Saluting the PM
 

As I recall you do not salute the PM because he is the PM but because he is a member of the Privy Council.

The paying of compliments is indeed extended to Senior Officers, Coffins, upon entering the office of any commissioned officer (last two regardless of rank), Senior officers of other services and other nations' services, members of the Royal Family and those 'Right Honourable' individuals appointed by Her Majesty to the Privy Council. An appointment to the Privy Council is for life, information on the council can be found at www.privy-council.org.uk.

Happy Saluting

As fer as ah know, we ain't got no 'portant bunch 'o folks who has ter look after the privvies roun' here. E'rybody done look after their own outhouse in rural Virginny, fer as ah know 'o course.

Y'all come back now, y'hear?:E

Saluting Privy Councillors:

Lord Archer
David Blunkett
Keith Vaz


Yeah right.

Zulu Hotel
 

Saluting Privy Councillors: Lord Archer David Blunkett Keith Vaz

Good point, but at least one of the above would really have appreciated the old Telephone Answering Officer's gag, "I am facing Whitehall and saluting you .... Now, sir!" :)

Jack

How would David Blunkett even know if you saluted him or not.

Chaps, Let us calm down for a minute
The lady in question if I am not wrong is from RN, and the PM's people at MOD have been quite generous to her folks at RN .So a salute is ok you never know by saluting the right people you could make good money by selling your war stories :ok
( I am being Cynical Here )

In my National Service Days(1957/58) in the RAF the "rule" was-if it moves salute it,if not paint it!

Not forgetting uncovered Squadron or Station Standards if they happen to be marched past you.

Saluting Ladies...
 

...is a bit old school and should probably be regarded as rather patronising. However, saluting a bridal party is de rigeur regardless of rank, commissioned status etc.

To continue the film references. 'In Which We Serve' (a shameless propaganda piece from about 1942) is a useful example. It features Noel Coward(sp?) as a RN Captain meeting a Petty Officer and his new wife on a train.

As he is in uniform and behatted the Capt pops one up to the new Mrs PO. Of course it's not a proper military salute but one of those shifty looking hidden palmed RN abortions but you get the picture. Bottom line is if you want to salute the ladies then their husband/life partners' rank isn't an issue.

As for the PM, it's only polite to salute snr Civil Servants when you meet them and he is the head of the civil service.

Whether she should have saluted him or not, can you imagine the hullabaloo that would have been raised by the press and uneducated masses had she not done so?

The press and civvies in general don't need much of an excuse to have a go at the Armed Forces these days, so by saluting him she probably prevented a whole world of hurt being inflicted on the RAF by the tabloids.

After all, there is no rule saying you mustn't salute someone.

As a fairly senior bod I will admit that I will salute any lady i recognise - including SAC Snook's wife. I will salute any officer in his office if I have my hat with me - normally beginning and end of day. In defence of THS I will normally remove my hat entering a building but replace if entering an officer's office (see previous). Colours, coffins, quarter-deck, royals, senior officers all get a salute. Thankfully, I return more than I receive (no pun) but I see it as a privilege and do not begrudge those seconds of exerting my right arm. And finally, the PM or any other poli or senior civil servant - not in 31 years and hoping not to whilst still in uniform.

4f

Travelling from West Germany to Berlin in civvies, you were required to salute the Russian Red Army conscript that checked your ID card. His returned salute always seemed smarter.

Saluting
 

I always remember the instruction at Cranwell, "You are not saluting the person but what they represent" If you remember that it is possible to salute all sorts of people without any pain whatsover! :)

Yes but the PM represents the New Labour Government. I wouldn't want to salute that bunch of crooks either...

Good answers around though, thanks:)

Saluting ladies..........
 

Of course one ought always to salute ladies, in recognition of the fact, as I'm sure you are aware, that they have on full webbing beneath their outer clothing.
A real lady is defined by her habit of always being so appropriately attrired...............a British serviceman's defining quality is being able to identify a real lady at a glance. Servicewomen don't count.

That goes without saying '2s Blind', a lady wouldn't join the military.;)

Saluting the Prime Minister
 

In the unlikely event that I ever met this slimey creature I would only need one finger to 'salute' him!

Quite right, which is why we were told never to thank the person initiating the salute - after all they are not saluting you - but instead to reply with a 'Good morning/afternoon/evening' etc. That said, if you apply the principle of saluting what a person represents, I'm suprised that said young lady at the bottom of the stairs wasn't on the phone to Crimestoppers or the Home Office / Justice Ministry to tell them we had just found one of their lost criminals.

I remember meeting John Reid when it was his turn to screw us over out in Basrah in 05. I was absolutely disgusted with myself when I addressed him as 'Sir'. Had to go and give myself a stiff talking to after that and remind myself never to do it again - after all he wasn't a senior officer or the recipient of a Knighthood. After that distasteful incident I vowed that I would make sure that I never saluted a politician or called them sir / ma'am unless they were at one stage commissioned and had more stripes than me or had a Knighthood.

Just to buck the trend. I respect the PM for making difficult decisions and for allowing the military more room for manoeuvre than most of his predecessors. Too many of you whingers are on an ill-informed band waggon. He has more moral courage in his little finger than I suspect many of you. Over to all of the tinpot General Hindsights. Tin Hat on.

Melchett,

Given some recent recipients of the knighthood it would gall me to raise a respectful hand to them. Elton John anybody := .
Anyway, surely it doesn't matter who the individual is, it is surely the position that they hold that you are respecting. Can recall having to force the old right arm up when approached by some senior bods! :hmm: