I wrote a while back of the hostage situation

with the Brit Marines and sailors, and mentioned an old saying I'd heard: "Lions, being led by mice". Ran across this today from Michael Yon. Go read it. You really should.

Back? Here's what you usually have seen over the years from British military forces; competence and courage. Despite their government all too often screwing them over. Here, no air cover to both spot bad guys and suppress enemy fire from the rooftops. In the hostage incident, orders not to fire if attacked and, from the looks of it, insufficient training. The British Navy is about to have half of its ships trashed. In the past... remember early in the invasion when Brit troops had to borrow ammo, because they didn't have enough for a basic load?

Early on in this war there was an editorial in a British paper basically asking "Why is it that, despite the roadblocks put in his way, the squaddie delivers? We've sunk billions into education and the National Health System and we're getting trash back; the troops aren't paid enough and all too often don't have what they need and are looked down on by too many in the government, but they generally get the job done anyway." And they have, with a few exceptions.

And I don't doubt they'll continue. Unless the bastards like Blair & Co. finally screw them over so badly they either cannot fight, or they all stand up and say "Enough".