A gross betrayal of British servicemen

Dave

If anyone was still in any doubt as to what a vile bunch of low-life scumbags Brown and his gang are, then this should have finally opened their eyes.

C Powell

Simon Weston skewered the government's disgraceful behaviour on this as "petty" and "perverse". I'd have used stronger words myself.

Perhaps when Joanna Lumley is back from Nepal she can get the government to change its mind on this as well.

Jez

Are they oblivious to what's happening or how the public are percieving them out here?

They can't be that blind can they?

Bob Dixon

£25.00 per day for MP's paid for by reduced compensation to the wounded.

General election asap

Oor Wullie

Imagine this Govt being represented on radio, not by a Minister, but by one of the most discredited "expenses MPs" to emerge from recent events.
Of course he has form---he was the only Labour MP after the invasion in 2003 to sully the airwaves by arguing that "we would still find WMD in Iraq--it's a big country".
Another nail in Labour's coffin...

strapworld

Not bad for a former Communiost and shop steward. He has obviously forgotten all he learnt as a union rep.

What would the Army do if it had a union? It would be poetic justice if the armed services down tools for this pathetic jobsworth, The Secretary of State for Defence!!!!!

Brown shows his contempt, yet again, for our fighting forces placing this man in that position.

paul holdstock

this is almost beyond parody.
perhaps compelling all political leaders to lead our armed forces from the front line,
would end equipment shortages, and maybe, war itself.
simply sending others to die, or be maimed, is far too easy and retribution free, for our weasley politicos.
come the revolution, it'll be a tight fit up against the wall for the first firing squad.

Chuck Unsworth

No matter what the ruling of the Court may be, it is now clear that NuLab's virulent hatred and persecution of our Armed Forces will be pursued come what may.

No one in their right minds will be prepared to join up now. Not only will they have to live in appalling peacetime quarters, earn a mere pittance, be sent to war with inadequate kit of all sorts, and be poorly supported whilst fighting for their lives, they will now receive compensation for their grievous wounds at levels which are grossly insulting and not even remotely comparable with those in other walks of life.

Who would be a soldier - and why?

I'd expect to see wholesale resignations from the armed forces in the very near future. Enough is enough.

BrianSJ

You really should have put a link to the Daily Mash on this.
http://tinyurl.com/nyoffn

David Ossitt

"The military is rumoured to have called Ainsworth ‘Bollocks Bob’ when he was appointed. I wonder what they’ll call him now?"

Wonder ye not; they will call him 'That f***ing t**t Bollocks Bob'.

FergusMac

See the British Army forum, www.arrse.co.uk, current affairs. You will be left in no doubt what the military think!

Chris lancashire

The fact that no Minister "was available" for the Today programme speaks volumes. A craven act from a morally bankrupt administration.

In response to your invitation, I nominate Bob Aintwortit.

Super Ville

Two Bollocks Bob?

David Ossitt

Sorry I left out 'Ugly'.

Gareth

It is disgraceful to be trying to cut the compensation to injured service people and their relatives.

It is said that a US Humvee being blown up costs the US Government $25million in replacing vehicles and men and the long term compensation that goes to the injured and bereaved. It is therefore far more cost effective to stick troops in vehicles that protect them from deaths and injuries.

The MOD and the Government can not be allowed to have it both ways - putting troops in poorly protected vehicles and then trying to cut back on compensation.

Don

Labour really need to get this sorted out. At the rate they shoot themselves in the feet they are likely to be applying for compensation for gunshot wounds themselves shortly and will need to be sure they get the maximum allowable.

richard bailey

One wonders how much further there is for a government to sink.
Why would there be a need to improve on Bollocks Bob?

Bill Corr

Bollocks Bob, eh?

Look at him! Look at him!

Where is 'Spitting Image' now that we need their talents?

NotaSheep

I heard Kevan Jones' pathetic interview and was distinctly unimpressed. It is incredible how on an almost daily basis this Labour government manage to surpass their previous record for vileness.

Jonathan Cook

No matter what the Courts decide, this will be the "new Gurkha's Issue".

The government are very morally in the wrong and the public won't stand for it.

Time for another U-Turn Mr Brown?

Vulture

Perhaps 'No Bollox Bob'? They are, in the late Mr Nye Bevan's immortal words 'Lower than vermin' - and a lot more stupid.

Nicholas

How times have changed.

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/archibald_mcindoe_and_the_guinea.htm

Lance Grundy

According to THIS recent post by Peter Hitchens 'The Defence Secretary and the International Marxist Group' Bob Ainsworth was - allegedly, at the age of 30, "a 'candidate member' of a body called the 'International Marxist Group'. The IMG, originally associated with the prominent student revolutionary Tariq Ali, was a Trotskyist group active in the 1970s and 1980s, whose members at one stage adopted the slogan "Victory to the IRA".

The IRA was, at the time, as most readers of this blog will recall, engaged in a bloody insurgency against the British Army - the very same army whose interests this man now supposedly represents in the New Labour government.

I am appalled.

Ray

I wonder what would happen if an injured ex-serviceman tried to claim back 88p for a new bath plug.

David Logan

On the Today program it was called "car crash politics". It must be an example of incompetence rather than meanness. There is simply noone at the wheel who has any idea what is going on in their departments. The other detail that came out this morning was that the scheme is going to be reviewed in a few months anyway. So what is the point of the appeal? Its so stupid I can't believe that anyone thought about it at all.

Verity

Paul Holdstock: "come the revolution, it'll be a tight fit up against the wall for the first firing squad."

Mmmmmmmmmmm .... firing squad ...

Stepney

The New Labour epitaph:

£9000 a year un-receipted and tax-free to be paid to MPs, to be paid for by reducing and limiting compensation to the wounded and maimed.

Simply this day we should all hang our heads in deep, deep shame.

The Oncoming Storm

Who was it who denounced the Thatcher government for "knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing?!!"

That applies far more to this bunch of morons than it ever did for Thatcher!

Mirtha Tidville

Not only does Bob A Jobsworth look and sound like a cretin, his supine behaviour today simply proves that he is one.....

I do hope events like this are removing the scales from the eyes of the electorate and never ever again will they vote for something so vile as Liebour..

Alfred T Mahan

I have some sympathy for the MoD's dilemma as I imagine they're scared stiff of what would happen if we got into a real war with thousands or hundreds of thousands of casualties. But that doesn't excuse a government which blithely encourages ludicrous claims for sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace, because on any standard it must be far, far worse having your legs blown off than getting unwanted advances at work. Yet Labour seem to think the latter is worth more in compensation than the former. What a set of values!

Pat Morgan

Cutting back on compensation and awarding themselves a pay rise.

They have been busy.

Pat

Bruce, UK

Eric Joyce, Lickspittle in Chief to Blair and still lapping it up for Brown. Now with the added contempt of Fred Kite's cowardice.

Once more:

THESE VILE INDIVIDUALS ARE TRAITORS

Austin Barry

Chums, relax. This dysfunctional, mean-spirited Government of all the tossers will be gone in less than a year.

Nicholas

British troops wounded in Afghanistan are enduring lengthy delays before receiving hospital treatment because of a shortage of helicopters, senior army surgeons have claimed.

Medics in Helmand province, where another soldier died yesterday, said a lack of British aircraft meant that bringing out wounded soldiers takes twice as long as when injured American soldiers were evacuated in Vietnam 40 years ago.

An experienced combat surgeon revealed that the lack of helicopters meant UK forces would find it "impossible" to transport their wounded if they did not have access to US Black Hawks. One said that up to 50% of all British "casevacs" - casualty evacuations - use American helicopters.

The surgeon, who asked for anonymity, also revealed that the Royal Army Medical Corps and senior military figures had been asking for a dedicated fleet of medevac helicopters since 2007, but their pleas have been rejected by Whitehall.

www.guardian.co.uk/wor...roops-risk

Ken

@Bruce, UK:
Exactly and death by hanging is too good for the vermin socialist traitors.

Victor, NW Kent

This is surely one of the worst excesses by even this disastrous government.

I am an ex-Regular. Yesterday I joined the Conservative party for the first time although I have supported them for most of the past 54 years.

Every ex-soldier should now decide never to vote Labour again. Not ever. Not even if hell freezes over.

John Findlater

Bruce UK,,,,Spot on Mate, they are lowdown, traitorous vermine.
These Zanulabour thugs should all be taken to Traitors gate and strung up, Mrs Thatcher was right when she called them "The enemy within"

Victor NW, Kent,, if your army pals and those currently in the forces were to decide to overthrow and take out this lousy government and these Bums at the MOD I would be right with you guys.
I,ve never used a gun nor had a desire to kill,,however, after the past 12 years of socialism and the depths to which they have brought our country and their treatment of the forces,, I thirst for their blood and I,m ready to pull a trigger.

Jez

(I think John Findlater may need to be sectioned)

David Ossitt

Jez

(I think John Findlater may need to be sectioned)

No! Any normal man or woman who doesn't think like John Findlater, needs to be sectioned.

John CH Mounsey

In terms of PR alone, this has to be one of the most insane actions of all time. Even if the MoD wins, the government loses - it's another Gurkha moment. But what else would you expect from a government led by a total madman? Sense?

logdon

When did we last have an armed insurrection?

The last sentence speaks volumes and he is of course, correct.

It'd certainly shake up the cozy complacency of Newsnight, that's for sure.

http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/t=129600.html

"No one in your party has the courage to say anything on record.. cowardice starts with McBottle and infests the entire apparatus of state.

If General Dannett gave the word... we would all happily remove them from power.... and the public would love us for it."

Jez

David Ossitt,

I think you have to keep a cool head maybe when putting forward your argument that's all (although may i say, i could not when Miliband splurted out his selve serving, get me out of this hole attempt 'let's all be friends now!' anouncement on Monday).

'Thirsting for blood' and all that. Not ideal.

Lance Grundy wrote;

According to THIS recent post by Peter Hitchens 'The Defence Secretary and the International Marxist Group' Bob Ainsworth was - allegedly, at the age of 30, "a 'candidate member' of a body called the 'International Marxist Group'. The IMG, originally associated with the prominent student revolutionary Tariq Ali, was a Trotskyist group active in the 1970s and 1980s, whose members at one stage adopted the slogan "Victory to the IRA".

If you think about it, what sort of utterly f***** up country is this, that we've an ex-member of an organisation that announces itself an enemy of the British Army, now the defense seceratary.

That is bad.