No Bob, the public don't trust your commitment.

Grumpy Old Man

To be fair to Mr Ainsworth, MOD have always been parsimonious when considering the welfare of our troops. It would be difficult for even a gifted minister, which even Mr Ainsworths' mother could not accuse him of being, to overturn a mindset within the Civil Service that has lasted since the Crimea.

Ray

I wonder how Bob Ainsworth, the Coventry trades union convenor, would have reacted had management informed the brothers that they were rationalising the company's worker compensation scheme.

Murell

No Bollox Bob. Epitaph.

AngloWelshDragon

Maybe it's a becuase I've lost a contact lens this morning, but for a second I thought the picture was of Hitler!

NotaSheep

This Labour government's actions over the funding of injury compensation, like that of the war, has shown them for what they are; mean-minded, military-phobic, spinners and ...

Chuck Unsworth

"I cannot allow the situation to continue that leaves the public in any doubt over my or the Government's commitment"

Of course what this sickening claptrap really means is that he's actually concerned about appearances - rather than the realities.

It was ever thus with these people. All they worry about is how things look, never mind how things actually are.

When will any Minister ever tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Not even in a Court of Law, it seems.

Victor Southern

Bobsworth is running scared but the astonishing thing is that he had no idea how the public would receive this disgusting legal action.

strapworld

Sheer incompetence reigns. The inability of this government to govern, the lack of any idea of where they are heading and the lack of ability by all in this cabinet.

Has Britain ever had such a shoddy, unknowledgable and universally disliked, indeed hated, administration?

A government of complete nonentities, minor figures from the first layer of management, propelled by a totally out of depth prime minister to a level for which none -including the prime minister, have proved totally unsuited for the briefs they hold.

At a time of war, when our servicemen and women are treated as fourth class citizens, denied the equipment and support required to do the job, we have this former communist and minor trades union shop steward, masquerading as A Secretary of State for Defence!!

A prime minister who writes of courage but displays a total absence of that quality.

All decisions made are for his protection, certainly not our troops or country!

Never has this Country been led by a group of donkeys unfit for even the knackers yard.

Hopefully this will be the last time, ever, that the people trust The Labour Party with government again.

In power but no idea what to do! Yet not one has the common decency to admit the truth, and resign!

Disgraceful.

Roger

Look he is doing his best and Brown thinks he is the best man for the job. You see there is not much to chose from.

Penfold

Well, he is of course following in the footsteps of all the other inadequates who have done the job before him, from ALL the parties.
Britain has a track record of treating its service personnel with disdain and casting the lame and halted onto a scrap-heap with no support.
Plus Ca Change.

The difference at the moment is an unpopular war, an unpopular goverment, clear and evident mis-spending, waste and peculation and of course the knowledge that this governments lie's to all of us as a matter of principal, expediency and nature.
That they are unprincipled, amoral, unethical, mendacious, corrupt etc goes without screams and howls of outrage and protest. The latter is of course illegal these days.

It's not so much Ainsworth, it's all of 'em. They just need to go, but don't have the principles or moral ethos to do so.

The Laughing Cavalier

Putting aside the patent immorality of the government's position for a moment, one cannot help wondering at its sheer ineptitude. How on earth could they not have forseen the backlash from this? Perhaps Brown and his minions are so convinced of thir own rectitude that they are incapable of understanding how they actions would be received.

Malcolm

No strapworld, we haven't. This has to be without doubt the most incompetent, spiteful, wasteful and vindictive government in many a year. The only question is - how on earth are they still in power after successive foul-ups on a truly industrial scale? Ainsworth is just a symptom of a cretinous administration that lost the plot a very long time ago.

In this particular case there have been many high-profile complaints about the compensation scheme over a long period of time, so they 'fixed' it a while ago - only they couldn't even manage that. Instead, we have the pitiful sight of our wounded service personnel being dragged through the courts to get what is rightly theirs. Hang your heads in shame Brown, Ainsworth et al.....

NuLiebour doesn't give a fig about the services, just so long as they are there to do their bidding when it suits them. And the MOD is even worse - their antipathy for service people is legendry. The MOD has to be the most sinister and self-centred organisation we have - and that's saying something. Spending vast sums on their building refurb is clearly much more important than providing good, plentiful equipment with which to fight wars. It just sickens me.

EyeSee

The August 2007 edition of the respected journal Air International, reported that the MoD was buying six Merlin helicopters from Denmark, specifically for deployment to Iraq/Afghanistan and that they would all be ready for deployment in 2008. So a) they were aware of a need for more helo's and b) were being converted for theatre deployment. And something has happened in between to stop them appearing. Would that something be money? I think it would. Obviously New Labour is a serially incompetent collection of goons, but even more they are malevolent to those who serve this country. Gordon Brown should be stripped of his pension.

Fearless Frank

Bob -
Lose the moustache: it really doesn't go with high office.
But then, come to think of it, neither do you.

David Ossitt

"Mr Ainsworth said public debate had demonstrated that the scheme was not fully equipped to deal with "anomalies, legal complexities and wider issues"

That is when you should use common sense; when you should act fairly and with a generous heart. and above all act honourably and do the decent thing.

But Mr Ainsworth; you can't, it is not in your marxist nature.

Mirtha Tidville

Strapworld says it all......well done Sir..

Glyn H

Well said Strapworld and Malcolm!

Minnie Ovens

What is extraordinary is that someone pernitted the court case to continue at a time when the media were focussed on troop losses.
To be so stupid/ignorant/arrogant/dumb (choose you're own adjective) is inexpicable.
Or just New Labour on an average day.

EyeSee

Further, I would refer you to Jeremy Clarkson's recent, incisive and accurate description of Gordon Brown, which effectively by extension applies to the whole government.

Chuck Unsworth

@ Fearless Frank

On balance it might be better if the moustache stayed in high office - and lost Bob.

Sarge

Eye See @ 1.00pm the MoD was buying six Merlin helicopters from Denmark, specifically for deployment to Iraq/Afghanistan and that they would all be ready for deployment in 2008. So a) they were aware of a need'

But the RAF refused to provide logistic support in theatre. You can see these choppers flying around RAF Bensojn in Oxfordshire. They did maange a stint in Iraq,whilst the army was holed up at Basra airport.