The Mirror champion of the armed forces or not
 

BITE THE BULLET, SOLDIER
Paul Routledge 23/03/2007
More Paul Routledge
THE Conservatives are planning a squaddiefriendly election manifesto in the hope of stealing the servicemen's vote from Labour. They've got a cheek. Perhaps two, even.

This government has just bribed soldiers with a nine per cent-plus pay rise - two or three times the rate of inflation - depending on which index you believe.

And Tony Blair has taken our country to more wars than any Labour premier in history. He's in favour of full employment - for the armed forces, at any rate.

AdvertisementDiddy Dave Cameron, who wouldn't know a rifle from a raffle, wants troops to jump the NHS queues and get instant treatment.

This shameless bid for 200,000 votes is mounted on the back of service families' complaints about NHS hospitals.

The moans are all the louder because dedicated hospitals for the services are being phased out.

Squaddies must now rely on the health service (I presume that officers go private).

Well, welcome to the real world, corporal. That's what the rest of us have to put up with all the time. Why should an injury suffered in Basra count for more than one suffered in Birmingham?

We have a volunteer army. There are no conscripts. These men and women choose to place themselves in the line of conflict.

It is a good thing that they do, but I question whether that gives them superior rights to Mrs Smith in South Elmsall.

The brass hats in Whitehall, and retired Colonel Blimps aplenty, are loud in their demands for preferential treatment in every conceivable context, from taxpayers' money to luxury accommodation.

A bit of humility might come in handy.


i have my own views on this, but interesting to find out what other people think.

I think that is a pretty shameful article wriitten for a certain class of reader and is an attempt to court popularity by smearing the Forces unfairly and the use of inverted snobbery.

Les :(

You've hit the nail on the head there Les.