Gransnet forums

News & politics

Fingers crossed for Pen Farthing and Nowzad

(486 Posts)
Maudi Wed 25-Aug-21 09:09:13

Afghanistan: Fresh hope for ex-Marine Pen Farthing's bid to rescue 200 dogs and cats from Kabul
The defence secretary says Pen Farthing, his staff and the animals will now be able to leave on the chartered aircraft.
Wednesday 25 August 2021 07:40, UK

Anyone else rooting for Pen and his animals ?

tickingbird Mon 30-Aug-21 16:35:05

Do people on here dislike him? Apart from one or two comments GN’s seem supportive of his efforts.

GrannyGravy13 Mon 30-Aug-21 16:57:20

tickingbird

Do people on here dislike him? Apart from one or two comments GN’s seem supportive of his efforts.

I neither like nor dislike him as I do not know him. I think his charity was/is admirable, he enabled young Afghan girls to be trained as veterinary nurses, another plus.

I am not sure that any of us know people unless we actually know them, otherwise it’s just how they portray themselves in the media and/or how the media portrays them.

JaneJudge Mon 30-Aug-21 17:23:55

I didn't find him annoying and i find a lot of people annoying usually grin

Callistemon Mon 30-Aug-21 19:38:02

JaneJudge

I suppose some people might have liked him to be in quarantine with animals? especially as he apparently so annoying

In a cage with a bowl of water and a bowl of dried dog food?!

JaneJudge Mon 30-Aug-21 20:01:25

he'd have to wormed and vaccinated too, obviously

PippaZ Mon 30-Aug-21 20:10:49

Rather like GrannyGravy13, I do not believe you can like or dislike anyone you don't know.

However, transporting animals when people could have been in that space in the plane seems cruel.

Alegrias1 Mon 30-Aug-21 20:22:26

I'm going to shout.

THERE WERE SPACES FOR ABOUT 100 PEOPLE BUT THE SPACES WENT BEGGING BECAUSE HIS STAFF DIDN'T GET THE RIGHT PAPERWORK THAT THE US SAID THEY NEEDED AND NOBODY ELSE WAS PUT FORWARD TO TAKE UP THE SPACE.

There, I feel better for that.

Jaxjacky Mon 30-Aug-21 20:32:31

I thought he’d have to quarantine here coming from a red country?

Alegrias1 Mon 30-Aug-21 20:40:01

Jaxjacky

I thought he’d have to quarantine here coming from a red country?

If you take a connecting flight without leaving the airport, or go straight to another airport, you don't need to quarantine.

JaneJudge Mon 30-Aug-21 20:49:17

I noticed today the sparrows rule the middle to upper part of hedge, the dunnocks are at the bottom
the blue tits think they are in charge of the tree above but robin thinks it rules all of them
then the blackbird just randomly goes in the hedge to shit them all up
and the kestrel and goshawks just pick them all off and the magpies take their opportunities

It is like being human

JaneJudge Mon 30-Aug-21 20:50:15

sorry, wrong thread

MaizieD Mon 30-Aug-21 21:38:56

Alegrias1

I'm going to shout.

THERE WERE SPACES FOR ABOUT 100 PEOPLE BUT THE SPACES WENT BEGGING BECAUSE HIS STAFF DIDN'T GET THE RIGHT PAPERWORK THAT THE US SAID THEY NEEDED AND NOBODY ELSE WAS PUT FORWARD TO TAKE UP THE SPACE.

There, I feel better for that.

If you'd put * * round those capital letters it would have been even louder grin

Callistemon Mon 30-Aug-21 22:18:43

JaneJudge

I noticed today the sparrows rule the middle to upper part of hedge, the dunnocks are at the bottom
the blue tits think they are in charge of the tree above but robin thinks it rules all of them
then the blackbird just randomly goes in the hedge to shit them all up
and the kestrel and goshawks just pick them all off and the magpies take their opportunities

It is like being human

It does have parallels

Callistemon Mon 30-Aug-21 22:22:41

Whispers very, very quietly:

Animal welfare campaigner Dominic Dyer said Taliban guards would not let Mr Farthing's Afghan staff through the airport, even though they had papers permitting them to come to Britain.

He said Nowzad would continue to work to get them safely to Britain.

ITV Sunday 29 August 2021, 5:33pm

Whatdayisit Mon 30-Aug-21 22:34:49

JaneJudge

I noticed today the sparrows rule the middle to upper part of hedge, the dunnocks are at the bottom
the blue tits think they are in charge of the tree above but robin thinks it rules all of them
then the blackbird just randomly goes in the hedge to shit them all up
and the kestrel and goshawks just pick them all off and the magpies take their opportunities

It is like being human

Wow I thought how profound and relevant at summing up this thread.
Very disappointed that it was not for this thread.

JaneJudge Mon 30-Aug-21 22:46:35

I will allow it for this thread too then smile love to all of you xx

PippaZ Tue 31-Aug-21 03:13:50

Alegrias1

I'm going to shout.

THERE WERE SPACES FOR ABOUT 100 PEOPLE BUT THE SPACES WENT BEGGING BECAUSE HIS STAFF DIDN'T GET THE RIGHT PAPERWORK THAT THE US SAID THEY NEEDED AND NOBODY ELSE WAS PUT FORWARD TO TAKE UP THE SPACE.

There, I feel better for that.

You don't need to shout. We can all read. However, I doubt that the contents of your post would matter one iota to the people trying to leave and their families.

What you say may be a fact. Nevertheless. that fact is irrelevant in the circumstances. That will not be the perception of those left to fend for themselves. Theirs will be that animals were put before them. They may even die with that picture in their mnds. Leaving people behind is not great; there is no need to rub their noses in the fact that they have been.

Madgran77 Tue 31-Aug-21 07:28:21

Soldiers were taken away from their work processing people seeking to get on a plane to get animals through instead and get them to plane! That is NOT a quick walk through a "boarding gate" is it in Kabul at the moment!!!!

So, different space on plane or not for the animals, PEOPLE were impacted on who might have got through!

Alegrias1 Tue 31-Aug-21 07:49:04

You don't need to shout. We can all read.

But some of us choose not to.

love0c Tue 31-Aug-21 08:51:15

Madgran77 I quite agree. Me, I am sick to the back teeth of hearing about him!

MaizieD Tue 31-Aug-21 09:07:23

This thread is getting worse than a Harry & Meghan thread...

PippaZ Tue 31-Aug-21 09:24:55

Alegrias1

^You don't need to shout. We can all read.^

But some of us choose not to.

Or choose not to give weight to your argument Alegrais. We are allowed to do that.

Alegrias1 Tue 31-Aug-21 09:32:08

Yes, yes you are.

Read the whole thread and see where the weight of the argument lies, and see how many people have randomly thrown in comments like "people first" and see how they have been rebutted.

PippaZ Tue 31-Aug-21 10:48:38

Alegrias1

Yes, yes you are.

Read the whole thread and see where the weight of the argument lies, and see how many people have randomly thrown in comments like "people first" and see how they have been rebutted.

I have been reading the thread and chose not to comment until now. If the decision had to be made by those on the ground in a hurry, and if an enquiry finds there was space that wouldn't and couldn't be filled by people, then they had a very difficult choice to make. An enquiry will no doubt give us the facts rather than the scuttlebutt. I don't see how this would have felt okay for those left behind. I am posting my views, not yours, Alegrais.

I do not feel they ever stood much of a chance in getting everyone out. I was involved in evacuation rehearsals in an area under our control. The British, particularly forces families, tend to be compliant under normal circumstances. They are not so compliant when they are frightened.

Afghanistan was a retreat, and was a far more legistically difficult situation than the one I was involve in. It was bound, in some ways, to fail. I was lucky enough to come home early. However, I do know that it is likely to be some time before we know the truth of this situation.

I do not think putting the animals on the plane was a kindness to the people left behind. People, some of whom know being left behind is a death sentence. I think it was a bad call and decided to say so - without asking your permission to do so Alegrais.

PippaZ Tue 31-Aug-21 10:51:24

legistically logistically