Dear Julie
Claire the Librarian | 26.04.2003 13:58
The cost of dying
Julie Burchill
Saturday April 26, 2003
The Guardian
I wrote last week about the sickening, almost surreally offensive attitude of the liberal chattering classes to our armed forces: "Bring the boys home!", as though these skilled, dedicated young professionals were silly, confused children to be led by the hand (or nose) away from a danger they could ill comprehend. And this from people who have never done anything more dangerous than fiddle their expenses!
DEAR JULIE(MY COMMENTS IN BOLD!).
I HAVE TWO COUSINS IN THE ARMY:I HAVE NEVER PATRONISED THEM!. SINCE THE AGE OF NINETEEN I HAVE TAKEN PART IN SEVERAL DEMOS THAT HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO RIOTS BY THE POLICE,BEEN STALKED BY SOMEONE FROM A LOCKED MENTAL WARD,PHYSICALLY PREVENTED SOMEONE FROM JUMPING UNDER A TUBE TRAIN AND BEEN A WITNESS IN A POST OFFICE ARMED HOLD UP. I THINK THAT SPELLS DANGER!
But now it transpires that our soldiers truly are being shot by both sides: the patronising ninnies
I DON'T PATRONISE THE ARMED FORCES-I HAVE MAXIMUM RESPECT FOR MY COUSIN WHO LEFT SCHOOL AT FIFTEEN WITH UNDIAGNOSED SEVERE DYSLEXIA AND HAS DONE INCREDIBLY WELL FOR HIMSELF.
I AM NOT A NINNIE-I HAVE DYSPRAXIA, A MILD SPEECH IMPEDIMENT AND AND HEARING LOSS.THIS HAS NOT STOPPED ME FROM OBTAINING A MSC IN LIBRARIANSHIP.
who would prevent them from going to war at all isn't in any
way an argument against having an army, and one that actually fights, any more than my saying that the firefighters aren't treated or paid properly would mean that I was against our having a fire service. On the contrary, it is because both our armed services and firefighters are so important to this country's wellbeing that they deserve to live like kings. Or at least journalists.
Under the slogan "Calling time on corporate crime", the GMB's excellent annual Workers' Memorial Day, on Monday, highlights the government's promise to take corporate killing seriously and to impose clear safety duties on company directors - a promise that has not so far materialised, even after five years. Still, every year, dozens of companies literally get away with murder, which seems in some strange way to be OK, so long as it happens in the workplace. I would suggest that you write to your MP, to the minister for health and safety at work, Nick Brown, to David Blunkett and to El Tone himself about this broken promise - and while you're at it, have a word about Our Boys, too, and what happens after they are killed in the course of their work.
You may have read about Lianne Seymour, the widow of the commando Ian Seymour killed at the start of the war. The ministry of defence demanded the return of an "overpaid" £400 of her dead husband's wages, and told her she had months to vacate the house where she lives with her three-year-old son - just days after her husband was buried with full military honours. When the newspapers got hold of this obscenity, the MoD was quick to write off the letter as "an oversight". But, sadly, too many such examples of such shoddy behaviour towards our armed forces by government exist to make this a credible excuse.
Why has no bright spark at the MoD, Home Office or Treasury ever thought of following America's example and waiving income tax on the pay of those engaged in action? It's not because Our Boys are less good at what they do than the US armed forces. The US Treasury says of this practice, "It's the least we can do." Such a tax break during the Iraq campaign would have cost around £50m - less than Mr Brown spent last year on hotlines explaining the tax credit system, just over a third of what the government spends annually on advertising to promote its own policies, and surely less than the cost of Lord Irvine having a new bathroom put in.
Why do British soldiers have to pay partially for their food and accommodation while US troops are exempt from all living costs? A British war widow can expect £26,750 if her husband is killed in action; her US equivalent will get £175,000, and double the monthly payments of her British counterpart. When it comes to the "perks" of the job, the gap is so wide as to be obscene: British soldiers get train tickets home three times a year, free sports facilities, prescriptions and dental care; Americans get free healthcare for life, breaks for further education and college fees paid up to £35,000 or college loans up to £46,000. Both get free uniforms but British soldiers often buy their own equipment, claiming that standard issue is rubbish. If they've had enough after all this, a US soldier can serve a minimum of two years; a Brit must do four.
It gets worse. Currently, those of our citizens killed by exposure to asbestos - like my father - number around 3,000 a year, which is expected to rise to 10,000 by 2010. Among them are those who contracted their fatal diseases whileserving in the armed forces - like the late husband of Mrs Ann Flynn. Mr and Mrs Flynn were married for 46 years, 20 of which he spent in the navy, where, she says, he came into contact with the asbestos that led to his painful and prolonged death from mesothelioma. After nursing him until his death in December 2002, Mrs Flynn was told that, as her husband had spent two decades serving his country, he was classed as a "non-earner". This, grotesquely, means that neither he nor she was or is eligible for any form of compensation.
At a time when an unpopular government has once again seen its stock rise due to the self-sacrifice of its fighting men and women, is it too much to ask that they be treated with the same respect as asbestos victims who only ever went to workto keep themselves and their families, as opposed to defending the lives of strangers both at home and abroad?
God knows that altruistic or socialist gestures are the last thing we expect from the Blairites. But logic, decency and/or patriotism in action - as opposed to simply yapping about it - surely shouldn't be beyond the wit even of this most slippery and self-serving of governments.
YES I AGREE THAT THE ARMED FORCES HAVE BEEN TREATED SHABBILY-MY GRANDFATHER WHO WAS IN THE IRISH GUARDS ASSISTED WITH THE LIBERATION OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS.HE WAS LEFT BROKEN BY WHAT HE HAD BEEN THROUGH.LETS HOPE HISTORY DOESN'T REPEAT ITSELF.
CLAIRE THE LIBRARIAN
Julie Burchill
Saturday April 26, 2003
The Guardian
I wrote last week about the sickening, almost surreally offensive attitude of the liberal chattering classes to our armed forces: "Bring the boys home!", as though these skilled, dedicated young professionals were silly, confused children to be led by the hand (or nose) away from a danger they could ill comprehend. And this from people who have never done anything more dangerous than fiddle their expenses!
DEAR JULIE(MY COMMENTS IN BOLD!).
I HAVE TWO COUSINS IN THE ARMY:I HAVE NEVER PATRONISED THEM!. SINCE THE AGE OF NINETEEN I HAVE TAKEN PART IN SEVERAL DEMOS THAT HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO RIOTS BY THE POLICE,BEEN STALKED BY SOMEONE FROM A LOCKED MENTAL WARD,PHYSICALLY PREVENTED SOMEONE FROM JUMPING UNDER A TUBE TRAIN AND BEEN A WITNESS IN A POST OFFICE ARMED HOLD UP. I THINK THAT SPELLS DANGER!
But now it transpires that our soldiers truly are being shot by both sides: the patronising ninnies
I DON'T PATRONISE THE ARMED FORCES-I HAVE MAXIMUM RESPECT FOR MY COUSIN WHO LEFT SCHOOL AT FIFTEEN WITH UNDIAGNOSED SEVERE DYSLEXIA AND HAS DONE INCREDIBLY WELL FOR HIMSELF.
I AM NOT A NINNIE-I HAVE DYSPRAXIA, A MILD SPEECH IMPEDIMENT AND AND HEARING LOSS.THIS HAS NOT STOPPED ME FROM OBTAINING A MSC IN LIBRARIANSHIP.
who would prevent them from going to war at all isn't in any
way an argument against having an army, and one that actually fights, any more than my saying that the firefighters aren't treated or paid properly would mean that I was against our having a fire service. On the contrary, it is because both our armed services and firefighters are so important to this country's wellbeing that they deserve to live like kings. Or at least journalists.
Under the slogan "Calling time on corporate crime", the GMB's excellent annual Workers' Memorial Day, on Monday, highlights the government's promise to take corporate killing seriously and to impose clear safety duties on company directors - a promise that has not so far materialised, even after five years. Still, every year, dozens of companies literally get away with murder, which seems in some strange way to be OK, so long as it happens in the workplace. I would suggest that you write to your MP, to the minister for health and safety at work, Nick Brown, to David Blunkett and to El Tone himself about this broken promise - and while you're at it, have a word about Our Boys, too, and what happens after they are killed in the course of their work.
You may have read about Lianne Seymour, the widow of the commando Ian Seymour killed at the start of the war. The ministry of defence demanded the return of an "overpaid" £400 of her dead husband's wages, and told her she had months to vacate the house where she lives with her three-year-old son - just days after her husband was buried with full military honours. When the newspapers got hold of this obscenity, the MoD was quick to write off the letter as "an oversight". But, sadly, too many such examples of such shoddy behaviour towards our armed forces by government exist to make this a credible excuse.
Why has no bright spark at the MoD, Home Office or Treasury ever thought of following America's example and waiving income tax on the pay of those engaged in action? It's not because Our Boys are less good at what they do than the US armed forces. The US Treasury says of this practice, "It's the least we can do." Such a tax break during the Iraq campaign would have cost around £50m - less than Mr Brown spent last year on hotlines explaining the tax credit system, just over a third of what the government spends annually on advertising to promote its own policies, and surely less than the cost of Lord Irvine having a new bathroom put in.
Why do British soldiers have to pay partially for their food and accommodation while US troops are exempt from all living costs? A British war widow can expect £26,750 if her husband is killed in action; her US equivalent will get £175,000, and double the monthly payments of her British counterpart. When it comes to the "perks" of the job, the gap is so wide as to be obscene: British soldiers get train tickets home three times a year, free sports facilities, prescriptions and dental care; Americans get free healthcare for life, breaks for further education and college fees paid up to £35,000 or college loans up to £46,000. Both get free uniforms but British soldiers often buy their own equipment, claiming that standard issue is rubbish. If they've had enough after all this, a US soldier can serve a minimum of two years; a Brit must do four.
It gets worse. Currently, those of our citizens killed by exposure to asbestos - like my father - number around 3,000 a year, which is expected to rise to 10,000 by 2010. Among them are those who contracted their fatal diseases whileserving in the armed forces - like the late husband of Mrs Ann Flynn. Mr and Mrs Flynn were married for 46 years, 20 of which he spent in the navy, where, she says, he came into contact with the asbestos that led to his painful and prolonged death from mesothelioma. After nursing him until his death in December 2002, Mrs Flynn was told that, as her husband had spent two decades serving his country, he was classed as a "non-earner". This, grotesquely, means that neither he nor she was or is eligible for any form of compensation.
At a time when an unpopular government has once again seen its stock rise due to the self-sacrifice of its fighting men and women, is it too much to ask that they be treated with the same respect as asbestos victims who only ever went to workto keep themselves and their families, as opposed to defending the lives of strangers both at home and abroad?
God knows that altruistic or socialist gestures are the last thing we expect from the Blairites. But logic, decency and/or patriotism in action - as opposed to simply yapping about it - surely shouldn't be beyond the wit even of this most slippery and self-serving of governments.
YES I AGREE THAT THE ARMED FORCES HAVE BEEN TREATED SHABBILY-MY GRANDFATHER WHO WAS IN THE IRISH GUARDS ASSISTED WITH THE LIBERATION OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS.HE WAS LEFT BROKEN BY WHAT HE HAD BEEN THROUGH.LETS HOPE HISTORY DOESN'T REPEAT ITSELF.
CLAIRE THE LIBRARIAN
Claire the Librarian
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
British troops gassed the Kurds in the 1920s!
26.04.2003 15:14
WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO REALISE THAT ALL SOLDIERS ARE CLASS TRAITORS!
Realist
War Criminals
26.04.2003 17:17
Justice of the Peace
Homepage:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=ZSXKLDF4PZ1IICRBAE0CFFA?type=topNews&storyID=2635292
Realist - British Soldiers
26.04.2003 20:01
Not all soldiers are class traitors, read "Signed with their Honour" by James Aldridge to get a better attitude towards those who will one day be fellow revolutionaries. That sort of talk does not help to make them that. And realise that for many, the Army is the only family they have ever belonged to. And 30% of the homeless on the streets of London are ex-services.
The same author wrote "The Diplomat" which gives good insights on the chicanery of the British towards the Kurds around 1945.
.
Ilyan
Dear Realist
26.04.2003 21:39
Thanks for your run-down of the wrong-doings of the army.Here's another one: When my Grandmother was fourteen she witnessed the Black and Tans putting down an uprising in Enniscorthy by physically dragging people who had been attached to trucks through the streets.
She doesn't hate the British Army.
My Cousins aren't "Class Traitors"-they are young men who had two choices in life:to leave school at 15 and either drift into a life of crime or join the army. If you want to blame someone try the British Government.
Bob Dylan says it better than I can:
Only a pawn in their game:
A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood.
A finger fired the trigger to his name.
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game.
A South politician preaches to the poor white man,
"You got more than the blacks, don't complain.
You're better than them, you been born with white skin," they explain.
And the Negro's name
Is used it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid,
And the marshals and cops get the same,
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool.
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
From the poverty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks,
And the hoof beats pound in his brain.
And he's taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide 'neath the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught.
They lowered him down as a king.
But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun
He'll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to his name
His epitaph plain:
Only a pawn in their game.
Claire the Librarian