If being a die hard unionist means not flying a 19 hour day to satisfy the tightfistedness of Gordon Brown, then fine, I'll be a die hard unionist. If the powers that be gave a damn about our troops, they would spend the money to bring them home with the same safety standards as all other passengers - they deserve the best.
Idunno - I agree with what you are saying, except we already have the option to extend discretion beyond three hours where lives are at risk and I'm sure we all would.