[DH]

You wrote "Those were entirely valid questions. But politicians also consider, “how much will our actions affect our standing at home”. Diplomats consider, “how much will our actions affect our standing with our allies”."

You for got to add: Mothers and Fathers ask "why did my son/daughter have to die to feed the egos of politicians and diplomats?"

[MalPearce]

If a politician or a diplomat had children serving in the Forces then you’d be right. But these days, they’re rarer than hen’s teeth in the United Kingdom.

Our Royal Family are just about the only people in any branch of the entire British parliamentary system that still encourages their children to go into the military AND serve at the front line AND muck in with everybody else.

Tony Blair and his ilk absolutely wouldn’t allow their kids to serve in the military for all the tea in China, unless they could wangle a nice desk job for their offspring.

But they were all quite happy to send our troops to the Middle East without the necessary equipment.