Wednesday, 7th October, 5.30pm in the JCR
Friday, 2 October 2009
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Why people are demonstrating against the Labour Party
We've heard a series of dismal speeches by Gordon Brown at the Labour Party conference in the last few days. Here's why people hate the Labour Party and its neoliberal ways.
A snippet of the demo by Ady Cousins.
A snippet of the demo by Ady Cousins.
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Lowkey speaks at Stop the War Student Conference
Extraordinary speech by Lowkey at Stop the War Coalition's student conference over the weekend.
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Why Afghans have no hope in this week's vote
by Malalai Joya, Member of the Afghan Parliament, 19th August 2009
(Republished here because it's worth remembering! www.stopwar.org.uk)
Like millions of Afghans, I have no hope in the results of this week's election. In a country ruled by warlords, occupation forces, Taliban insurgency, drug money and guns, no one can expect a legitimate or fair vote.
Among the people on the street, a common sentiment is, 'Everything has already been decided by the U.S. and NATO, and the real winner has already been picked by the White House and Pentagon.' Although there are a total of 41 candidates running for president, the vast majority of them are well known faces responsible for the current disastrous situation in Afghanistan.
Hamid Karzai has cemented alliances with brutal warlords and fundamentalists in order to maintain his position.
Although our Constitution forbids war criminals from running for office, he has named two notorious militia commanders as his vice-presidential running mates -- Qasim Fahim, who was, at the time of the 2001 invasion, the warlord who headed up the Northern Alliance, and Karim Khalili.
The election commission did not reject them or a number of others accused of many crimes, and so the list of candidates also includes former Russian puppets and a former Taliban commander.
Betraying women of Afghanistan
Karzai has also continued to betray the women of Afghanistan. Even after massive international outcry and brave protesters taking to the streets of Kabul, Karzai has implemented the infamous law targeting Shia women. He had initially promised to review the most egregious clauses, but in the end it was passed with few amendments, leaving the barbaric anti-women statements untouched. As Human Rights Watch recently said, "Karzai has made an unthinkable deal to sell Afghan women out in return for the support of fundamentalists in the August 20 election."
Deals have been made with countless fundamentalists in Karzai's maneuvering to stay in power. For example, pro-Iranian extremist Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, who has been accused of war crimes, has been promised five cabinet positions for his party, and so he has told the media he's backing Karzai. A deal has even been done with the dreaded warlord Rashid Dostum -- who has returned from exile in Turkey to campaign for Karzai -- and many other such terrorists. Rather than democracy, what we have in Afghanistan today are back room deals amongst discredited warlords.
The two main contenders to Karzai's continued rule, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Abdullah Abdullah, do not offer any change; both are former cabinet ministers in this discredited regime and neither has a real, broad footing amongst the people. Abdullah has run a high profile campaign, in part due to the backing and financial support he receives from Iran's fundamentalist regime. Abdullah and some of the Northern Alliance commanders supporting him have threatened unrest if he loses the vote, raising fears of a return to the rampant violence and killing that marked the civil war years of 1992 to 1996. All of the major candidates' speeches and policies are very similar. They make the same sweet-sounding promises, but we are not fooled. Afghans remember how Karzai abandoned his campaign pledges after winning the 2004 vote.
We Afghans know that this election will change nothing and it is only part of a show of democracy put on by and for the West, to legitimize its future puppet in Afghanistan. It seems we are doomed to see the continuation of this failed, mafia-like corrupt government for another term.
Rampant corruption
The people of Afghanistan are fed up with the rampant corruption of Karzai's "narco-state" government -- his own brother, Wali Karzai, has been linked to drug trafficking in Kandahar Province -- and the escalating war waged by NATO. In May of this year, U.S. air strikes killed approximately 150 civilians in my native province, Farah. More than ever, Afghans are faced with powerful internal enemies -- fundamentalist warlords and their Taliban brothers-in-creed -- and the external enemies occupying the country.
Democracy will never come to Afghanistan through the barrel of a gun, or from the cluster bombs dropped by foreign forces. The struggle will be long and difficult, but the values of real democracy, human rights and women's rights will only be won by the Afghan people themselves.
So not be fooled by this façade of democracy. Your governments in the West that claim to be bringing democracy to Afghanistan ignore public opinion in their own countries, where growing numbers are against the war. President Obama in particular needs to understand that the change Afghans believe in does not include more troops and a ramped up war.
If the populations of Afghanistan and the NATO countries were able to vote on this military occupation it could not continue indefinitely, and peace would finally be within reach.
(Republished here because it's worth remembering! www.stopwar.org.uk)
Like millions of Afghans, I have no hope in the results of this week's election. In a country ruled by warlords, occupation forces, Taliban insurgency, drug money and guns, no one can expect a legitimate or fair vote.
Among the people on the street, a common sentiment is, 'Everything has already been decided by the U.S. and NATO, and the real winner has already been picked by the White House and Pentagon.' Although there are a total of 41 candidates running for president, the vast majority of them are well known faces responsible for the current disastrous situation in Afghanistan.
Hamid Karzai has cemented alliances with brutal warlords and fundamentalists in order to maintain his position.
Although our Constitution forbids war criminals from running for office, he has named two notorious militia commanders as his vice-presidential running mates -- Qasim Fahim, who was, at the time of the 2001 invasion, the warlord who headed up the Northern Alliance, and Karim Khalili.
The election commission did not reject them or a number of others accused of many crimes, and so the list of candidates also includes former Russian puppets and a former Taliban commander.
Betraying women of Afghanistan
Karzai has also continued to betray the women of Afghanistan. Even after massive international outcry and brave protesters taking to the streets of Kabul, Karzai has implemented the infamous law targeting Shia women. He had initially promised to review the most egregious clauses, but in the end it was passed with few amendments, leaving the barbaric anti-women statements untouched. As Human Rights Watch recently said, "Karzai has made an unthinkable deal to sell Afghan women out in return for the support of fundamentalists in the August 20 election."
Deals have been made with countless fundamentalists in Karzai's maneuvering to stay in power. For example, pro-Iranian extremist Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, who has been accused of war crimes, has been promised five cabinet positions for his party, and so he has told the media he's backing Karzai. A deal has even been done with the dreaded warlord Rashid Dostum -- who has returned from exile in Turkey to campaign for Karzai -- and many other such terrorists. Rather than democracy, what we have in Afghanistan today are back room deals amongst discredited warlords.
The two main contenders to Karzai's continued rule, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Abdullah Abdullah, do not offer any change; both are former cabinet ministers in this discredited regime and neither has a real, broad footing amongst the people. Abdullah has run a high profile campaign, in part due to the backing and financial support he receives from Iran's fundamentalist regime. Abdullah and some of the Northern Alliance commanders supporting him have threatened unrest if he loses the vote, raising fears of a return to the rampant violence and killing that marked the civil war years of 1992 to 1996. All of the major candidates' speeches and policies are very similar. They make the same sweet-sounding promises, but we are not fooled. Afghans remember how Karzai abandoned his campaign pledges after winning the 2004 vote.
We Afghans know that this election will change nothing and it is only part of a show of democracy put on by and for the West, to legitimize its future puppet in Afghanistan. It seems we are doomed to see the continuation of this failed, mafia-like corrupt government for another term.
Rampant corruption
The people of Afghanistan are fed up with the rampant corruption of Karzai's "narco-state" government -- his own brother, Wali Karzai, has been linked to drug trafficking in Kandahar Province -- and the escalating war waged by NATO. In May of this year, U.S. air strikes killed approximately 150 civilians in my native province, Farah. More than ever, Afghans are faced with powerful internal enemies -- fundamentalist warlords and their Taliban brothers-in-creed -- and the external enemies occupying the country.
Democracy will never come to Afghanistan through the barrel of a gun, or from the cluster bombs dropped by foreign forces. The struggle will be long and difficult, but the values of real democracy, human rights and women's rights will only be won by the Afghan people themselves.
So not be fooled by this façade of democracy. Your governments in the West that claim to be bringing democracy to Afghanistan ignore public opinion in their own countries, where growing numbers are against the war. President Obama in particular needs to understand that the change Afghans believe in does not include more troops and a ramped up war.
If the populations of Afghanistan and the NATO countries were able to vote on this military occupation it could not continue indefinitely, and peace would finally be within reach.
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Bush shoe thrower to be freed
Al Jazeera.net, Sunday, 30th August 2009
Al-Zaidi was sentenced to one year because he had no prior criminal history [AFP]
An Iraqi journalist jailed after hurling his shoes at George Bush, the former US president, will be released in September.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi's sentence was reduced for good behaviour, his lawyer said on Saturday.
Karim al-Shujairi, a defence attorney, said al-Zeidi will now be released on September 14, three months early.
Al-Zaidi was initially sentenced to three years after pleading not guilty to assaulting a foreign leader, then the court reduced it to one year because the journalist had no prior criminal history.
The act of the 30-year-old reporter during Bush's last visit to Iraq as president turned him into a folk hero across the Arab world amid anger over the 2003 invasion.
The incident, which took place on December 14, embarrassed Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush at the time during a joint news conference.
Neither leader was injured, but Bush was forced to duck for cover as the journalist shouted in Arabic: "This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."
Al-Zaidi was sentenced to one year because he had no prior criminal history [AFP]
An Iraqi journalist jailed after hurling his shoes at George Bush, the former US president, will be released in September.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi's sentence was reduced for good behaviour, his lawyer said on Saturday.
Karim al-Shujairi, a defence attorney, said al-Zeidi will now be released on September 14, three months early.
Al-Zaidi was initially sentenced to three years after pleading not guilty to assaulting a foreign leader, then the court reduced it to one year because the journalist had no prior criminal history.
The act of the 30-year-old reporter during Bush's last visit to Iraq as president turned him into a folk hero across the Arab world amid anger over the 2003 invasion.
The incident, which took place on December 14, embarrassed Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush at the time during a joint news conference.
Neither leader was injured, but Bush was forced to duck for cover as the journalist shouted in Arabic: "This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."
Friday, 14 August 2009
Monday, 3 August 2009
The Good Fight
Brendan Montague, 31st July 2009, Counterfire
Lance corporal Joe Glenton went Awol rather than return to Afghanistan. Earlier this year, Joe married Clare. This is her story.
Joe Glenton, 27, is Lance Corporal for the Four Logistics Support Regiment and served in Afghanistan until the end of 2006. He was due to be posted back into the theatre of war in mid 2007 but went Awol. He joined the army in 2004 aged 23 and was based at Dolton, Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Born in Norwich, he was raised and now lives in York.
Yesterday, he handed a letter to Downing Street explaining why he went Awol and is opposed to military operations in Afghanistan. On May 23 this year, Joe married Clare, 32, a trainee lawyer from Prestwich in Manchester. This is her story.
We first made contact through Facebook because we had a mutual friend. I got a message telling me that Joe was coming to Australia from Asia and asking if we would like to meet because he didn't know anyone in the country. Dan Markham, who introduced us, just said: "I want you to just meet up with this guy and show him around, I think you would get on." I had gone out to Australia by myself and I knew what it was like to be a stranger in a strange place. So in August 2007 I just met him in a bar for a few drinks - so we are now coming up for two years together.
I had no idea about his army background. I didn't fancy him in the least. He was just a sweaty backpacker with a beard and scraggy hair. He seemed very quiet and introverted - but at the same time he was really interesting. Initially we just talked about what we had in common, which at the very beginning was just the fact we both knew Dan. Dan was an old friend of mine from London and he had met Joe in Vietnam. I think Joe was just lost, drinking quite a lot.
It was probably only a week after we met that we first slept together. We were immediately spending a lot of time together and talking about the traveling we had done. I invited him to an event which was providing free drinks and by the end of the evening it was just to two of us. He had a few drinks he just blurted it out and told me that he had joined the army, had served in Afghanistan and then while back in the UK had just gone Awol - jumped the fence.
Attraction
I was a little shocked at first - I felt sorry for him. I didn't see how he had done anything wrong. I had no opinions about Afghanistan at the time, I was closed to it all. It is only since we have been together that I can understand what it all means. It's certainly been an education for me. That evening I was more impressed that he had been a soldier than anything. I thought that was wonderful, he was a man in uniform which is what so many girls tend to like.
He still had a great sense of humour and because he trusted me I felt like he was someone I could trust. He came across as a very caring person. I was also quite fascinated by his situation. The fact we had a mutual friend helped because there was always something light we could talk about. It was about a week after meeting that we became a couple. It was so intense. We both started to feel this real attraction. I moved into my own flat in October and he came to stay just before Christmas, just for a few days. He never left.
But for Joe it was a very stressful occupation, it was very difficult for him. There were times when he would just shut me out. The more I tried to help and support him, the more he would just rage and shout at me. He was constantly having nightmares, he felt really guilty about the lads he had left behind and he was always questioning if he had made the right decision. He was scared of going back, of going to prison. But he couldn't justify the war to himself, he couldn't be involved because he didn't think British troops should be out there.
At first I was asking myself what I was getting in to. I thought Joe was going to travel back to the UK to hand himself in to the army. He was determined to hand himself in but he just couldn't do it. He was in a bit of a hole. He was obviously very depressed. Having just met him I just thought that was who he was, that he was just very angry all the time. He was so volatile. He didn't like meeting new people. He found it very difficult because he didn't want to lie to people about his situation. He obviously couldn't tell people he was Awol because of the fear of being found out, of being deported from Australia.
It was a very big battle. He felt guilty and ashamed. Initially I thought he was completely lost. When he was in Asia he had no idea what he was doing. He was just wondering around. I was very much stable in Australia. I had a job as a personal assistant working for a legal firm. I was single at the time. I had just been through a very hard time myself. I had a big split from an ex two years earlier and I was quite vulnerable.
Awe and shock
I had re-evaluated all my friendships. I had been seeing Paul for 10 years when he decided to end it and we lived in the same friendship circle. I was extremely hurt and decided to make a clean break and move to Australia. So I was lost and lonely myself. I was certainly looking for a new friendship and probably a new relationship. Joe helped me come to terms with a lot of things and he was a great listener - working through my problems gave him a break from worrying about his own situation. Then when he told me what was really going on, I was able to help him.
There was part of me that felt at the time that I didn't deserve to have to deal with Joe's emotional baggage as well as my own. We did split up a number of times because I couldn't cope with his behavior. He was just so angry. He was suffering from depression. We had spent a lot of time together and it all happened so quickly. When he got angry he just wanted to be left alone, which I found very difficult to do because I could see that he was suffering and I wanted to help. He would reject me which was very hard. He found it incredibly hard to talk about what had happened to him in Afghanistan. He would talk about the mortars flying over head. And the fact he had to shift coffins around. I was just in awe and shock of what he was telling me.
For me life started to feel normal. We had a home and I was doing well in my job. Joe was doing odd bits of work, landscaping mainly. But it was never normal for Joe. He was still very confused about what he was doing. It was a large part of our lives and difficult for both of us to come to terms with the fact he was Awol. We were falling more in love but we couldn't stay in Australia for ever.
Apart from anything, Joe's visa was due to run out this year so he knew he would have to come back to the UK. He only really started to come to terms with everything after Christmas last year. He made contact with the army's welfare support services and started to receive counseling. I was doing some research on the Internet and I am convinced he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, he was showing all the symptoms.
But the only solution was for him to hand himself in and we decided to come back to the UK. This was a huge step for both of us, we knew he could go to prison for two years. We got married in May after he proposed in February. We decided we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and marriage was very important to me. It was something to show our level of commitment to each other. Whatever happened to Joe, we wanted to make the journey together.
We had a very private ceremony because we didn't want a big fuss and we had a lovely celebration afterwords with some friends. Our families were not able to come out so there was some disappointment. We were fortunate to be married in Sydney because it is such a beautiful city and the weather was incredible. The whole day was beautiful in every way - apart from this big dark cloud hanging over us.
It was very nerve wracking the whole plane ride home because we didn't know what to expect. We assumed that customs officials would stop us or the army would be there to arrest Joe and take him away. That's what we assumed would happen. We thought there would be an intervention. But on the day it was only our families that were there to greet us. Joe's mum Sue, 57, a PA, and my sister Louise, 29, a photographer were waiting in arrivals. I just collapsed into their arms. There were lots of hugs.
Even when we arrived at the airport my sister didn't know what was going on so we were trying very hard not to reveal our emotions. We didn't do very well. I have always been very close to my mother and my sister. But for the whole time I was with Joe I had never told them he was Awol, or how stressed he had been. They knew something was wrong. So when we finally told them our situation I think they were just relieved that he wasn't a murderer. When I told my mum she just said: "Okay, you are both adults and you're married so we respect your privacy." Everyone was so amazing.
I am very nervous about Monday. There's a very real possibility that Joe could be sent to jail for up to two years. At this stage I can't even bear to think about that. When I do think about it I find myself getting very upset and emotional. I have a gut feeling. I just trust the fact that Joe is going to be okay. As a couple we will battle through it. I'm going am going from my instincts, I believe we will be fine and he will not be taken away from me.
Proud
The irony is this is the time when I am finally getting to know the real Joe. He is much less angry and at ease with himself. He is very thoughtful and considerate. He is not naturally an angry person. I have always seen what Joe was inside but ever since Christmas when we decided what we would do and that we would do it together this has shone through in every way. Since we have been in the UK he has been amazing. He has proved to me more than I had ever hoped for. Our relationship has become even more intense and intimate. There has been more emotion and enjoying each other's company. It's been brilliant.
If Joe walks free after the hearing, Joe wants to go to university to read political science or international studies and I want to finally move on with my career. However, I am now 32 and we do want to have a family. Some of those involved with our legal team from the army were diabolical, but a family friend, John Tipple, is now helping us with our case. He has been an inspiration. He has been really supportive of Joe.
The last few days have been incredible. After keeping everything a secret it is amazing watching Joe tell the world about what he feels about the war. His loyalty will always be with the lads, but he is haunted by what is happening to the Afghan people. The children who are being killed. He cannot find any justification for it. For me, it has been like being married to a celebrity, we've been in and out of television studios and everyone has been texting saying "what are you doing on the news!" But most importantly, Joe is finally everything I knew he could be. He is incredibly brave to make this stand and I am just proud that I can be here to support him.
Lance corporal Joe Glenton went Awol rather than return to Afghanistan. Earlier this year, Joe married Clare. This is her story.
Joe Glenton, 27, is Lance Corporal for the Four Logistics Support Regiment and served in Afghanistan until the end of 2006. He was due to be posted back into the theatre of war in mid 2007 but went Awol. He joined the army in 2004 aged 23 and was based at Dolton, Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Born in Norwich, he was raised and now lives in York.
Yesterday, he handed a letter to Downing Street explaining why he went Awol and is opposed to military operations in Afghanistan. On May 23 this year, Joe married Clare, 32, a trainee lawyer from Prestwich in Manchester. This is her story.
We first made contact through Facebook because we had a mutual friend. I got a message telling me that Joe was coming to Australia from Asia and asking if we would like to meet because he didn't know anyone in the country. Dan Markham, who introduced us, just said: "I want you to just meet up with this guy and show him around, I think you would get on." I had gone out to Australia by myself and I knew what it was like to be a stranger in a strange place. So in August 2007 I just met him in a bar for a few drinks - so we are now coming up for two years together.
I had no idea about his army background. I didn't fancy him in the least. He was just a sweaty backpacker with a beard and scraggy hair. He seemed very quiet and introverted - but at the same time he was really interesting. Initially we just talked about what we had in common, which at the very beginning was just the fact we both knew Dan. Dan was an old friend of mine from London and he had met Joe in Vietnam. I think Joe was just lost, drinking quite a lot.
It was probably only a week after we met that we first slept together. We were immediately spending a lot of time together and talking about the traveling we had done. I invited him to an event which was providing free drinks and by the end of the evening it was just to two of us. He had a few drinks he just blurted it out and told me that he had joined the army, had served in Afghanistan and then while back in the UK had just gone Awol - jumped the fence.
Attraction
I was a little shocked at first - I felt sorry for him. I didn't see how he had done anything wrong. I had no opinions about Afghanistan at the time, I was closed to it all. It is only since we have been together that I can understand what it all means. It's certainly been an education for me. That evening I was more impressed that he had been a soldier than anything. I thought that was wonderful, he was a man in uniform which is what so many girls tend to like.
He still had a great sense of humour and because he trusted me I felt like he was someone I could trust. He came across as a very caring person. I was also quite fascinated by his situation. The fact we had a mutual friend helped because there was always something light we could talk about. It was about a week after meeting that we became a couple. It was so intense. We both started to feel this real attraction. I moved into my own flat in October and he came to stay just before Christmas, just for a few days. He never left.
But for Joe it was a very stressful occupation, it was very difficult for him. There were times when he would just shut me out. The more I tried to help and support him, the more he would just rage and shout at me. He was constantly having nightmares, he felt really guilty about the lads he had left behind and he was always questioning if he had made the right decision. He was scared of going back, of going to prison. But he couldn't justify the war to himself, he couldn't be involved because he didn't think British troops should be out there.
At first I was asking myself what I was getting in to. I thought Joe was going to travel back to the UK to hand himself in to the army. He was determined to hand himself in but he just couldn't do it. He was in a bit of a hole. He was obviously very depressed. Having just met him I just thought that was who he was, that he was just very angry all the time. He was so volatile. He didn't like meeting new people. He found it very difficult because he didn't want to lie to people about his situation. He obviously couldn't tell people he was Awol because of the fear of being found out, of being deported from Australia.
It was a very big battle. He felt guilty and ashamed. Initially I thought he was completely lost. When he was in Asia he had no idea what he was doing. He was just wondering around. I was very much stable in Australia. I had a job as a personal assistant working for a legal firm. I was single at the time. I had just been through a very hard time myself. I had a big split from an ex two years earlier and I was quite vulnerable.
Awe and shock
I had re-evaluated all my friendships. I had been seeing Paul for 10 years when he decided to end it and we lived in the same friendship circle. I was extremely hurt and decided to make a clean break and move to Australia. So I was lost and lonely myself. I was certainly looking for a new friendship and probably a new relationship. Joe helped me come to terms with a lot of things and he was a great listener - working through my problems gave him a break from worrying about his own situation. Then when he told me what was really going on, I was able to help him.
There was part of me that felt at the time that I didn't deserve to have to deal with Joe's emotional baggage as well as my own. We did split up a number of times because I couldn't cope with his behavior. He was just so angry. He was suffering from depression. We had spent a lot of time together and it all happened so quickly. When he got angry he just wanted to be left alone, which I found very difficult to do because I could see that he was suffering and I wanted to help. He would reject me which was very hard. He found it incredibly hard to talk about what had happened to him in Afghanistan. He would talk about the mortars flying over head. And the fact he had to shift coffins around. I was just in awe and shock of what he was telling me.
For me life started to feel normal. We had a home and I was doing well in my job. Joe was doing odd bits of work, landscaping mainly. But it was never normal for Joe. He was still very confused about what he was doing. It was a large part of our lives and difficult for both of us to come to terms with the fact he was Awol. We were falling more in love but we couldn't stay in Australia for ever.
Apart from anything, Joe's visa was due to run out this year so he knew he would have to come back to the UK. He only really started to come to terms with everything after Christmas last year. He made contact with the army's welfare support services and started to receive counseling. I was doing some research on the Internet and I am convinced he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, he was showing all the symptoms.
But the only solution was for him to hand himself in and we decided to come back to the UK. This was a huge step for both of us, we knew he could go to prison for two years. We got married in May after he proposed in February. We decided we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and marriage was very important to me. It was something to show our level of commitment to each other. Whatever happened to Joe, we wanted to make the journey together.
We had a very private ceremony because we didn't want a big fuss and we had a lovely celebration afterwords with some friends. Our families were not able to come out so there was some disappointment. We were fortunate to be married in Sydney because it is such a beautiful city and the weather was incredible. The whole day was beautiful in every way - apart from this big dark cloud hanging over us.
It was very nerve wracking the whole plane ride home because we didn't know what to expect. We assumed that customs officials would stop us or the army would be there to arrest Joe and take him away. That's what we assumed would happen. We thought there would be an intervention. But on the day it was only our families that were there to greet us. Joe's mum Sue, 57, a PA, and my sister Louise, 29, a photographer were waiting in arrivals. I just collapsed into their arms. There were lots of hugs.
Even when we arrived at the airport my sister didn't know what was going on so we were trying very hard not to reveal our emotions. We didn't do very well. I have always been very close to my mother and my sister. But for the whole time I was with Joe I had never told them he was Awol, or how stressed he had been. They knew something was wrong. So when we finally told them our situation I think they were just relieved that he wasn't a murderer. When I told my mum she just said: "Okay, you are both adults and you're married so we respect your privacy." Everyone was so amazing.
I am very nervous about Monday. There's a very real possibility that Joe could be sent to jail for up to two years. At this stage I can't even bear to think about that. When I do think about it I find myself getting very upset and emotional. I have a gut feeling. I just trust the fact that Joe is going to be okay. As a couple we will battle through it. I'm going am going from my instincts, I believe we will be fine and he will not be taken away from me.
Proud
The irony is this is the time when I am finally getting to know the real Joe. He is much less angry and at ease with himself. He is very thoughtful and considerate. He is not naturally an angry person. I have always seen what Joe was inside but ever since Christmas when we decided what we would do and that we would do it together this has shone through in every way. Since we have been in the UK he has been amazing. He has proved to me more than I had ever hoped for. Our relationship has become even more intense and intimate. There has been more emotion and enjoying each other's company. It's been brilliant.
If Joe walks free after the hearing, Joe wants to go to university to read political science or international studies and I want to finally move on with my career. However, I am now 32 and we do want to have a family. Some of those involved with our legal team from the army were diabolical, but a family friend, John Tipple, is now helping us with our case. He has been an inspiration. He has been really supportive of Joe.
The last few days have been incredible. After keeping everything a secret it is amazing watching Joe tell the world about what he feels about the war. His loyalty will always be with the lads, but he is haunted by what is happening to the Afghan people. The children who are being killed. He cannot find any justification for it. For me, it has been like being married to a celebrity, we've been in and out of television studios and everyone has been texting saying "what are you doing on the news!" But most importantly, Joe is finally everything I knew he could be. He is incredibly brave to make this stand and I am just proud that I can be here to support him.
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