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Prince Harry

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anotheoldgit | 17:04 Thu 17th May 2007 | News
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I won't be smug enough to say I told you so, but I suspect most of us knew this from the beginning?

i refer of course to the announcment that Prince Harry will not be going to Iraq, in fact he will not be going into any area of conflic, were he stands the risk of being popped off.

Once again a complete ****-up by the powers who are in charge of running the country on our behalf. What a load of lies, propaganda And speil spewed out by them. Even the media seems to be taken in by them, when they report, ' Harry is very dissapointed because he wanted to go out there and do the job he was trained to do '.

What a load of poppy-****, he never wanted to go in the first place. Why has he suddenly changed his mind regarding resigning his commission? This was just spin again to make him into some kind of hero.

He should never have been allowed to go into the Army in the first place, didn't they know that since Blair has been in power soldiering is now once again a very dangerous job.

They say he could now be given a humanitarian position or even a ceremonial position, yeh I bet strutting about with a chest-full of un-earned medals, is this what the taxpayer has got in return for sendind him through Sandhurst, and all the operational training since? Give him a job behind a desk at the Ministry of Defence, out of any danger.
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Sorry AOG but I think it is you who have been taken in by the press - he never threatened to resign his commission - the press said that his 'friends' said that he would.

This report from back in April when this first blew up gives a truer quote: " There have been rumors that Prince Harry has threatened to resign his commission if he is not deployed to Iraq. But his friends and sources inside the Royal household say that is not true.

"Prince Harry is a grown-up and he'll take whatever the decision is, but he wants to go to Iraq, and to say he would quit the army if he didn't is way too strong," a royal source told the Times.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/04/ 27/army_rethinking_sending_prince_to_iraq/

That said, I do agree that this is one heck of a balls up - typical of this government to spin and use the press to their own ends!
It was all rhetoric on his part - it's easy to say that he wanted to go when he was probably secure in the knowledge that he would never have to. He is now just a tin soldier - no credibility nor respect at all with his men - he should get out of the Army and get a job that suits his mental capabilities, intellect and character, ie nightclub barman.
As is so often the case with royalty in the military, he has been fast-tracked for an Officer role. Now that he the working class cannon-fodder will not benefit from his leadership in Iraq, I think we should let the fast-tracking reach its logical conclusion and he should be declared a Chelsea pensioner tomorrow.
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Oh dear answer bank, how does one describe the male foul? Would this 4 letter word still be censored?

Only asking as a point of interest.
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Oneeyedvic May be I have been taken in by the press and maybe you have been taken in who knows? that is of course if you have spoken to him personally, but then he could have also taken you in by changing his mind.

Also a press quote-:
Harry has made no secret of his desire to see action - even threatening to resign his commission if he is exempted from active service.

We all have to take in what we are told, whether we believe what we are told is entirely up to each individual.

AOG - there are various tabloids that do mention "an army source" or other such people as their source for the information that Harry may quit the army.

I am simply pointing out that I think it unfair to ask the question "Why has he suddenly changed his mind regarding resigning his commission? This was just spin again to make him into some kind of hero."

I also believe that he does / did want to go to Iraq - and I am guessing that you haven't had a personal conversation with him either - but he certainly stated as such during interviews.
Maybe Prince Harry has been reading too many history books especially concerning King Richard the Lion Heart. If Royalty is expected to rule they should stick well clear of conflicts especially where religion is involved. Has he forgotten many people of the faith he would be about to kill now reside in the UK. Princes Charles had the right idea when he said he is a patron of all faiths.
Sorry, that should be 'defender of all faiths'!
Excuse me , but what the hell has this got to do with the Government - what are they supposed to have ****** -up and 'spun ' ?

Hasn't It been a longstanding tradition that members of the Royal Family demand and then are given a few weeks training - have some medals pinned on their uniform , and hey presto , i'm an officer and leader of men .

Harry is probably the first royal in modern times who genuienly wants to go to the front line of a war .
However it is quite right that the palace has been told by the army's top brass, that would be detremential to the servicemen / women out there in Iraq.





I never thought I would be in the position of defending any royal, given I am a firm republican. However it seems he has been placed in an invidious position. If he went to Iraq he would be placing many people in danger because (whether we agree or not to his value compared to any other person serving in the forces; more protection would have been provided to him at the risk of other peoples lives and if successfully captured our, UK's political viability would be seriously diminished if the third? in reign to the throne was held as hostage and he was freed through concessions).
On the other hand he is lambasted if he didn't go to Iraq he fails to risk life for Queen and Country and what sort of person fails to go for their own granny when many people have already died for her.
When I listened to Radio 2 about this issue I only got to hear 2 contributors but interestingly both were men who were in the forces who served in Iraq. Both felt the MoD had been reprehensible in allowing any info about PH going to press - if anonymity had occurred as happens with every other serving officer PH would have been able to serve as others. So who made MoD go public? Surely not Lizzie who was happy/resigned to her son Andrew fighting in the Falkland War at genuine risk to his life, surely she wouldn�t protect her grandchild in a way she never did with her own son?
ruby, I don't think Andrew was at risk in quite the same way: though his life may have been in danger, he wouldn't have been targeted the same way because he wasn't fighting a land war against guerrilla forces as is the case in Iraq, which means his presence wouldn't have put his colleagues at special risk.

But I very much doubt that Harry could possibly have been sent to Iraq in secret. Wouldn't be more than a week or 2 before people started wondering where that redheaded kid in line to the throne was, how come UK bar takings seemed to be down etc, and then pretty soon the soldiers themselves would be gossiping. I don't think his whereabouts could have been kept quiet either, as it's no secret what regiment he's with. The minute word got into the papers, that would have been it.

But I think you're right: damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
The man clearly shouldn't go to Iraq - if only for the sake of the men fighting alongside him.

But by that token, he shouldn't be in the army.

It shows the whole thing up for what it is: an outdated ploy for them to gain respect. We watch them rub mud on their faces as they do their basic training and then we stick them in a uniform and garland them with medals. And that's supposed to buy them the admiration and respect of the public for the rest of their lives.

Personally speaking, I'd have more respect if they actually got their hands dirty and spent two years doling out soup to the homeless.
If he had trained to be a Doctor,would he have to face diseased patients ?
The rest of his troop will be marginally safer without Harry. There would have been an all out effort to destroy his troop if Harry was there.
no

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