Just been perusing the latest propoganda on the RAF website and came across 2 articles about personnel being released from their duties for significant periods of time to go and play in the Winter Olympics.
Now admitedly, there is part of me that says fair play if you're good enough to represent you country at sport (even if the odds of getting a gong are probably about as high as the Liberals winning the next election) crack on; however, there is also part of me that is bloody annoyed that when we are being cut to the bone and stretched to breaking point that people are allowed to take a couple of years out to indulge their favourite past times whilst the rest of us fill the gaps and if lucky get all their leave entitlement. Surely these people should be making a choice at the start - sport or service? Do they want to fly/break jets/type for their country, or do they want to slide down a hill on a tea-tray? Whilst sport is an important part of service life, so is getting the job done and not shafting everyone for your own personal gain.
Having seen people in other branches 'represent their country' and then sod off after the Olympics when they had bled the RAF dry, this sort of stuff does chafe a bit! What exactly is the RAF going to get out of this??? Can't see them having anything other than a small RAF badge on their uniform and if lucky a brief mention by David Vine at 2am on a Sunday morning.
What's the general opinion - do I have a point or am I just becoming Victor Meldrew? Moral indignation ...... jealousy with a halo
