We're treating our people so badly! [Archive]

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danlisa

03-11-08, 07:31 AM

Members of the armed forces who return from war zones after becoming severely injured, IMHO should be financially supported for life by the MOD, Government or even the UK public.

They paid the price, why can't we honour or support that following thier return?

A British soldier burnt so severely during a Taliban ambush that he "died" three times has been awarded less than £100,000 compensation.
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/9317/narmy118sn6.jpg

L/Cpl Compton, a 24-year-old, from Staplehurst, Kent, would have been given £366,875 if his injuries were each paid at the full rate but Ministry of Defence rules mean he only receives the maximum amount for the worst injury.
I'm sorry, but in my mind this is unforgivable. This is only one publicised story, what of the other forces members that are in the same situation that we never hear about?

We should/could do more.

Full Story - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/18/narmy118.xml

Boo to the UK Gov.:down::down::down::down::down::down:

Konovalov

03-11-08, 07:37 AM

Why am I not surprised by this? :down: And having just read the thread about the guy suing M & S for 300k for slipping on a grape it makes me even more angry. :nope:

Kapitan_Phillips

03-11-08, 07:39 AM

Doesnt suprise me. We should send them out there to get injured, and have them come back to nothing, ignorant bastards.

danlisa

03-11-08, 07:52 AM

Yeah, it's a sad time for the UK when some pr*ck slips on a grape, pulls a tendon and then could potentially get 3x more than this poor sod.:x

I am enraged about this story as I come from a Naval family and I believe that anyone, in which ever force they decide to enlist in, should do so knowing that they are fully supported by the MOD, UK Gov & the UK people, whatever the outcome of their service.

Let me put this into perspective for you. My father, when he left the navy was given a 'golden handshake' (gratuity) of £350000 and that was more than 15 years ago. Couple that with his generous pension and he's infinitely better off than this chap and he didn't even serve time in a war zone.

I think some priorities are fecked up here.

STEED

03-11-08, 01:04 PM

Tony Blair should have the sh*t kicked out of him and Gordon Brown.

^^NOT MY WORDS BUT I DO SEE WHY.^^

Just goes to show you our Armed forces are cattle fodder for the government of the day. Just one more good reason we should have a revolution and restore true democracy and treat are Armed forces with respect.

DeepIron

03-11-08, 01:07 PM

Just goes to show you our Armed forces are cattle fodder for the government of the day. Just one more good reason we should have a revolution and restore true democracy and treat are Armed forces with respect.

Ditto for the US...:up:

Letum

03-11-08, 01:54 PM

I agree.

It's not happening because the only way to make it happen is:

A: Put up tax
B: Reduce other services

Both look bad for the government.

Either we dont spend as much on schools, police and healthcare etc, or we must pay
more tax. Or the injustice continues.

Steel_Tomb

03-11-08, 02:23 PM

Its disgraceful, the Government really needs to get its act together. What gets me is how wrong the system of so called "democracy" is used in this country. The political parties beg us for their support, and then after that they leave us high and dry. Even though 95% of people who participated in a survey said that we should have a referendum on the EU Constitution... oh sorry I meant "treaty" the Government along with the Lib Dems (thought they were all for liberal stuff and standing up for the little guy???) block it so there won't be any say for UK citizens, wheres the democracy in that? The man should be getting a minimum of £40,000 A YEAR. Think of the medical costs and suffering this poor sod will have to endure for the rest of his life. I think he will be going through hell, especially with all the reconstructive surgery I would imagine he will have to go through. Absolute madness, the Labour Government should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. At the end of the war it was said that Great Britain would be "a nation fit for heroes", on the contrary, its a nation fit for ignoring the sacrifices the brave men of women of this countries armed forces put up with. What makes it even more distasteful is that they're not necessarily doing it for the security of the UK, but for the people of foreign countries, which in my mind deserves the utmost respect. To go and make personal sacrifices for people you've never even met before is an especially honorable thing to do.

I may be biased on this issuse, as I'm planning to join the RAF as a pilot this summer, but its a subject that needs to be discussed more openly. The Government needs to get a grilling over this issue, preferably on live TV, there's something about watching politicians squirm in a corner that is very appealing to me!

Skybird

03-11-08, 02:51 PM

There is even a worse economical perspective, often attacked and criticised by Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize for economics. Just today I read him in German news again, where he marks some of the major points again. And he is right.

http://www.welt.de/politik/article1783456/Wir_werden_teuer_fuer_den_Irak-Krieg_bezahlen.html?print=yes

Vor dem Krieg hat der Futuremarkt errechnet, dass der Ölpreis für wenigstens ein Jahrzehnt bei etwa 23 Dollar pro Barrel verharren würde, den wachsenden Energiebedarf Indiens und Chinas bereits mit eingerechnet. Für die Differenz sind der Krieg und die Volatilität, die er verursacht hat, verantwortlich, zusammen mit dem aufgrund niedriger Zinsen fallenden Dollar und dem riesigen Handelsdefizit. Dieser höhere Preis bedeutet, dass Milliarden, die sonst in den Taschen der Amerikaner verblieben und zu Hause ausgegeben worden wären, nach Saudi-Arabien und in andere Öl exportierende Länder geflossen sind.
Zweitens: Geld, das für den Irak ausgegeben wird, stimuliert die Wirtschaft zu Hause nicht. Wenn Sie im Irak einen philippinischen Bauarbeiter beschäftigen, bleibt der Multiplikatoreffekt, den es gäbe, würde stattdessen eine Brücke in Missouri gebaut, aus. Drittens: Dieser Krieg wurde, anders als jeder andere Krieg in der amerikanischen Geschichte, komplett durch Defizite finanziert. Defizite sind ein Ärgernis, weil sie am Ende Investitionen verhindern und Schulden anhäufen, die in der Zukunft beglichen werden müssen. Das schadet der Produktivität, weil für öffentliche Investitionen in Forschung, Bildung und Infrastruktur oder für private Investitionen in Maschinen oder Fabriken nur wenig übrig bleibt.
(...)
Bis vor Kurzem haben wir diese drei Faktoren nicht in voller Härte zu spüren bekommen, weil die Notenbank reagiert hat, als müsste sie die Wirtschaft am Laufen halten, ganz gleich, wie viel Geld Präsident Bush für den Irak ausgäbe. Sie hat die Wirtschaft mit Geld überschwemmt und weggeschaut, als das Geld über faule Immobilienkredite zum Fenster rausgeworfen wurde. Die Regeln waren lax. Der Hahn war weit aufgedreht. Gleichzeitig ist die Sparrate auf null gesunken, weshalb vom Wiederaufbau des Irak bis zur Eigenheimrenovierung alles auf Pump geschah. Alle Probleme wurden durch Pump verkleistert. Die Blase ist schließlich geplatzt, als das Verhältnis von Häuserpreisen und Einkommen nicht länger aufrechtzuerhalten war. Jetzt, da wir über die Blase hinaussehen können, wird die vom Irak-Krieg verursachte wirtschaftliche Schwäche voll zutage treten. Und wir werden teuer dafür bezahlen – mit Zinsen.
(...)
Eine der bizarren Erscheinungen der Globalisierung ist, dass die Chinesen, die in der UN gegen den Irak-Krieg waren, diesen Krieg am Ende zu einem Gutteil finanziert haben, indem sie mit den enormen Dollar-Reserven aus ihrem Handelsüberschuss mit Amerika US-Schatzanweisungen gekauft haben. Also borgt eine Verbraucherdemokratie ohne Rücklagen bei einem markt-leninistischen Staat, um den Terror zu bekämpfen.
(...)
Und die Ironien hören da noch nicht auf. Dies ist der erste amerikanische Krieg seit dem Unabhängigkeitskrieg, der von außen finanziert wurde. Am Beginn jedes anderen Kriegs stand eine echte öffentliche Debatte darüber, welche Kosten man künftigen Generationen aufladen könne und für welche man heute aufkommen müsse – in Form von Steuern. Dies ist der erste Krieg, mit dessen Beginn wir die Steuern gesenkt haben. Und der Irak-Krieg wurde nicht nur vom Ausland finanziert, er ist auch der am weitestgehend privatisierte Krieg der amerikanischen Geschichte. Die Folgen sind ungeheuerlich.
(...)
Ein Sicherheitsmann – und ich rede hier nicht über hoch spezialisierte Techniker – verdient über 1000 Dollar am Tag, oft mehr als 400.000 Dollar im Jahr. Jemand in der US Army bekommt für die Erfüllung der gleichen Aufgaben nur einen Bruchteil davon – um die 40.000 Dollar. Wer einen Betrieb kennt, in dem einer zehnmal mehr verdient als ein anderer, der den gleichen Job macht, weiß, dass das ein Rezept für Unzufriedenheit ist. Also hat die US Army die Bonuszahlungen für Freiwillige erhöht. Wir stehen im Wettbewerb mit uns selbst! Und das erhöht die Kosten ringsum. Damit aber ist das Ende der Absurdität noch nicht erreicht. Der amerikanische Steuerzahler zahlt für die Sicherheitsleute Berufsunfähigkeits- und Todesfallversicherungen, die Policen aber schließen Zahlungen im Fall von „Feindseligkeiten“ aus. Wofür aber zahlen wir dann? Der Steuerzahler gibt den Versicherern Geld für gar nichts. Das nenne ich mal ein Geschäft!
(...)
Wenn er (John McCain) von Wirtschaft keine Ahnung hat, hat er von Sicherheit keine Ahnung. Hätten wir unendliche Mittel, könnten wir vielleicht in vollkommener Sicherheit leben. Aber wie jedes andere Land hat auch Amerika beschränkte Mittel. Also muss man sein Geld clever – das heißt wirtschaftlich – ausgeben. Wer die amerikanische Wirtschaft schwächt, dem wird es an Mitteln für die Sicherheit fehlen. Das lässt sich nicht trennen.

Bon appetit! :up:

danlisa

03-11-08, 02:59 PM

SB, are you taking the P!:p

Translation please.

August

03-11-08, 03:50 PM

Any US serviceman with similar injuries would get 100% disability payments as well as free medical treatment for the rest of his life. This isn't what happens in Britain?

Letum

03-11-08, 03:59 PM

Tchocky

03-11-08, 05:03 PM

Its disgraceful, the Government really needs to get its act together. What gets me is how wrong the system of so called "democracy" is used in this country. The political parties beg us for their support, and then after that they leave us high and dry. Even though 95% of people who participated in a survey said that we should have a referendum on the EU Constitution... oh sorry I meant "treaty" the Government along with the Lib Dems (thought they were all for liberal stuff and standing up for the little guy???) block it so there won't be any say for UK citizens, wheres the democracy in that? The democracy in it is in Parliament. The Lisbon Treaty is exactly the kind of issue that parliaments are designed for.
The UK is not used to having referenda, they are sly, cynical devices that rarely have anything to do with the will of the people. For large, nasty, complex things like treaties, the elected government decides.
The row over this referendum is due to government mishandling and opposition opportunism. Playing the "democracy card" is useful for the Tories; there's nothing Labour can say against it and come off the better - which doesn't make it a good idea. Don't believe for a minute if the Tories were in power would you get a vote on Lisbon. Here in Ireland we're having a referendum, and I'm terrified that the public will screw up.
In countries like Switzerland, they have plebescities all the time, and they know how to vote. They vote on the issue at hand.
The UK (and Ireland) have rare referenda, and we don't have a bloody clue what to do. A vote on Lisbon would turn into a vote on Gordon Brown's performance so far. And that would be an unmitigated disaster for Britain as a whole, and a hell of a victory for the Tories.

August

03-11-08, 05:11 PM

bookworm_020

03-11-08, 08:50 PM

There is a problem here in Australia with returning vets. Many of them are commiting suicide due to a lack of care and counseling when they return.:nope:

Letum

03-11-08, 09:02 PM

Any US serviceman with similar injuries would get 100% disability payments as well as free medical treatment for the rest of his life. This isn't what happens in Britain?
Everyone in Britian gets disability pay if they can not work as a result of a disibility.
This is regardless of millitary service.

Everyone gets free healthcare as well Includeing home help etc. if needed.
So what is the bitch then?

hehe, the view of an outsider is enlightening. Damm good question.

Well, I suppose because disability pay and free medical care are the norm in the UK,
we think that they should get something extra.

Upon further consideration, I am not sure that compensation is the way to go if the army did nothing wrong.