"I don't Believe It"

Image via Wikipedia"I don't believe it". Now where have I heard that said before?

The announcement was made today, January 25th 2012, that British soldiers (Sergeant and above, including all officer ranks) serving within the M25 ring around London, will lose their current London Allowance from April 1st 2012. The announcement goes on to say that this change will affect about 2000, while 3000 or so will remain unaffected. The allowance was introduced to contribute to the "higher costs encountered of a permanent assignment in London". The cut comes as part of the Strategic Defence and Security review and is expected to save approximately £2.9 million pounds a year.

The starting pay for a Sergeant is listed as being £30,102 a year before tax and National Insurance are deducted. The current London Allowance for a sergeant is £120.00 per month. After deductions, he or she will lose £81.60 per month. (A complete Summary of Changes To Allowances can be seen at http://www.mod.uk/ )

Clearly this will be seen as just one more morale busting day for the British Army. Soldiers are in no position to dictate where they will serve, although there are systems in place to request a particular posting. Today's news brings to mind a whole raft of questions. Do the Police still get allowances for working in London? Do National Health Service staff get allowances for working in London? Do Firemen get allowances for working in London? Do Members of Parliament and Government Ministers get allowances for working in London? The answer to all of the above is, Yes.

Let me ask another question. Should we see today's announcement affecting soldiers as setting a precedent that will result in Police, NHS Staff, Firemen, MP's and Government Ministers and many others, above a certain grade, losing their allowances? I do not think so. Why? Because some of those who might be affected by such a sweeping change have the ability to strike. The British Soldier, and quite rightly so, does not have the right to  strike, and neither are he or she allowed to discuss changes to T's and C's outside of the Mess or OR's Clubs.

Military personnel are vulnerable. They are vulnerable not only to the whims and fancies of any adversary they may be asked to face, but are they not also vulnerable to the whims and fancies of the Government they are paid by? Yes, it is understood that there are savings that must be made at the Ministry of Defence. Yes,it is understood that some of these savings come as a result of previous failures during procurement exercises and planning failures. What is not understood is why forces personnel within the M25 are subject to this removal of allowances, when the lead might better be set by MP's and Government Ministers reducing some of their allowances.

Forces personnel work hard, they also play hard, but they do not mock the treasury by claiming allownces they are not entitled to. We do though, have a number of people in these islands that are expert in claiming when not entitled. More effort must be put into reducing costs and making savings in this type of area, removing the need to take away allowances that are deserved and earned by this nations talented, brave and often under valued men and women.

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An Olympic Dream

2012, the year of the Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games coming to the UK. A time to cheer, a time to work together, a time to put on our best clothes and welcome the rest of the world to our shores.

 Image via Wikipedia

Thats what we should be doing isn't it? I must confess to being one of those who has already had his suit dry cleaned, shoes polished and hair trimmed in anticipation.

There may be some people reading this, that are not aware that the people of boroughs in and around London have been paying a higher level of tax to support the funding of the Games. I dare say that by now, the majority of those who objected at first, are now looking forward to seeing how their "investment" has been used, and what it will be continued to be used for. The building programmes have been ongoing, almost from the minute the announcement of the venue of the 2012 Games was made. Where I live, the local scenery is changing-in a positive and attractive way I add. OK, there are still some questions being asked about the long term effects of the changes being made to Greenwich Park. No doubt things will be a little different afterwards, but not to the detriment of the Park, I am sure.

What has changed, and will hopefully remained changed, is the determination of many many people of the our islands, to develop what were dreams, into realities. The dreams of many to be able to compete in the Paralympic and Olympic Games are to be realised this year. Those not able to be part of it all this year, will have achieved a standard that they can continue to build upon for 2016. These are our sporting heroes of today and tomorrow.

Clearly, not all competitors will be medal winners. We, the watching public will however always be winners. We have the real joy of knowing that so many of our young people took sufficient pride in their being British, to dedicate such a large part of their lives to training for this monumental occasion. I hope they also know that we, the public, salute them in their efforts, winners or not as they may be on the day.

Olympic and Paralympic competitors of Great Britain-we are Proud of you.

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Answers To Questions and My Thanks

I'll start with My thanks. My thanks go to those of you who have joined up as followers so far. There are two ways to sign up. Firstly you can be identified by name, secondly as an annonymous follower. To date we have a total of 4. Three named and one annonymous. Your support is appreciated. Of course we would like more to join us.

Image via WikipediaNext-answers to questions from Mick. Yes, there were plenty of "Boots on the ground" at the Battle of Waterloo as depicted in the picture included in the piece about the Latest Cuts in the Armed Forces.I have no idea how many British/Belgian/French troops were invited to the do, but it must have been a formidable number.

Image via Wikipedia You also asked how to leave a comment Mick. At the bottom of this piece you will see "0 comments" written. Click on that and follow the guidance given there. If that doesn't work for you, send me an email via the address shown at the top right hand corner of this page. Make sure you, and anyone else who contacts me, states whether you are happy to have your comments published. If not, just state Not For Publication at the start of your email/comments.

Finally Mick, you asked if I had any pictures of The Battle of Trafalgar. I've had a bit of a rummage and found one or two. You mentioned in your message to me that the sailors who gallantly fought that day and saw off not just ONE nations navy, but TWO (France and Spain) without being rewarded for so doing. Not at first anyway. You tell me that years later, the survivors of that bloody but gallant victory were recognised. And so they should have been.

Thanks again for all your visits. I look forward to your joining us again whenever you get the time.

Image via Wikipedia

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New Round Of Forces Reductions

Image via WikipediaTodays news does not bode well for the British Army, The Royal Navy and The Royal Airforce. A further reduction of just under 4000 personel-around 2900 of which will come from the Army is planned over the next three years. At the time of writing it hasn't been announced which sectors or skills of the three forces will be most affected.

There are arguaments doing the rounds that say the modern day forms of warfare and methods of delivery of sytems has changed and will continue to change. No arguament there really. If we look at the way wars were fought in the early twentieth century and compare them with the way they are fought today, would be like comparing the days of wode and spears with the days of the Napoleonic wars, cannons and all. Having said that, Boots On The Ground are still needed. With the modern day methods of delivering warheads and assorted missiles from remote locations, we will still need men and women to enter the theatre of war to manage the results of of the outcomes of the battles and to manage the remaining forces, as well as to manage the rebuild and restructuring of wherever it is the battles took place.

We still need Men and Women to lead our soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as we need men and women to be led!! I cannot help but think that if numbers continue to be reduced, there will be less and less fully trained people to be deployed when required to be deployed. Today we see many young lives being lost in Aghanistan-along with the comment that they were not fully trained when deployed. Is this perhaps because forces are stretched and new recruits are going through basic training, followed by trade training, but then being deployed with little training in how to perform in war.

If men and women are deployed hurriedly, and rotated frequently through postings and returned to theatres of war again, when does the training happen? Training and revalidation of training is so important, as we all know. What about "down" time between spells in theatres of war? Being on the ground in such situations is hard work. Not just physically, but mentally as well. I don't know which has the hardest impact on the mental health of a serviceperson these days. Is it the day after day exposure to the expected and the unexpected-or is it the moments when a couple of guys don't make it back and you are assigned to putting together all the belongings of the fallen, ready to be sent back home to next of kin?

For as long as we are prepared to expose our men and women to these situation, we should, as a nation, be prepared to support them with back-up numbers as well as equipment. I include in this the lack of Military Hospitals in the UK.

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No More Triple-A

Image via WikipediaI am not normally given to gloating, but, just occasionally the smug smile of satisfaction creases my face. Just such a thing happened though, a few days ago when the news filtered through of France losing its triple-A credit rating.

Now, don't go running off with the idea that I am anti-France, anti-The French or anti-anything to do with France. I have spent many many happy weeks holidaying in the regions of Pays-de-la-Loirre, Bretagne, Limousin and Languedoc-Rousillion and others. I have walked the streets of such places as LeMans, Tours, Limoges, Souillac, Sarlat,Quimper, Concarneau, Carcassonne and so many many more. 

 In any society however, there will always be at least one person that stands out in the crowd as one person who will not be too popular. Currently, the man in the frame is Nicholas Sarkosy, the current incumbent of the office of President of France. As is well known, he is facing a Presidential election that many say he will lose. It would appear that he is not only one of this nation's least favourite people at this moment, but some of his fellow French people have a similar view of him. It is reported that Mr Sarkosy once told the former Prime Minister, Mr de Villepin, that he would hang him from a butchers hook. Mr de Villepin is reported as having called the not too tall Sarkosy, as "The Bonsai". He has also joined in the Presidential race and is said to be currently standing just to take votes away from The President rather than to become President himself.

What has made me feel this way about him? The outstanding moment came when he walked past the British Prime Minister, refusing not just to look up at him as they passed each other, but he spurned the hand of friendship extended by David Cameron. This was not the only insult dealt. In October, after Mr Cameron had made it clear that Eurozone members should waste no time in taking the relevant measures to cut public spending, Mr Sarkosy was reported as telling Mr Cameron to "shut up".

So, the downgrading came, after it had been suggested to others that Britain should be downgraded and France be left with a triple-A rating. A story doing the rounds in France is that Mr Sarkosy told his advisors, "If we lose our triple-A, I'm dead". It has happened and Sarkosy has to get over it, as has France. I am not gloating, I promise, regarding the safety of Britain in all of this. It may happen here. The difference will be that "we" have not called for others to be treated so.

Is It Me or Is It Them?

Image via WikipediaI sometimes wonder if I am losing the plot. Do you ever ask yourself that same question? I get up in the morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, with a certain amount of optimism and a modicum of exuberance. Sometimes, however, the feeling doesn't survive for more than an hour. Take this morning for example.

I was watching the News broadcast when the reader/announcer person got to an item about the possibility of Trades Union activity in July 2012, to coincide with the Olympics being staged in the UK. It was being reported that positive action could be staged at Olympic venues, to show that there was a total unacceptance of the Britsh Government stance on Public Pensions. The particular form of action was not discussed, but it is possible that it could include strike action and/or demonstrations with placard bearing masses showing individual and group displeasure with their lot.The obvious conclusion that might be drawn is that it would not look good for the Government with hundreds of thousands of visitors to these shores witnessing and being inconvenienced by such goings on.

So far, various trade groups have declared their willingness to disrupt or even suspend forms of public transport during the Olympics, unless new pay deals are agreed. Some have been agreed, but guess what? Some have come back for another slice of the cake. Talk about damned cheek!! I cannot, for one moment, consider this as right and proper behaviour.

I can almost hear voices being raised, questioning whether I am anti trades union and instead, preaching on behalf of the Government. I am neither. In fact I am a Trades Union member and was, for a number of years, a Shop Steward. When it comes to politics, I prefer not to align myself to any particular party. I do however, become quite excited when I read of or listen to union leaders and some members shouting loud and long about their particular issues, without regard to others than theirselves.

All union leaders are convinced that all members of the public stand behind them when they stage days of industrial action to emphasise their views. WRONG!!! Just why should I or anyone be pleased to be messed about by bus drivers, tube train drivers, guards, airline cabin crews and so on? These latest words from at least one trades union leader are nothing more than an attempt to blackmail the government over pensions. Trades Union leaders and members are intelligent people. They know what is required in terms of fiscal restraint, not just in the UK, but Europe wide, and beyond. We ALL are having to make adjustments to our spending. Our incomes are reduced, not something we relish. Without swallowing the bitterest of pills financially, we will not turn this great juggernaught around.

Yes, I am aware that the biggest problems were and possibly still are being caused by the financial institutions. Clearly the people running these institutions are not losing as a result of mistakes and greed of the past. I must ask the Unions and their members just one question. Why do you not harness your energies and work alongside the politicians in an effort to redress the balances caused by the banks, rather than destroy your own country via your actions?
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Please feel free to leave your comments via the Comment faclity below this article.

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21012- A Year For Presidential Elections (and other things!!)

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThis New Year, 2012, promises to be one of great activity around the world. Activity that WILL impact on many millions of us, whichever country we live in.

Lets start with Russia. The Presidential Election is taking place on March 4th. It may be considered slightly cynical to think that the outcome is already known. What do we know about it so far? Well, back in 2011, the current President,President Mevedev, invited the previous president, the current Prime Minister, Mr Putin, to run for election. Much to everyones surprise (ha ha!) he accepted. In return for his good works, Mr Putin then announced that President Medvedev would make a damned good Prime Minister. (How unforseen was that!) We are told that 40% of Russians support the re-election of Putin to the post of President. Question: Doesn't that then mean that 60% DON'T want him back? So what, it's only numbers after all. There are however, significant numbers of people who will now question how that figure was arrived at. Will there be a Russian Spring? We'll reflect on this again soon I suspect.

Moving westwards to France, we have the French Presidential Elections in April. April 22nd to be precise. There is a booking though for May 6th, just in case a run-off is required. The two men jousting for position here are the current President, Sarkosy(Union of Poular Movement-UMP), his opposition comes from the Socialist Party(PS) in the form of Francoise Hollande. There seems to be just a modicum controversy surrounding Sarkosy and his election prospects, but it is best not to enter that arena here at this time until all becomes clearer.

Now we move a lot further west-to the United States of America in fact. The country is currently a hive of activity with electoral meetings, television debates, people digging up the dirt on their opponents (this happens everywhere I reckon) and people jetting around seeking assurances that they will recieve the lions share of the vote. It's a shame that not everyone can win. The guy at the top, President Obama, I would already suspect, has a reasonable idea just who his most likely vote stealer is going to be. He is standing for re-election as President on November 6th, in the 57th quadrennial presidential elections in the history of his country. He, or whover succeeds on November 6th, knows that the Vice President is elected on December 17th. Whatever the outcome, the President has a mighty job on his or her hands to settle the problems of the Nation. Unemployment, Poverty and Reform of the financial establishment being top of the agenda.

There is another country that has recently had a change of leadership. No such formailities as elections there though. Keep it in the family is the answer. Yes, you got it in one-North Korea. Following the unplanned departure of Kim Il Sung, son Number One(but number three in age terms I hear) Kim Jon-un was immediately put at the head of the country. Forgive my cynicism, but was that because the Generals know he will do as they tell him?

Back east now, to Europe. What do we have here? Unemployment, Poverty and Reform of the financial establishement. No differences between the USA and Europe then? In truth there are. Europe is growing-there is a queue of countries waiting to join not just Europe, but the Eurozone. The USA remains the same size. Where there are simillarities though, is in the fact that both are made up of a number of different states. Each has its own set of rules, and dare I say, some are in competition with each other. In business terms this might be a good thing. In terms of recovery however, it is the " sum of the whole" not the individal parts, that will achieve success surely.

In the UK, some might consider us as being simply now on the outside looking in, we are not a part of the Eurozone. That is good in terms of not having the same problems as the zone in terms of managing its' currency. It does not though mean that we can sit back and smile at what is going on around us. We have the same problems as the rest of Europe, Debt, Poverty and Unemployment. I can assure the cynics though, that we are still a very powerful member of Europe. Let France forget that at its own peril.

Despite what I hear and what I read, I feel very positive about 2012. I say it at the start of every year I know, but without that positive feeling I would possibly curl up into the foetal position with thumb in mouth, and whimper.

Happy New Year to All.

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