Talking Radalt
"You say it's nice to have the option even though you might not genuinely need it."
Just where did I say that!
State your view by all means, but do not invent "quotes" in an attempt to discredit the opposition. That is the territory of the spin doctor.
You also missed the main point of my last post. It is all very well to look back now and argue that someone who is re-toured in place obviously had no need of support in the first place. When I came here, the move coincided exactly with the time that I had to plan how to give my children stability for the vital 5 years from 11 to 16. Since they are 2 years apart at school, I had to look for the best solution for at least the next 7 years. I had a posting notice (sorry - "assignment") good for 3 years maximum at the time. The state schools here are good (at least some of them), but I had to consider that, if and when I were posted, I would have no guarantee that they would have similar access to a half-decent school at another location. My other options included to serve unaccompanied or commute daily, possibly over unacceptably long distances. That would not do me much good, nor do I believe it does the Service any good in the long term. So I chose the Boarding School route, and, while I remain here, I now claim CEA(Day) partly because it saves the taxpayer money while it remains a practical solution. I also did all I could to limit the cost, for example by chosing a perfectly good, but not excessively expensive, school. Furthemore, I entered my kids for Scholarships at my expense, and which they won by their own efforts and on their own merits, with the side benefit that the fees are reduced and the taxpayer pays less CEA. I think I have been reasonably pro-active and avoided excessive "sponging", so I resent the implication.
The arguments surrounding this issue are much more complex than glib one-liner headlines about "perks". But I wonder how many people with my views will be invited to contribute to the MoDs debate!
Regards
Ginseng