Talk of political education makes me nervous, perhaps because I have an education.

That's what all the current hoohah is about, and it's cooked up by the media.

Maybe there's not much else going on in the world where some of the blame can not be directed straight back at the media?

I wonder what's going on in Afghanistan right now, for instance, and is it worse than an illicit Chritmas party or having someone else pay for your wallpaper? Given the amount of coverage by the BBC, obviously not.

There are two articles about Afghanistan on the BBC front page right now, and more can be found by following links into categories Afghanistan or Taliban; I found 20 articles in the last 5 days. So I wouldn't say they're exactly ignoring it.

No there isn't and I think you understand my point perfectly.

> I wonder what's going on in Afghanistan right now, for instance, and is it worse than an illicit Chritmas party or having someone else pay for your wallpaper? Given the amount of coverage by the BBC, obviously not.

News is an entertainment product - the main thing that determines what dominates the agenda is what people find interesting and gets eyeballs, not some abstract measure of "worthiness".

And in addition, it is perfectly OK for the national news of a country to focus on issues of importance to that country (such as matters that relate to the honesty and integrity of the prime minister) rather than Indian national health policies or whatever the worthies think is of most importance.

Not that it is even worthies making this comparison of course - more like pathetic attempts to distract.

Pathetic attempts to distract - yes I think you hit the nail squarely on the head there.

I think that what's happening in Afghanistan now is somewhat the fault of British governments since Blair, but also reveals the limits of British power. The decision to pull out was Biden's, the UK was a passenger.

Wait. Wasn’t the decision to pull out the previous president’s?

This is interesting.

It happened on Biden's watch, so people will remember Biden as owning it.

But yes, Trump was the one who decided to pull the plug.

That said, Biden didn't really have to go along with whatever Trump had started, so it was his choice too.

I expect Trumpers to claim credit for the withdrawal, and to simultaneously blame Biden for the defeat, often in the same paragraph. (It's not cognitive dissonance if you know it's all bullshit.) And Democrats will play with a variety of unconvincing narratives, including "Trump tied my hands".

But ultimately, most people are going to view the withdrawal as having been more-or-less necessary, and will recognize the blame game for what it is.