Playing Afghanistan at sport(s)??

[ancienthibby]

I find it quite bizzare that we (Scotland) are currently playing Afghanistan at cricket in a tournament in Dubai!!:grr:

Maybe I missed something but is the UK not 'at war' with Afghanistan? (and their Taleban 'residents'??

Any day you can see on the media pictures of Scots soldiers who suffered horrific injuries while on duty in Irag. Three limbs blown off does not seem to be too uncommon - to say nothing of the Aid worker from Lewis who lost her life last month!

At any moment while international sports events are being played, any Scots soldier could be killed on duty at the same time!!

Something fundamentally wrong here.

Thoughts??

[lapsedhibee]

Thoughts??

As any yam no, sport transcends warfare. See the fitba match between Tommy and Fritz on the WWI killing fields in 1915, for example.

[Beefster]

I find it quite bizzare that we (Scotland) are currently playing Afghanistan at cricket in a tournament in Dubai!!:grr:

Maybe I missed something but is the UK not 'at war' with Afghanistan? (and their Taleban 'residents'??

Any day you can see on the media pictures of Scots soldiers who suffered horrific injuries while on duty in Irag. Three limbs blown off does not seem to be too uncommon - to say nothing of the Aid worker from Lewis who lost her life last month!

At any moment while international sports events are being played, any Scots soldier could be killed on duty at the same time!!

Something fundamentally wrong here.

Thoughts??

We're training the Afghan Army so I don't think we can be classed as at war with them.

[ancienthibby]

We're training the Afghan Army so I don't think we can be classed as at war with them.


Classic doublespeack there, BeefyOne!!:agree:

[IndieHibby]

I would say we are at war with the Taliban and their supporters in conjunction with the state Afghan Army, in support of the (putative) Afghan State.

Not sure where the double-speak is there?

Sounds like just the type of people we want to be playing cricket against - they are probably better at it than we are.

[CropleyWasGod]

Sounds like just the type of people we want to be playing cricket against - they are probably better at it than we are.

They are. They beat us last time we played.

[steakbake]

We're "at war" with Al Qaida and the Taleban, not with the state of Afghanistan, which we're apparently trying to reconstruct.

If sport can win the battle for 'hearts and minds', then play on... it's better than slugging it out in pointless and unwinnable wars.

[Dinkydoo]

I find it quite bizzare that we (Scotland) are currently playing Afghanistan at cricket in a tournament in Dubai!!:grr:

Maybe I missed something but is the UK not 'at war' with Afghanistan? (and their Taleban 'residents'??

Any day you can see on the media pictures of Scots soldiers who suffered horrific injuries while on duty in Irag. Three limbs blown off does not seem to be too uncommon - to say nothing of the Aid worker from Lewis who lost her life last month!

At any moment while international sports events are being played, any Scots soldier could be killed on duty at the same time!!

Something fundamentally wrong here.

Thoughts??

We are not "at war" with Afghanistan; if we are at war with anyone it would be the taliban and other extremist groups within the country.

We are maintianing a military presence in the country until the Afghan soldiers are trained to such a standard which will allow them to police thier own country.

We are trying to give them something to build upon which will hopefully lead the Afghanistan to a better future; security first, education second.

[Twa Cairpets]

I find it quite bizzare that we (Scotland) are currently playing Afghanistan at cricket in a tournament in Dubai!!:grr:

Maybe I missed something but is the UK not 'at war' with Afghanistan? (and their Taleban 'residents'??

Any day you can see on the media pictures of Scots soldiers who suffered horrific injuries while on duty in Irag. Three limbs blown off does not seem to be too uncommon - to say nothing of the Aid worker from Lewis who lost her life last month!

At any moment while international sports events are being played, any Scots soldier could be killed on duty at the same time!!

Something fundamentally wrong here.

Thoughts??

I would have thought that a sporting contest or the development of a peaceful state where people can play cricket without fear of being shot is precisely the type of thing that the military presence in Afghanistan is there to achieve.

Incidentally, on a historical note, the English introduced cricket to Afghanistan in the mid 1800's just prior to the first (of three, or four if the current conflict is included) Afghan War.

[Golden Bear]

I find it quite bizzare that we (Scotland) are currently playing Afghanistan at cricket in a tournament in Dubai!!:grr:

Maybe I missed something but is the UK not 'at war' with Afghanistan? (and their Taleban 'residents'??

Any day you can see on the media pictures of Scots soldiers who suffered horrific injuries while on duty in Irag. Three limbs blown off does not seem to be too uncommon - to say nothing of the Aid worker from Lewis who lost her life last month!

At any moment while international sports events are being played, any Scots soldier could be killed on duty at the same time!!

Something fundamentally wrong here.

Thoughts??

:agree:

Double standards at play if ever there was.

Personally I'm of the opinion that politics and sport should be kept seperate but I can't help thinking about the extent of the public outcry ( mainly from students) against the touring Springboks rugby team when apartheid was a big issue in South Africa.

[lapsedhibee]

We are not "at war" with Afghanistan; if we are at war with anyone it would be the taliban and other extremist groups within the country.
Sure I heard something on the radio about us being part of a worldwide war on Terry.

[Golden Bear]

Sure I heard something on the radio about us being part of a worldwide war on Terry.

Yip. His chocolate oranges are particularly dangerous if you try and crack them open.

Something needs to be done for sure.

[CropleyWasGod]

:agree:

Double standards at play if ever there was.

Personally I'm of the opinion that politics and sport should be kept seperate but I can't help thinking about the extent of the public outcry ( mainly from students) against the touring Springboks rugby team when apartheid was a big issue in South Africa.

Different situations though, no?

The "big issue" in South Africa was Government policy. It was the ruling regime that were being protested against.

Afghanistan is different. This time we're on the side of the establishment.

[Golden Bear]

Different situations though, no?

The "big issue" in South Africa was Government policy. It was the ruling regime that were being protested against.

Afghanistan is different. This time we're on the side of the establishment.

II was Sport v Politics. One deemed to be acceptable while the other wasn't.

[Dinkydoo]

Sure I heard something on the radio about us being part of a worldwide war on Terry.


Yip. His chocolate oranges are particularly dangerous if you try and crack them open.

Something needs to be done for sure.

:faf:

That is if you actually manage to get one of them away from Dawn French as she tends to get very hostile :wink:

[Phil D. Rolls]

To paraphrase Churchill, isn't playing Afghanistan at sports what we are fighting for? (I know, I know).

[Bad Martini]

If we're winning, then it's morally acceptable and indeed, a "good" idea...

If we're getting beat, we shouldnae be playing them and should demand a rematch :greengrin