Bite the bullet, Soldier

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

This is what Paul Routledge of the Daily Mirror thinks of 'us':


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columnists/routledge/tm_method=full%26objectid=18796920%26siteid=89520-name_page.html



Duncs

[Archimedes]

Sadly, I doubt that the Mirror would print what many of us think of Paul Routledge....
There's a rumour - which he's denied - that he'll become Gordon Brown's press guru (A. Campbell Mk 2) once Brown goes to No.10. I may be getting cynical in my old age, but it strikes me that the article may have an agenda behind it - try to remove the ongoing embarassment of the shambles that has been the treatment of the wounded by making it seem quite unreasonable that wounded service personnel should expect anything better than what they're receiving since, hey, they volunteered and shouldn't expect anything more....:hmm:

[Melchett01]

Well he is entitled to his opinions - even if they are utter drivel.

The question I would ask is this: Mr Routledge, would you care to come to an armed forces establishment - any will do, although I would be more than willing to host you here at one of the secret Oxford aerodromes - and explain you thinking.

No? Just as I suspected, you spineless ****. Get back in your box until you have the balls to pick up a rifle and stag on in Iraq or Afghanistan with anyone of the Services fighting for you and your journo chums to have large liquid lunches before rambling on about how hard done by you are.

Mess Committee meeting on Monday, I suspect the Mirror's subscription will be up for review. [email protected] if anybody wants to correct some misapprehensions.

[Two's in]

Not sure why the opinions of a chip-butty eating, Trotskyite, northern oik should matter to anyone in HM Forces. He's still looking for a socialist nirvana to spread his poison in. he simply gives journalists the reputation they deserve (less those on here).

[Sentry Agitator]

Perhaps what should happen; is that we should (all the forces) leave at exactly at the same time, and because we are all volunteers, and because we don't have to take this crap, we won't feel the morale obligation to look after our country......hmmmmm....then the 'I'm considerably more morale than you party' will perhaps see what happens with regards to the Mr and Mrs we want to be safer party?

then again maybe not you ungrateful bunch of ........

Yours fairthfully,

the Let us do what we do withouth the funds we need party

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[woptb]

The fatuous ramblings of a smug,nauseating know all,presented as journalism.
Difficult to believe the Mirror could sink much lower after the faked Iraq abuse photos.

[DaveyBoy]

*sigh* as my old mate Ben would have said:

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Paul Routledge? We have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for the NHS, and you curse the military who bypass it. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we know. That our friends' deaths, while tragic, probably saved lives. And our existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want us on that wall, you need us on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. We have neither the time nor the inclination to explain ourselves to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that we provide, and then questions the manner in which we provide it. We would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, we suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, we don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

****wit.

[whowhenwhy]

There's only one problem here guys, the unwashed masses read this cr@p, digest it and treat it as holy gospel because it's easier than questioning it. What I feel particularly saddened by, is the fact that this bloke should even believe what he writes and that what he has written is allowed to pass his editors nose without being stopped. :{

"And Tony Blair has taken our country to more wars than any Labour premier in history. He's in favour of full employment - for the armed forces, at any rate." How anyone could write that the illegal wars this Prime Minister has waged are a good thing, especially as they've been run alongside such a sustained period of cut-backs (financial as well as personnel) God alone knows.

Anyone got a spare Paveway knocking about? Switch pigs anyone? :E

[LFFC]

Squaddies must now rely on the health service (I presume that officers go private).

I think that statement clearly displays Routledge's lack of understanding of the military - it also speaks volumes about his political views.

We have a volunteer army. There are no conscripts. These men and women choose to place themselves in the line of conflict.

Unless the government's treatment of the armed forces improves (the pay rise was only a small start) then we won't have a volunteer army for much longer!

[startermotor]

Yes the guys and gals who join up are all volunteers. 9% for those at the lower end of the ranks? maybe. These are the guys who are in the front line everyday and are still well below the national average UK pay. Which currently stands around £22,000. They do not shirk their responsibilities, they do not complain that they have to live in harsh conditions everyday, and all for a war they probably don't believe in. They do it out of sense of duty and pride in their country. The article was aimed at the soldier, it is not his fault if the NEXT government want to change the way they are treated by the health service..


Dry your eyes princess and get out to one of the theatres and see exactly what these boys and girls have to put up with everyday.

[wokkameister]

I think Mr Routledge needs to ponder who delivered the hard won freedom he enjoys to write such drivel.
Journalism of the lowest order....has he thought about a career at the BBC?

[MrBernoulli]

Anyone know an e-mail address for this little sh1t?

[Almost_done]

Not an e-mail for the vermin in question but this may help.
[email protected] or maybe this might work.
[email protected]

[Melchett01]

Well that's the Daily Mirror taken off the Mess subscriptions list.

Probably the most productive Mess meeting I've been to for a while.

[C130 Techie]

He didn't mention the free coal.








We do still get free coal don't we?

[Almost_done]

I had a reply from the tabloid rag regarding the article, it goes;

Thank you for your email about the Paul Routledge column in The Daily Mirror. We accept the points you make.

The very nature of the column is that it comes from a personal view point. The Daily Mirror does not have to support this view point in order to publish. The Mirror has and always will back our armed forces. However this does not mean we will censor those that have views outside of our own.

Thank you for getting in touch - it is greatly appreciated.

Stella Takkas
Editorial Assistant

Nice touch I thought, saying everything but meaning nothing.

[Archimedes]

The Mirror has and always will back our armed forces.

Did I imagine the Piers Moron era, then? :confused:

[SET 18]

I "liked" the bit about the Tories trying to STEAL the Squaddies vote from Labour.....laughed out loud there (until I read the rest of it)

Does anyone in the Services vote for the incumbents? I am not saying that the Tories are any good, honest, but really..Labour?

[JamesA]

Thank you Duncan for bringing this ijut to our attention. Sometimes you are proud to be British. I hope he has been sterilised. People thinking like that shouldn't be allowed to breed. Sometimes I wonder why I and many others served, and more still do, for so long to give these ungrateful types the freedom to write their rubbish.
The military needs specialist treatment for their wounds, diseaeses and injuries as they are invariably unique.
Good luck to all serving and stay safe.

[monkeybumhead]

AD

Unless you frequent e-goat then it appears the same reply is getting sent to all who e-mail the M****r.

This was taken from e-goat:"Thank you for your email about the Paul Routledge column in The Daily Mirror. We accept the points you make.

The very nature of the column is that it comes from a personal view point. The Daily Mirror does not have to support this view point in order to publish. The Mirror has and always will back our armed forces. However this does not mean we will censor those that have views outside of our own.

Thank you for getting in touch - it is greatly appreciated.

Stella Takkas
Editorial Assistant"


Spot the similarities?

[whowhenwhy]

Set-18. In answer to your question yes, unfortunately some do.

Just before the last election I was talking to one of the guys at my last unit and he said 'better the devil you know.' When I mentioned to him that our glorious leader was a lying, cheating sh1t and had effectively given a death sentence to many of our colleagues by waging an illegal war and heaven knows how much other messing about, he replied that 'all politicains are liars, what can we do about it.' :ugh:

I gave up!