Back in August, Al R lied thus; Baffman,
I've just read your responses to me, thanks. I'll drop a reply later if thats ok.
Baffman said; Al R:
"And we're not The Danes, we're
us - one size doesn't fit all (as the EU is discovering)."
Well, obviously. Please dont lecture, when we do know what the Danish armed forces look like on operations, and we also know what their representative military associations look like. I hope that this from the BAFF website will be helpful:
"The
BAFF Constitution was drawn up in consultation with 50 personnel from all three services. A "
specifically British solution for the British armed forces", BAFF did not take any single organisation for a template, but its Steering Group researched or visited a wide range of organisations representing operational public service staff.
"These included representative military associations in Australia, the USA, and Ireland; the various Police Federations in the UK; and the GCHQ section of the PCS Union. BAFF itself is not a trade union."
You underestimate how things evolve. I just don't think that the ethos of BAFF as it stands, is best served to achieve representation. I think that with proper management from politicians and proper leadership from within the military, much discontent will be allayed. I wonder if its not just a trendy thing to suggest? After all, what does anyone think they have to lose by going down this route, unless they look at the long term implications?
I accept that Britain's top brass who 'have long argued that an armed forces federation is unnecessary and could damage military discipline and morale' have no one but to blame but themselves by being thick and by not anticipating change. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for proper discipline, proper care and proper treatment of the troops and things need to be improved, but I don't think that somehting like this in general is the best way to proceed, and with respect, BAFF in particular isn't the way I'd embark on things.
WRT the poll, if the great British public was asked 'Do you want your savings on deposit to be backed with an unlimited 100% g'ment guarantee, I imagine that Mrs Moffet from 14 The High Street would nod her head. It doesn't mean she has given thought to the bigger picture though, or with the best will in the world has the long term interests at heart. I would also point out that 51% of the poll thought the idea would result in the troops being represented and I wonder how many of the respondants were families? Not that their views don't count of course, but aren't there military families federations anyway, and isn't this sort of poll only likely to attract those wives etc, who are polarised?
As an aside, are you able to make public any signed off BAFF accounts?