Refused from bar after Funeral
 

Now this sort of thing should make every servicepersons’ blood boil.

How these ill-educated knuckle dragging simians can say that 'squaddies are not welcome' when their mate has been fighting to preserve the freedoms of these 'vermin' is beyond me. People like this need re-educating...

Military News - Soldiers attending funeral of Afghanistan hero banned from bar 'because of military uniform'

Perhaps a change of name is in order for the bar concerned - change the first 2 letters to "TW?"

" I went in to an ale house to buy a pint of beer
The Landlord he ups and says
'we serve no redcoates ere'"

Kipling commented on it over 100 years ago.

Very insensitive of the club concerned and very shortsighted buissness wise.

So when does the permanent boycott of that bar start - words fail me. My heart goes out to the family, and we should be so proud of how the guys in uniform took it - some of that dust around again

I was "Down Route" a couple of years ago.
I was in Pensicola, Florida. As a group we went into a small area which had several different bars as part of one big building.
We decided to go into the largest bar which had live music and looked from the onset to be a bikers bar.
All very spit and sawdust and looked like there could be trouble at any moment. But the music was good so we stayed.
About 21.00 the doors opened and about 25 men walked in from the local Naval Station all wearing there best uniforms. Very white and very smart.
Every one to a man in the bar stood up and applauded each and every one of them, even the band struck up with the National anthem.

Manager of the bar concerned, quoted in the article.

With a well-organised boycott it could well be. Couple of months should close it down in the present climate.

The assault has begun...

The Phatz Bar - Maidenhead Bars & Pubs Reviews - TrustedPlaces

I hope the 'manager' (I use the term loosely) is damn proud of himself.

Although military personnel deserve more respect from the govt and some quarters of the general public. I do hope that the whole thing does not go too far, with squaddies crying 'rape' every time they don't get a level of service that they believe they should recieve.

Yeah the door policy is $hite but who hasn't been denied entry to a pub or club for one reason or another. The fact that it was post funeral is a seperate issue in my opinion. The only issue here is that blokes weren't allowed in wearing uniform, whether you agree with it or not ( I think that it is a poor attitude from the manager) it is still his right to make that decision as it is his bar.

Isn't the outrage bus getting a bit full?

Reading the local "news" papers and having driven through Maidenhead from time to time, the pub district is a right hole in the evenings.:yuk:

3 or 4 in uniform would up the standards a LONG way.

iX

Well made point, jimpy.

Although we know it wasn't the military's fault, but a huge amount of the military's political capital with the general public (not to mention lives) was wasted in Iraq. Even now, the public is divided on the merit of our deployment in Afghanistan. A substantial proportion of the British public think that Herrick is a waste of public funds that could be better spent on hospitals, or reducing the impact of recession and unemployment on families. Whether we like it or not, uniformed service people are likely to be at best divisive in a public bar, and at worst provocative to some. It is entirely the bar owner's discretion as to the door policy that will ensure a peaceful and profitable night. Maybe we should all remember that his taxes are paying our salaries, instead of assuming that everybody should bow to us...

Not condoning the action and especially post funeral, but surely the rules apply across the services in regards to uniform and licensed premises?

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafi...866A594026.pdf

'0113.

Occasion on which uniform is not to be worn.

b. Visits to licensed premises (including when not consuming alcohol), except when specifically approved by the Chain of Command.'

GPMG:
It seems there is a different level of outrage between those who serve (witness the Squaddies themselves) and those who don't (witness me). The former were philosophical and resigned, the latter are on the top deck of your bus, Geeps, and spitting blood! This is another establishment on my nogo list, joining the likes of Harrods, a similar shabby establishment. Time for a website dedicated to highlighting such peace loving, "personally I'm all against war" or "It's not me, but my customers get upset if they see uniforms" or "We have a dress code and Forces Uniforms aren't in it" establishments. Avoid!

There is no possible reason for turning away servicemen in uniform while accepting other customers. Club managers don't get to decide on appropriate military attire, the country already did that. That's why it is called a uniform and carries national insignia.

The "OMG they may be/get drunk" excuse doesn't work. Show us the last time you shut your doors to drunk football fans.

And my God, if the sight of the uniforms of the services "stirs them up", the uniform is the least of your problems.

To startermotor, that would be Seville Quarter I think.

I would imagine the chain of command had authorised it seeing as the funeral was with full military honours...

It is not this case that I am being specific about. Yes it is wrong of the bar manager in this case to stop men and women in uniform entry.

However we unfortunately live in a PR focused world. That PR has to managed in a very clever way. At the moment the military are riding a wave of public support, and as much as I dislike the 'Red top' papers, a lot of this is thanks to them. There is also the sterling effort of Ross Kemp and others that have made the military mission part of the nations living room. The efforts and respect of the people of Wooton Basset have also put the sad result of war into the nations cohesive bowl of cereal in a way that no media hack could manage.

What worries me is that one day, the medja darlings will grow tired of the loyal support that they are showing. That one day we will see headlines saying 'So What' etc.
The media has a dreadful record of turning on those that it had 'big upped' only months before. Anyone who does not believe that the media control's the masses and also in many ways this country is a fool. The govt play up to popular opinion like puppies learning a new trick.
It is a sick and disgusting way for a country to be run, yet alone the United Kingdom. But it is something that the men and women in the forces have to deal with, as well as the rest of us, both ex forces and those that we protect /protected ( I am sure still would).

The Sun will report the debacle of members of an attached group to a Cdo unit pi$$ing on each other in Norway just as easily as it will report on a Cdo units heroic 60km advance to contact in Afghanistan (not properly reported nationaly, anyone who read that edition of the Globe and Laurel will know just how impressive that one op was, just like many that all UK land forces complete ever month).

The media is a double edged sword that I do not believe that can be tamed.
Reports of squaddies getting shunned by publicans may enrage us, but these reports need to be carefully monitored before the military story get's stale.

GPMG - Spot on again about the fickleness of the Press.

Some of you miss the point that squaddies fighting to defend democratic principles sometimes have those same democratic priciples used against them. The Landlord is entirely within his rights to refuse entry to anyone he sees fit (or unfit). The fact that he chooses to turn away squaddies attending a funeral for a fallen comrade should tell you all you need to know about the moral compass and sympathies of this particular individual and his establishment.

mmm what would you do if....

"Grant Page, manager at Phatz, said he turned the men away because he had been told that there were 100 soldiers who had been drinking all day and would be heading for his club."

Not sure I would open up my pub to 100 soldiers/servicemen who had been drinking all day... You can only go on what inteligence you have!

It seems that his decision wasnt based on the fact that they were in uniform!

Ducks for cover.......

BLOT BANG RUB

Wonder what would be said if he had turned people away because they were gay/black/religious/voted Labour etc?

Is it proper/legal to discriminate against someone because of the job they do?