Gurkhas win court case over immigration.

[ViolentPanda]

I think this is fabulous news. It shows up the utter moral vacuuity of New Labour that they are quite happy for home grown freeloaders to ponce off of the collective but try to wheedle out of supporting those who voluntaryily supported us for decades.

Is there any depth to which you won't sink in your attempts to make party-political points?

The truth is that Conservative govts since 1945 have also avoided any concessions to the Gurkhas.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I shouldn't think the debacles of Iraq and Afghanistan will have done wonders for domestic recruiting, either.

Hardly.

And I doubt very much that the Gurkhas will be phased out, they're simply too good at their job to be disbanded and it is a source of revenue for the Nepalese, like it or not.

Oh, I agree.

Stinks, doesn't it?

Yep. I'd say it's the continuation of our old Imperialist attitude, except that we used to treat our colonies and their peoples slightly better if a lot more paternalisticly.

 

[Zachor]

Is there any depth to which you won't sink in your attempts to make party-political points?

The truth is that Conservative govts since 1945 have also avoided any concessions to the Gurkhas.

Fair point about making party political points.

I agree that the Tories are equally wrong in refusing residence for Ghurkas but NL should have been better than that. Its not as if giving residence to those who have served us would have stirred up the Daily Mail brigade is it.

 

[ViolentPanda]

'As for the British army recruiting Britons, about 15% of our current strength are Commonwealth citizens, not "Britons". Nowadays too many Britons have moral objections to military service, or "can't be arsed".'


Until this new recession bites

Yep. I mentioned much the same ("economic conscription") on a thread at the weekend.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

At present our Commonwealth recruitment policy actually makes absolutely clear to potential recruits that citizenship isn't on the cards. You can fight and die for us, but don't even think about being entitled to come and live here.

Just how shit is that.

Glad the gurkhas won this one, and I hope it gets extended to all the non-brit recruits.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Fair point about making party political points.

I agree that the Tories are equally wrong in refusing residence for Ghurkas but NL should have been better than that. Its not as if giving residence to those who have served us would have stirred up the Daily Mail brigade is it.

Wouldn't it? The Daily Mail understands just as well as any other paper the importance of setting a precedent.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Just how shit is that.

Just about as shitty as you can get, IMO.

Glad the gurkhas won this one, and I hope it gets extended to all the non-brit recruits.

I'm glad too, but the setting of the precedent is why I believe that support for the victory in the right-wing media will be short-lived.
I'm not sure f I'm recalling correctly, but I'm fairly sure our Commonwealth recruits have had to sign waivers since around 2002, when the programme was kicked up a gear to deal with falling "home" recruitment levels.

 

[MikeMcc]

I'm all for them receiving the same pay and benefits but I'm less sure about the effects on those left behind in Nepal. Even with the shitty wages they were given, it was still a valuable source of revenue into the Nepalese economy. There was also the issue of the two-tier treatment between those pre-97 to those post-97, that alone may the Government possition impossible to justify. I just hope it doesn't end in tears.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

Just about as shitty as you can get, IMO.

"We don't mind you dying for us, we just don't want you living with us."

 

[Stoat Boy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8014265.stm

Fucking disgraceful.

 

[Bakunin]

I wonder if, should Gornon Brown wake up in the middle of the night to find a solitary Gurkha standing over him, bearing an unsheathed kukri and the trademark Gurkha smile (the smile isn't at all blood-curdling, honest) he might be persuaded to offer a better resolution to the problem.

Not that, given their proven reputation for such things, the average Gurkha would have any difficulty in ghosting past Whitehall security. My grandfather used to tell me stories about the Gurkhas and they were fucking scary ones, I can tell you.

 

[scifisam]

Ah, fuck. Typical, but still.

Here old man, jump through this hoop! Then this one! Then this one! Ooh no - you managed to jump through that hoop - therefore you're not eligible.

 

[Azrael]

"This is a disgrace and a betrayal of our armed forces and our veterans," said David Enwright, the Gurkhas' solicitor. I couldn't agree more. Not only should the Gurkhas be allowed to settle in the country they've helped defend for some 200 years, they should be naturalised if they want it. Labour's mealy-mouthed excuses are always shaming, but especially so compared to the dignified request of these soldiers.

 

[derf]

I met some once years ago.
We were doing a 25 mile walk. I was a couple of miles from the finish when a bunch of these buggers went past me at double time in full kit.
I was pretty fit at the time but had nothing on that lot.

Happy they have won their case but unhappy they had to fight it.
Shame on the British government.

 

[ViolentPanda]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8014265.stm

Fucking disgraceful.

Agreed, but it's also absolutely typical of Home Office tactics.

 

[ViolentPanda]

"This is a disgrace and a betrayal of our armed forces and our veterans," said David Enwright, the Gurkhas' solicitor. I couldn't agree more. Not only should the Gurkhas be allowed to settle in the country they've helped defend for some 200 years, they should be naturalised if they want it. Labour's mealy-mouthed excuses are always shaming, but especially so compared to the dignified request of these soldiers.

if we're attempting to attribute the blame fairly, then we must also blame every administration since WW2, along with what I believe to be the real villains: Generations of Whitehall mandarins who've blocked even the idea of full assimilation of Ghurkas who have served this country.

 

[Teepee]

I think you'll find that the Gurkhas are NOT mercenaries and would be heartily insulted (never wise if one values one's health) to be described as such.

They are a constituent part of a national army, draw the same pay and rations as other troops in the British Army and are subject to Queen's Regulations and the Manual of Military Law, the same as any other soldier.

They're also terrific soldiers and very nice people, should you ever happen to meet any of them.

I was sat by a river with a mate drinking when a load of guys jogged past. He was pissed and lairy so he shouted over to them something stupid like 'come on lads you can go faster than that har har snort' at which point they all stopped and looked at him, and I just said 'thats a troop of gurkhas mate'. He just went fucking white and let out this little vocal fart of a 'sorry!' at which point they pissed themselves laughing and jogged on.

 

[clicker]

The conditions attached to their right to stay does not make this the 'let's pop the champagne corks' settlement being lauded.

 

[Azrael]

if we're attempting to attribute the blame fairly, then we must also blame every administration since WW2, along with what I believe to be the real villains: Generations of Whitehall mandarins who've blocked even the idea of full assimilation of Ghurkas who have served this country.

Agreed. Both Labour and Conservatives have treated the Ghurkas shabbily. I might develop a modicum of respect for David Cameron if he atoned for his party's past failings by pledging to allow the Ghurkas full settlement rights and automatic citizenship should they want it.

 

[Bob_the_lost]

I've met a handful and they were as advertised, nice lads. Even if they weren't this is a joke and the justification given for it is even more so.

 

[Jessiedog]

Utterly disingenuous!


Fucking weasels.





Woof

 

[_pH_]

Completely unreasonable, but not surprising. Reminds me of the whole Diego Garcia issue too.

 

[derf]

"We don't mind you dying for us, we just don't want you living with us."

That has to be the post of the thread and sums the job up in a few words.

Let these blokes in right now with a British passport if they want one.

 

[likesfish]

consider we let Somali child rapists stay should be given a passport no questions asked.
The excuse was they were never allowed to stay before is shit
better behaved than the average squaddie.
harder than a hard thing.
evil sense of humor though.
sit down with in the mess with plate of pie and chips Johnny across the table is eating the same with a huge pile of chillies on the side see's me looking offers me one.
thinks can't be that bad he's scoffing loads.
tries one mouth explodes with pain leave at great rate of knots seeking lager
find a dozen similar squaddies fell for the same trick.
Sgt Ming could appear on your position on a bare arsed hill with no warning and feck off without being seen even with thermal imaging gear.
can't see anyone trying to forcibly deport them though.
had the privilege of facing them on exercise came charging towards us with kukhris we legged it

 

[DotCommunist]

From what I heard, whole groups of argentine kids abandoned their positions when they heard the ghurkas were coming during the falklands conflict.

But the British army are nothing but consistent. Finished serving? fuck you then

 

[Bakunin]

From what I heard, whole groups of argentine kids abandoned their positions when they heard the ghurkas were coming during the falklands conflict.

But the British army are nothing but consistent. Finished serving? fuck you then

This is true. The Argentine conscripts were so terrified of the Gurkhas that they usually abandoned their positions without a shot fired. They wouldn't even surrender to the Gurkhas if there was a unit of British troops nearby, thay were so scared they couldn't even be taken prisoner by the Gurkhas.

 

[jannerboyuk]

OI!

Royal Marines (I happen to come from a long, long line of them) aren't a bad bunch either.

Although I'd recommend avoiding challenging them to a drinking contest. My liver practically revolted last time.

the marines are wankers.

 

[likesfish]

the marines are wankers.

alcoholic tranvestites yes
wankers no

 

[dylanredefined]

Worked for a Gurkha last year very cool bloke .Why would anyone object to having these guys as citizens is beyond me.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

It's appalling, I'm well pissed off about this.

It's not like they're going to scrounge off the state or anything. I'd imagine most of them would have no difficulty getting jobs once they left the forces.