It's a wonderful idea, adopted from America. It removes massive worries financial and otherwise, from the shoulders of the family, and boosts the morale and health of the wounded soldiers by the fact that they know they have their families around them when they need them, and that they are safe and being looked after.
So far so good.
Then we were told that it cost £4 million to build. And that that money had been raised by charities.
WHAT?
We send these lads off to fight halfway across the world and when they get hurt, badly, we, as a country, can't provide their families with accommodation close to the one hospital that has the proper facilities to help them, sometimes hundreds of miles from their homes?
WHAT?
In the vast budget of the fourth largest military budget on the face of the Earth, the government can't find £4 measly million to pay for accommodation for the injured troops' families?
You couldn't make that up.
They found billions to stage a 'prestigious' Olympic Games in London including unknown billions on security after their security fell flat on its face; they found millions to set up the security for G8 heads of government and state in Northern ireland and millions more to accommodate and entertain them; they spent millions on the Queen's jubilee, and £8 million for a funeral for Mrs Thatcher, all without blinking an eye.
Obviously somethings are just far more important to them than the lives of the lads they send off to fight for their glory.
And they have the nerve to imply that Scotland wouldn't be able to cope on our own.
Anyone who knows me, either personally or through what I have written, will know that I'm not a huge fan of the military.
Indeed our future as a tiny military power is one of the (many) things that appeal to me about being independent.
And I don't get dewy eyed about "our boys"; I don't believe that they are all hallowed heros; some, of course, are exactly that, while some of them are just thugs.
But what I do believe is that if we insist on poking our noses where they don't belong and in doing so we injure and maim some of our troops, then we owe these guys the best we can afford when they wheel them home. And that includes taking away the worry of what happens to their families.
That we leave this work to charity, when it costs so very very little, makes me wonder if what members of the aristocracy and royals have been insisting for the longest time is true:
The ruling class really is another species.
Oh Tris you and me both! When Help for Heroes were rattling collection cans in my direction, I wanted to point out to them that the government that had sent them to get injured should bloody well be looking after them after they were.
ReplyDeleteBut they were soldiers and I'm a 5 foot 2 woman so I just politely decline to donate.
I don't mind giving to charities for people to give them extra... But that we should rely on charity to provide the basic decencies of life for anyone, let alone people who have been injured in the service of Blair, Cameron, Thatcher, Brown or any more of the warmongers who fight these fights to big themselves up, while we waste BILLIONs on fripperies for the nobs, is absolutely disgusting.
DeleteI have no problem giving to "Help for Hero's" etc because in my "blinkered" view most of those who join the armed services are doing so to escape the never ending drudgery of signing on at the dole. That said I am sick to my stomach that such a building should even have to be financed by donations from people who are already finding daily life a struggle.
ReplyDeleteAs you point out Westminster has WASTED Billions and millions on totally unnecessary "events" just to "glorify" the GREATNESS of Britain. ARGH!!!!!!!
What I find even MORE sickening is the fact that big ears himself opened the building. How much money did HE donate? Not ONE penny I'd bet!
Not only are the "ruling" classes another species they are from another UNIVERSE!
Some of them do Arbroath; some because the way it is sold to them, it's like a holiday camp. I eventually stopped have the Army to jobs fairs because I heard them talking to 16 y o lads, who then came to me full of enthusiasm for a life of sport and camaraderie...
Delete...So I asked one of them. How do you feel about dying for Gordon Brown? And he said: What?
I spoke about Afghanistan? He said : What?
I said...tell you what, son, we'll get you a nice apprenticeship on the building site.
I've no idea what Charlie gave, if anything. If he gave nothing, shame on him.
Incidentally, the MoD wastes billions on badly thought out plans to build or buy equipment that isn't fit for purpose and goes into storage, totally unused. They might try sorting out their administration. After all they have more penpushers than soldiers these days. And there are more admirals than there are boats.
Aye you're absolutely right there Tris. Somehow I do not think any one dealing with military recruitment really pushes the "go to war on a whim" too far up the agenda of things to do in the Army.
DeleteI agree with your assessment of how the MOD works, sorry does NOT work! I've lost track of the amount of equipment that has been "bought" by the military only to be unsuitable for use! Think the best one was the Chinooks that were meant to be used by Special Ops units. Only problem was that under Broon the Loon's command structure the MOD were prohibited from ordering the special ops software required by special ops Chinooks. Consequently the MOD had to write the software itself, only problem the software NEVER worked. The end result the MOD had to spend MILLIONS to buy Boeings software after all over and above the wasted MILLIONS they'd already spent and their special ops Chinooks were about 10 years late!
To me it seems that the MOD is MORE concerned about keeping its top heavy command structure in place than actually doing what it SHOULD be doing and that is PROTECTING the men and women on the front line.
As a wee aside here is just ONE example of the total INCOMPETENCE that is currently being displayed by the MOD.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110707/text/110707w0002.htm#11070762000038
Hammond, and his predecessors, were SO desperate to make cuts that we have ended up without the necessary aircraft in our RAF inventory to provide suitable service and we have ended up going cap in hand to the RUSSIANS!
Just one question. Why do we have Trident? Oh that's right, according to Westminster, in case those nasty Russians start firing their WMD's at us. So what do we do why go begging to them for aircraft of course!
It absolutely defies belief.
DeleteQuite apart from the fact that any decisions about our military are made in Washington DC, I note we are also cap in hand to the French.
If England leaves the EU, will they be able to have any relations with the French? After all, according to London, if Scotland leaves the UK we won't be able to count on any help from England when Russia and China and North Korea invade us because...erm...well, just because.
Four million. Isn't that about an 1/8th of a Typhoon fighter jet?
ReplyDeleteNot bought one recently, Jutie, so not sure, but it is half a funeral for a witch.
DeleteWhy are fee-paying schools classed as charities?
ReplyDeleteIt helps out the rich.
Deletetris
ReplyDeleteOh do come on nobody with half a brain and a whole heart
actually believes our or any body else's elected representatives.
Give a toss for the dead dying and wounded both in the forces
and innocent civilians, save getting a good photo op or
soundbite to gain a few votes.
Bang on.
DeleteUnfortunately there seem to be a lot of people with slightly less than half a brain, who if they are not reminded just what a callous disregard these arses hold for human life, even of their own people, seem to forget.
See Charlie is cashing in already on his new grandchild by selling baby goods, slippers at £22.50 a pair anyone buying these need their heads examined
ReplyDeleteMaybe you would prefer a babygro done in the style of a guardsman uniform All things we just should not be without
Unbelievable.
DeleteI remember when William got married they said that the Windsors and Middletons would take care of the bill and it wouldn't cost the taxpayer anything, except the millions on security, Charlie having invited every royal in the world to London.
The next year his expenses had shot up, and when asked to justify it, we were told that the wedding had caused an awful lot of correspondence and that HRH had been obliged to employ a host of secretaries to answer the mail... at our expense.
So that he now he is cashing in on this child doesn't really surprise me.
Baby slippers at £22,50... shelf life 2 months maximum... mad!
Question: how involved was the Prince of Wales in the charitable fund raising? This is one of the few areas he actually excels at.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Dean.
DeleteRoyals are good at fund raising mainly because their involvement encourages people who have money but no connections to dig into their pockets.
If you are the kind of person who is bothered about what royals think of you and Princess Alexandra or Princess Anne asks you to make a contribution, you are hardly likely to say NO, as you might if I asked you. (I use "you" in the general sense here, where "one" would have been more appropriate, but would have sounded like I was taking the piss out of posh people.)
So the charities were involved including Help for Heros. I would hope that at least one of the royals would be involved in that... at least Harry.
Isn't playboy action man harry too busy inheriting his grandfathers jocular racism.
Delete'Our little pakhi friend' ... I feel sorry for the Queen. With family like that, who needs enemies?
I don't know the quote, but I guess that can be said in a friendly way...
DeleteHarry is one of the more reasonable royals as far as I can see.
But who would have thought the day would come when I was speaking up for them against you! :)
you forgot the millions that will be spent on (celebrating) the start of ww1
ReplyDeleteHi John...
DeleteThe less I say about that, the better it will be. I understand the Eton Boy has found £50 million to celebrate the deaths of millions of people so that rich people could sort out who owned what. Britain included.
God they make me sick with their petty little world of self importance.