"Empire" beer fuels troops off to Afghanistan

The Fox and Fiddler pub in Colchester, where the eliteParachute Regiment is based, launched the speciallycommissioned beer this week, ahead of the regiment's deploymentin April.

"I just wanted to do a little something myself to send themon their way," the pub's landlord, Jeff Wright, said in astatement distributed by the Ministry of Defence, which hasgiven its full backing to the initiative.

The name "Every Man an Emperor" was taken from a speechthat Field Marshall Montgomery made about the ParachuteRegiment in 1944 and has since become an unofficial motto ofthe force.

Wright said 30 pence from every pint of the beer sold wouldgo towards a charity of the Paras' choosing.

"I think it's a fantastic idea," said Major Paul Blair, acommander in the regiment.

"It's important to the Parachute Regiment to make closelinks with our local community and I think this is a sign ofthe success of that bond."

But while the beer may go down well at home, its name maynot raise such a big cheer among Afghans.

Afghanistan was a target of Britain's imperial ambitionsthroughout most of the 19th century and any mention of Britainand empire in the country, where 7,700 British troops aredeployed fighting the Taliban, can cause offence.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, who recently objectedto Paddy Ashdown being named a new envoy to the country, issaid to have turned him down partly because of Lord Ashdown's"viceroy"-style role.

An official at the Afghan embassy in London said he didn'tthink the name would go down well in Kabul, but declinedfurther comment.

Asked about the choice of the beer's name, a barman at theFox and Fiddler appeared nonplussed. "To be honest, I don'tthink anyone thought about that," he said.

The Ministry of Defence said there should be "no suggestionof British imperial designs over Afghanistan".

"It's an independent, locally generated initiative tosupport the troops," a spokesman said.

It is not just the associations with empire that may causeoffence, but that an alcoholic drink is being used to supporttroops in a military campaign in a Muslim country.

While alcohol is available in Afghanistan, its consumptionis frowned upon and religious and government authorities havemade efforts to clamp down on its distribution.

(Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Kate Kelland and MaryGabriel)