Defence must be more adaptable, able to respond quickly to the changes in the security environment and the character of conflict. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
Our aim is always to minimise casualties and to separate a hardline Taliban from those who have been caught up in the insurgency. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
The last thing we want to do is to go into an area and inflict unnecessary civilian casualties. One is too many. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
It’s hard to find good teamwork in practice, and I have never thought that we, as a party, were any better at working as a team than the Tories, despite our core values. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
Despite the increasingly presidential style of political leadership in our country, teamwork is essential. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
When I was first elected to parliament 18 years ago, one of the many things that struck me and that I still feel now is how the Labour Party, the party of collective action, can, at MP level and above, behave in such an individualistic way. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
We need a leader able to project his or her personality and present our policies in today’s media environment. All this is true – but we also need a leader capable of building a team, inspiring loyalty from colleagues, and one genuinely open to ideas. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
We are not in Afghanistan because girls were not allowed to go to school, but helping them do so will give the Afghan people hope for a better future. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
The reasoning for our civil-military plan is that lasting success will be when the Afghan government, security forces and people can resist the insurgents and terrorists themselves. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
The war in Afghanistan is too important to be reduced to a political football. We are fighting there to protect our national security. We are confronting the Taliban-led insurgency to prevent terrorists returning to that country. Bob Ainsworth Read Quote
