a failure of the international community and was actually almost in tears just hours ago, saying that he feared that all of the people britain owed an obligation to wouldn't be able to make it out of afghanistan to britain, as he believed they should be allowed to do. the british government overall looks like a terrible mess, doesn't it? well, ben wallace, the defence secretary, i think is in an invidious position, having to deal with this circumstance. i know that he is hugely concerned about the american decision itself, which i think the americans and indeed britons and other nations will live to regret. but you are right in what you say. i came into politics because i wanted to see britain play a more influential role on the international stage. i think we have a reach and understanding, an appreciation of the world around us, that we are trusted as well, and a desire to be a force for good. but i'm afraid of recent... we've been distracted by brexit, latterly by covid as well, and whitehall simply has not got the bandwidth