Rolled-up Trousers: John Reid: Let's be slow to condemn abuse

Justin McKeating's dissection of John Reid's new "assymetric battlefield" doctrine is a must read. This was the Defence Secretary on Radio 4 earlier this week:

"We need a dialogue internationally as well as domestically because if we're going to adopt the standard of sensitivity towards various religions, which I believe we should do, it has to apply to all religions. And we can't on the one hand have people demanding that we apply standards which they themselves want to see applied continually but they don't apply them themselves.

Now, let me make one final comment on that, which is specific to British troops as it happens. Similarly, we cannot continually have an assymetric, uneven battlefield for our troops where we are facing an enemy unconstrained by any legality, any morality, any international convention and at the same time subject our troops to a level of scrutiny, accountability, media intrusion, questioning and every conceivable opportunity to criticise. So I say, in that kind of world, where we're facing that kind of enemy, let us be very slow to condemn our troops, our forces, and very quick to support them and understand them."

Yes the prime minister's "Attack Dog" really did seamfully, without prompt, link the cartoons to his chilling opinion on abuses by British troops. Seems he really had something to get off his chest. I'm dumbfounded. Over to Chicken Yoghurt for more...