Yet another example of our government's shoddy attitude to those who have served our country.

Purna Gurung, a former Gurkha living in Nottingham, collapsed and died last week. At the time of his death, he faced possible deportation back to Nepal and the prospect of forking out thousands to pay for his wife's medical expenses. Why? Because he left the colours before 1997. The guy wasn't even allowed to work and had to rely on his Gurkha pension (a smaller sum than that given to UK regular soldiers who complete their 22 year engagement. A friend said "He was not allowed to work and he had faced the trauma of a very high medical bill for his wife. There was the added stress of being deported and he just keeled over. It's yet another example of the misery that is inflicted on the retired Gurkhas."

Our government should hang its head in shame, and this incident shows that the values of loyalty and service that Gurkhas have demonstrated over the last 200 years are alien concepts to those in Whitehall.

An absolute bloody disgrace - time for a regime change?

As Dexy's sang - '...the only way to change things is to shoot men who arrange things.'

I just went to the #10 webshite to pass the linked article and a one word question "Why?" via email to Cyclops, only to find the service, like this bunch of clowns in gubmint, is broken.


Wankers.

I read this morning of the Veterans Agency climbdown over the pension for a widow of a former officer (decorated with the MC and grievously wounded in Burma). Unfortunately in a spirit of reckless patriotism, the thoughtless idiot joined up in a colony instead of coming home. Well frankly the VA must have been on the right lines, some public school educated, former colonialist and hence institutionally racist, with a heterosexual relationship which lasted for all of his life? The unutterable swine! That is not what benefits gleaned from the taxes of hard-working Britons are intended for!

Twigg of course tried to make it seem a triumph of reason and good government policy, commending the service of the late Lt Nunnely moreover. Incredibly generous of that distinguished public servant I thought...

Why, oh why does it seem that the VA has a default position of a)No followed by b)a default strategy of denying until it cannot possibly get away with it any longer and then c)offering the minimum amount? I know as a tax-payer I ought to feel reassured that they are not spending my taxes like a sailoron shore leave. However we are talking about the legitimate rights of people who have "spent" more than you could reasonably expect in their time for this country.

TRY HERE

Cuddles,
There has at least been a happy ending to this one i.e. an answer. The mother of a family friend was a war widow from pre partition india (i.e The Empire). Shenannigans ensued because some bit of admin had been cocked up and forgotten for a number of years. War widow was eligible for a large back payment following move to UK, all had been cleared, but the paper work was taking for ever.
Daughter went up on mother's behalf to badger someone at puzzle palace, on one occasion she met an officer from an operational background as opposed to the ubiquitous CS, who by some mistake had been let off on his own without whitehall mandarin oversight.

This officer said off the record that the admin was routinely fudged and delayed, as it was easier to wait for death, apologise and allow the matter to then be dropped/written off at no extra cost.....


Parallels to the Crimean war seem to be cropping up often these days, an army committed to operations by a penny pinching bureacratic government, public outcry and outrage at conditions force change. One only hopes there is no "charge of the light brigade" as the price to pay this time round.

When charities are set up to close the gap on medical treatment required, when half the specialist (non military) cancer care is similarly funded, at what point does some one ask where the money that should have been there has gone?

SBP - a happier ending than no doubt Comissar Twigg and his minions had planned. Your Crimean analogy is good. Unfortunately our veterans can not be left to starve in workhouses or at the town's end because a)the workhouses are all shut and b)there are no longer town ends - they have built out of town shopping malls on them!

Mark my words.........This country cannot go on for much longer without a rebellion of some sorts....how long will the good people allow themselves to be abused.

A damned good coup is what we need, with the military refusing to react when called upon.

sh1t I needed to rant

The unfairness shown to ex-Gurkha soldiers is astounding. One of the reasons why they are treated unfairly is that they arent EU (I have had some considerable difficulty dealing with migrant eastern Eurpoean workers using the NHS system) and secondly that Nepal isnt a place where they are likely to be killed if they return, ie that they arent asylum seekers. It astounds me that we provided free NHS treatment to an east African woman claiming asylum. The cost of her treatment would run into 100s of thousands but she was afraid of being killed in her homeland. Her treatment was interrupted for her to be able to go back to her country for a family wedding. She returned unharmed and we resumed treatment. When cases like this happen I have very little patience for Govt who ignore our longstanding friends, the Gurkhas.

While in the car today I was listning to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 & he & politico's were talking about the 11 week hols the MPs were going on. (sorry,I cant remember the names)
One bint said she was going to be looking after her elderly mother (and a listner pointed out that we the taxpayer would be paying her twice,once as an MP & once as a carrer),then she would be doing other constituancy stuff.But the bloke MP said he was taking 1 week off to go to Spain & on his return he would be going out to Afghanistan to visit the troops of his local Regiment.He then went on to say that the Gov does not support our lads down there (or something like that)Anyway,he was very pro Forces.
A very interesting interview...

Go here & click on Mondays title "Benefits; Disease; MPs; Life Of Brian"

www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/vine/

Regards,
Spike

Please tell me you're a big fat liar. When did this happen? Do you have a link please? Thank you.

O2T

New petition on Gov website, "Resign-Brown" asking the T**ser to resign in Jan 089 and call a General election.

Will be open this afternoon once i activate it!!

Not just brown...the whole of his party as well....the to22ers.

Would you have any links for this, C?

Obviously no link there then

Why? Are you someone important?

F*cking ridiculous. But wholly believable.