Can the Troops and Police keep their Jobs Now?

Philip Hammond Secretary State for Defence

The other evening the Culture Minister. Jeremy Hunt, was looking very uncomfortable as he was being interviewed by Kirsty Wark on Newsnight. I got the impression that he did not have a clue. It is now clear that G4S was a cowboy outfit who should never have been granted sole custody of security at the Olympic Games. Their employees are paid peanuts and we all know what you get for that.


Now it is becoming evident that security for the athletes was being compromised because G4S employees were not reporting for work in huge numbers. The police were having to fill the gap.


We are 11 days from the Olympics and these incompetent politicians are squabbling over security. As usual the very people who will steer the politicians through their self imposed ignorance are the police and the servicemen. These are the guys who will save the reputation of the country. Then. of course. it is likely that they will be sacked and some of them will be seen sleeping under the stars a year from now.


It is high time that the forces had a Trade Union. I hate trade unions  but the British Legion is not doing the job. The soldiers and the police, who will clearly save the London Olympics from a political disaster, will never receive their reward. Many will be sacked and forgotten. 


I acknowledge that I preach heresy but the time is now. When tube drivers and bus drivers and every man and his dog are blackmailing the government then surely those that are essential to the mission should also be rewarded.


This Coalition Government is destroying the police and the forces. They are cutting front line national security at every opportunity. They have destroyed the military pension scheme because they dismiss personnel long before they qualify for a pension. They consistently devalue the performance of the lower ranks; the guys who do the work that matters.


It is time for the lowly paid to revolt. This time they have got their paymasters by the goolies. They are the ONLY people who can make these games successful and yet they are not only the lowest paid but the least appreciated. They are only squaddies, Lance Corporals and soldiers, but they are the men who will ensure these Olympics survive.


The millionaire Philip Hammond does not believe that these men deserve a bonus. He is a front line moderniser and as such someone we should not listen to (and I am being VERY kind!).  His attitude is that they knew when they signed up what they were in for. Let me tell you Mr Hammond nobody knows what they are in for when they take the Queen's Shilling. They are looking for adventure but most encounter so much more. They deserve more than bonuses but at the very least they deserve to retain their jobs!