ConservativeHome's Platform

Dan Byles: The Government's appalling treatment of our armed forces shows no sign of abating

Dan Byles is the candidate for North Warwickshire and a former Army officer. He served as a staff officer in the MOD during the Iraq invasion, and at the age of 27 was the then youngest serving Major in the Army.

Last week, three British soldiers in Afghanistan were killed in a friendly fire incident. In the same week, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported that opium production in Afghanistan has doubled in the last two years and now accounts for 93% of the world’s opiates.

I am a realist when it comes to the horror and confusion of war, and I refuse to join the usual America-bashing over these tragic deaths. Mistakes happen on the battlefield, and British lives are being saved daily by American close air support. I am less forgiving, however, when it comes to sending British servicemen and women to war with equipment that is known to be inadequate.

The lack of an effective ‘battlefield identification system’ was highlighted five years ago by the Public Accounts Committee, and again in May of this year. Like the requirement for off-the-shelf Cougar armoured vehicles, which was identified as an urgent operational requirement in 2001 but took five years to implement, it seems that nothing is done until enough soldiers have lost their lives.

Dan Byles: Pole to Poll

Dan is a Conservative candidate and former Officer of the Royal Medical Corps. This is an account of his experience embarking on a recent polar expedition in aid of the The Carpe Diem Trust, and the lessons to draw from it.

"On a Polar expedition begin with a clear idea of which Pole you are aiming at, and try to start facing the right way. Choose your companions carefully - you may have to eat them." (Unknown)

On 1 April, less than a month after being selected at an open primary as the new PPC for North Warwickshire, I found myself flying to Canada for my long planned expedition to the Magnetic North Pole. The timing couldn’t have been worse. As the new PPC, I was expected to play a prominent role in the local election campaign. Instead I would miss the entire campaign, and wouldn’t even know the results until I reached civilisation and found a phone several days after the big day.