Conservative MPs Johnny Mercer and Tom Tugendhat set Twitter alight with applause yesterday, after speaking in the House of Commons debate on Afghanistan. As women in Kabul were being forced into burqas, children were trying to escape on overcrowded planes, and shots were being fired on protesters in Jalalabad, these MPs were tearing up over the real victims: British veterans of the war. For ex-soldiers Mercer and Tugendhat, the withdrawal from Afghanistan is a betrayal of their own hard work. These MPs tended to focus less on the conflict than on the ‘civilising’ aspect of the mission. Tugendhat, for instance, … Continue reading →