take). Kabul Small Animals are doing the same.

I don't think anyone on here can even imagine what they are all going through right now. Nor can we know if Ben Wallace is doing his job or being an prat about it. It's an interesting topic for discussion but we don't know the truth of it.

Valuable time, manpower, MOD resources taken up by this. The MOD even having to issue statements refuting the Twitter mob's allegations that flights were blocked by Wallace.

MPs and The MOD are experts in time wasting. They could have ignored it all. But they didn’t because they know so many mistakes were made and tried to divert and cover their arses. They are not innocent in this absolute mess.

Wallace told him if he could get himself, his staff and animals to the airport, he'd facilitate their safe passage. When Farthing and his team arrived, Wallace refused to let them in. Left them out there for hours.

This is key. Pen did his part in getting to the airport. Wallace didn’t.