Thursday, September 9

War's over, Osama - we're bringing back the Party in the Park!

Later today, backbench MPs get a chance to take part in a debate called “UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan” - and Boston’s borough and county councillors are being asked to exert their influence on local MP Mark Simmonds to vote for the immediate withdrawal of British troops.
The call comes from Helen Sheridan-Shinn, on behalf of something called “Boston Stop the War.”
But we think that the argument she offers is a little bizarre, to to say the least.
Her e-mail says: “I am sure you will appreciate the significance of this issue to Boston, as the Coalition government’s cuts are having and will continue to have devastating effects on the budget at Boston Borough Council and Lincolnshire County Council now and for the rest of this Parliament, while the unpopular and unwinnable war in Afghanistan that could harm our national security is costing billions every year”
Mrs Sheridan-Shinn adds: “We are, of course, a local group of the National Stop the War coalition, and as such are not aligned to any political party.”
Nonetheless, with such a distinctive surname, the association with politics is inextricable, and Mrs Sheridan-Shinn will be well remembered as the other half of the Boston Liberal Democrat party.
So, in the unlikely event of the government suddenly pulling out of Afghanistan, where might those billions of saved pounds be spent?
First and foremost, we imagine, they would go towards reducing the nation’s massive overspend.
Last and leastmost, we imagine that little, if anything, would filter down to our part of Waterland, as seems implicit in Mrs Sheridan-Shinn’s e-mail to councillors.
And if it did, what might it be spent on?
Back in in the days when the  Lib Dems were in the business of losing elections for seats on the borough and county councils, their candidate, Mike Sheridan-Shinn, was very vocal on the matter of Boston Borough Council's budget - in particular the cancellation of the Party in the Park.
At one stage he even launched a petition which read: “ I/we the undersigned call on Boston borough council to reconsider its budgetary decision, and prioritise the funding of the party in the park above its commitment to free council staff car parking and the Princess Royal Sports Arena.”
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the war in Afghanistan, Britain has never been a country to run away. The conflict was begun to protect the nation from the threat of terrorism, and the idea of calling the whole thing off - not simply to save lives and end the terrible injuries being suffered by our heroic soldiers, but possibly to swell the coffers of Boston Borough Council which may then contingently see the re-introduction of a free concert - is laughable.
The argument for saving lives is sufficient in itself. We do not need the addition of such a ludicrous carrot if we wish to support the call to bring our troops home.

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