From Barrie Bertram.
AND I thought that I was opinionated? Clearly I have met my match in Messrs Baudains and Runacres, who cannot pass a soapbox without scrambling aboard (JEP, 10 November).

It is a little unkind to ask for the Lieutenant-Governor’s private opinion as it applies to the current situation regarding Afghanistan, since it ignores his constitutional position as the sovereign’s representative in the Island.

Like her, he is guided by Her Majesty’s Government. Similarly, charges of air-brushing and cherry-picking are unfair, even though Mr Runacres is more than happy to resort to the latter tactic himself with reference to the Afghan government ‘who recently passed a law permitting men to demand sex from their wives whenever they so demanded’, thus supporting his view that it is a corrupt regime.

I would not wish to pretend that the Afghan government is not flawed, nor that that particular law is right, but I hope that, given his post code, Mr Runacres will not pretend that the new soviet that is the European Union is a shining example of democracy, given that the Lisbon Treaty that affects so much was agreed to with little voter involvement across 27 states. As to air-brushing, the EU frequently uses that technique. Meanwhile, Mr Runacres might also consider telling us whether a Taliban regime in Kabul would be any better.

Governments, and not just those of the USA and the UK, are looking to protect their energy supplies be they oil, gas or nuclear, and sad to say, it does come at a price.

They have a duty to look after their nation’s wellbeing, and that must take account of the economic factors. However, this is not, as Mr Baudains implies, something that began in 1979. Does an oil/gas pipeline justify a Nato (not just UK/USA) presence in Afghanistan as Mr Baudains suggests? I think not, but reading that he may have researched this, I would be interested in knowing where it would connect, given the nature of that landlocked country’s terrain.

Maybe there is some honesty in what western governments are saying after all, with regards to the risks posed should Afghanistan fall to the Taliban? Their message may be lacking in clarity and they may appear ham-fisted, but if Afghanistan falls, what next? Pakistan with its nuclear arsenal, Saudi-Arabia or the Gulf states maybe?

This war will only be ‘unwinnable’ if people such as Messrs Baudains and Runacres think it so, and where despondency and cynicism has taken root. Perhaps courage and belief are qualities that need rediscovering.