Do You Want A Politician In Your Trench?
 

They've all done it. Gone to visit the troops in the battle area. Churchill, Bush, Obama, Howard, Brown, Blair, Gillard and a host of others wanting the publicity and, possibly, the vicarious thrill of being where the action is.

Some have even gone further than that. I understand that US politicians can also be members of National Guard units and Britain has a form of politician embedding.

Recently, after the brouhouhaha over the Australian PMs lightning visit to the Australian troops in Afghanistan the leader of the Australian Opposition, Tony Abbott, requested that he be embedded with a front line unit for a week. It was refused on security grounds.

Top marks to the bloke for not wanting to do a pure publicity and point-scoring junket, but is it right to stop a politician from finding out what really goes on on the front line? Would we, and our troops on the ground, be far better off it was made compulsory for politicians of every hue to spend at least a week on the front line?

On the face of it, yes a very good idea. The downside is, who babysits the guy if the poo hits the fan while he's there?
Might be a distraction for the troops possibly resulting in more casualties than if he'd stayed at home.

Good idea in theory, but as the above poster said, who babysits him.

And will he not be a big distraction or a bullet magnet for the other troops ?

A few things could be done but going out on patrol is not one of them.

UK MP's
 

I believe that there are several members of parliment who serve in the Territorial Army and do undertake operational (not necessarily frontline but definitely in theatre) tours of duty, albeit configured to fit in with their parlimentary duties.

Only if I'd get to fill it in...

why not
 

well I guess if a grenade was thrown into the trench I could use the Politician to shield me from injury :E

and provided they were treated the same as the rest of the SLF to and from theatre, including the decompression in Cyprus :}

Love it, love it, love it.:)

I'd love one - we could let him drive ..... and tell us it was fit for purpose, or operate xyz or experience the joys that the army allude to.

Politician - lying slime.

Saves any chance of missing the bastard - so it's not all bad.

Someone needs to walk point and look for IEDs...