Handy Disposable Afghans

An open letter from some prominent military and political figures and Lord Ashdown has called attention to the plight of Afghans who have collaborated with the British forces. As one would expect, given our spirited independence from foreign influence, Britain is the only NATO country which offers no asylum for interpreters; claims are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and the process is neither fast nor transparent.

We have been here before. New Labour initially responded to death threats against Iraqi collaborators by telling its embassy in Syria not to let in any Iraqi refugees. Iraqis who felt themselves at risk were advised to go to the United Nations, which had done so little to advance the case for destroying Iraq that the Reverend Blair and his chums presumably thought it only fair that it should pick up some of the pieces.

New Labour did eventually make some grudging and limited provision for Iraqis who had helped the British forces. Whether Daveybloke's Cuddly Coalition will do as much for Afghans is quite another matter. The open letter points out that local interpreters "have risked their lives and made extraordinary sacrifices just like British soldiers", and we all know how concerned the Bullingdon Club is about the welfare of British soldiers.

There is, nevertheless, a petition.