Thread by @AaronBastani

As the US announces withdrawal from Afghanistan you can't help but think about the lack of accountability for the Blair government in becoming embroiled in a hellish, historic defeat.

One figure, Labour's John Reid, exemplifies that. Thread (1/5)

In 2006 Reid oversaw the deployment of 3,300 soldiers to Helmand, a prospect about which he was optimistic saying, “we would be perfectly happy to leave in three years and without firing one shot” (2/5)

theguardian.com/world/julian-b…

Yet within twelve months British soldiers there had fired *four million bullets* in some of the most intense fighting seen by any unit since the second world war (3/5).

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews…

And Reid? While men lost arms, legs and lives he would become a consultant for G4S in Iraq and Afghanistan – and was handsomely rewarded.

The open, rather than revolving door, of lobbyists and politicians was pioneered by Blair administrations (4/5).

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…

But that's all in the past I hear you say? Well in fact Reid donated £4000 to Lisa Nandy's leadership campaign.

People with so much blood on their hands have been richly rewarded, are viewed as paragons of wisdom by BBC & are immensely influential (5/5)

labourlist.org/2020/02/nandy-…

Many people - right, left and centre - revile such politicians and such behaviour and will never forgive them.