By Steve Hynd
A Channel Four poll released today has some bad news for the ruling Labour Party and its Conservative opposition as both consider their policy platforms for a general election.
Just 6 per cent of those taking part in today's poll said that British troops were winning the war, compared with 36 per cent who said they were not winning yet but eventual victory was possible, and 48 per cent who said that victory was not possible.
The figures suggested an overwhelming 84 per cent believe that British troops are not winning the war with Taliban militias at present.
Asked when British troops should be brought home from Afghanistan, 25 per cent said "immediately" and 37 per cent said most should be withdrawn soon, with the remainder pulling out within a year or so.
Some 29 per cent said the UK force should remain "as long as Afghanistan's Government wants them there", compared with the total 62 per cent who wanted them withdrawn immediately or in the coming year.
The poll suggests that the public mood is at odds with government policy that Britain and its Nato allies should see through their mission in Afghanistan and keep troops in the country until responsibility for its security can be handed over to home-grown forces in a process known as Afghanisation.
At the moment, both main party's platforms on Afghanistan are almost identical, but the travesty of the Afghan elections led Conservative party leaders to make some statements suggesting they might yet follow their own paleo-conservative wing into opposition to the ongoing occupation. The Conservative party's position on troop increases is actually slightly to the Left of Labour's right now, in that they would support only increases of troops training the Afghan security forces. Meanwhile, Brown's policy is under pressure from his own Left. War skeptics from both sides of the political divide have pointed to Britain's involvement in Helmand as being a waste of blood and national treasure for no strategic benefit. There's considerable hangover resentment in Britain still, from Tony Blair's Iraq involvement, about following U.S. policy too unquestioningly. The UK general election may yet see a race between the two parties to see which can distance itself most from being seen as America's lapdog in Afghanistan.
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