The West is reduced to putting faith in the Taliban’s proclaimed benevolence as the last evacuation flight leaves Kabul
Sting in Taliban
FOR the West’s Afghan allies who did not make it on to evacuation flights, today is the day the door to their tomb slides shut.
As the last US planes leave Kabul, we are reduced to putting our faith in the Taliban’s proclaimed benevolence.
Yet hostility to Western values is a defining characteristic of Afghanistan’s new rulers. As in the fable of the frog carrying a scorpion across a river, it is naïve in the extreme to think we won’t fall victim to their deadly nature.
Taliban henchmen have already been meting out their brutal mockery of justice to their fellow Afghans, executing comedians and folk singers just for failure to match their medieval values.
Others boast of “doing women a favour” — by forcing them to stay home.
Gun-toting thugs providing airport “security” speak of their thirst to shoot Americans even as they stand guard.
We warned the new regime would be a honeypot for jihadists hell-bent on bringing death to our streets. That nightmare is fast becoming reality, with Osama bin Laden’s security chief among those swarming back into Afghanistan.
And how does the UK plan to combat this threat? By relying on the Taliban to snuff it out, bribed with the twin carrots of aid cash and diplomatic recognition.
In fairness, alternative strategies are thin on the ground. But what a thoroughly depressing state of affairs.
Doc gone
IN the depths of the pandemic it made sense for GPs to hold many appointments remotely rather than in person.
The rationale for continuing to do so now Covid is the ninth biggest cause of death in England and 22nd in Wales — below flu and pneumonia — is less clear.
Yes, Covid’s threat is far from over but Zoom appointments are no substitute for the real thing. Even seeing how a patient walks in or sits down can help GPs build up a fuller picture.
Many GPs favour remote appointments as the new default. But patients’ feelings on the matter must take precedence.
The Hippocratic Oath urges doctors to “use my power to help the sick to the best of my ability and judgment”.
Nowhere does it add “so long as it doesn’t inconvenience me”.
Gover & shaker
FROM John Sergeant to Ann Widdecombe and Ed Balls, some of Strictly Come Dancing’s most memorable contestants have come from a political background.
None, however, has reinvented the medium of dance like Michael Gove, who was filmed merrily flailing away at a drum and bass club this weekend.
He may lack rhythm, coordination or any semblance of technique — but he can’t be faulted for entertainment value.
For the sake of the nation’s spirits, we urge Strictly bosses to sign him up pronto.
