Not very proud now then?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....foreign-aid-Army.html

/// voters should take the same pride in it as they do in the Armed Forces and the Queen, a senior minister said yesterday. ///

Well considering how much pride some ABers on here have in the Armed Forces or the Queen, they also won't be showing very much proud in our lavish spending on foreign aid then.

[Sqad]

AP

<<<<Is it *really* against Site Rules to say who you think are "troublemakers" ? >>

The answer.....seems to be NO it isn't against Site Rules............but don't hold your breath.

[Sqad]

Trigger...yepp!....took a bit of doing though didn't it?

I suppose that makes it fact by implication.

[jackthehat]

And to think......I missed all this ........

I'm a trouble-maker ?!?

Howdareyoueverso..........

[Mick-Talbot]

Can I ask, andy hughes , are you ashamed of our armed forces?

[andy-hughes]

Mick-Talbot - no i am not ashamed of our armed forces per se.

I am however deeplay ashamed of the things they do at the behst of our politicians who are in thrall to the seniors in those armed forces.

If I were a general, then I would be interested in having my soliders fight war - that is what I do, and what they are trained to do. i would therefore not be making a case for them to sit at home and polish their guns - they should be fighting and using the skills fof which they are paid and trained, otherwise, why have them in the first place?

But I'm not a general, and I fundamentally disagree with the concept of forcing our system of government on other countries on the basis of (largely) spurious threats, when experience shcoul have taught us that this behaviour is utterly counter-productive, and costs millions of lives.

So, although I cannot understand why anyone would want to be in the armed forces, I do not feel ashamed of them, just regretful that large numbers of them lose their lives for unwinable causes decided by suits who simply want to write their names in our history books.

[andy-hughes]

The underlying aspect opf this thread is that some people (sqad among them - I have no problem pointing my theory at individuals because I am not intentionally giving offence) - believe that the Eds operate a 'one rule for some' approach.

Correct me if i am wrong squad - but your previous questions to me - which i have re-read - appear to infer that i should know the Site Rules better than others on the basis of my ongevity of posting.

To answer that point - i assue you I don't - I post as i always have - i read posts and answer them aas i see fit, and I have never been aware that any of my posts are treated differently than anyone else - perhaps is is their perception, but it does not appear to be borne out from my experience.

So I hope that from my side, I can lay the whole 'clique' argument to rest, it's pointless, and detracts from the main bsuiness of the AB which is to ask, answer, and debate questions of all sorts.

[Sqad]

andy...steady......steady.......all i suggested was that you as a respected ABer of long standing....would indeed know the Site Rules.

You are the first person to mention the word "clique" on this thread.

[andy-hughes]

A fair point sqad - am I appearing too crochety? i think I am.

My apologies, I will go and have a rub down with a damp copy of 'BT Today' and returned refreshed!!

We all need someone to remind us when we are getting a little fraught over nothing very much at all - thank you for being that person for me today.

A.

[Sqad]

andy....LOL...never apologise on AB it just doesn't work.

You are fine the way you are.......don't change.

[Mick-Talbot]

Fair enough andy, But as you well know, the soldiers do not choose their battles. They more often than not, are asked to fight the wrong type of war. Putting themselves at unnecessary risk....... I would have preferred to hear you say you are not proud of the politicians.

[andy-hughes]

A fair point Mick - i think I may have not explained myself adequately in my original post -

although I am not 'proud' of our armed forces, I do deeply sympathise with the situations in which they find themselves. I perhaps should have clarified, because i am not 'proud' of them is in no way intended to infer that I am by any measure ashamed of them - I really have no feelings either way on that aspect.

I do however utterly respect their bravery, and the risks they take - it is just a shame that both are exploited for pointless self-aggrandisement by our politicians, and to a man/woman, i am deeply ashamed of them for their actions in our 'defence'.