Should the Scottish Regiments be Reformed?

[JillJ]

It's the Gov'ts job to organise for possible future wars, not past one's.  If their changes lead to a better prepared, better equipped and better trained army, then past history shouldn't stand in the way. I'm all for change, if it will lead to less soldiers dieing.

kmo

You said it yourself - IF these changes lead to improvements.......!     

If it works don't fix it!

Jill

[Hackstaple]

I forgot to give a case supporting my side of this argument. Recently we sent troops to the Ivory Coast to ensure the safe evacuation of British citizens as the country was degenerating into anarchy. That required feet on the ground - it could not be solved by firing a couple of cruise missiles from a nuclear-powered submarine.
When Argentina occupied the Falklands it was men on the ground that rooted them out - we could hardly reduce the islands to smouldering slag to make our point. Right now we have troops engaged in many places - Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone are just some of the flashpoints, there are 7 on average since New Labour came into power.
In addition the armed forces had to stand in for the firemen when their leadership decided to strike for a 40% wage hike.
Still want to reduce the forces?

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
I remember a previous amalgamation of the Scottish Regiments in about 1958
when my father was in the Highland Light Infantry.  There were all kinds of amusing cartoons in the press at the time - drawings of soldiers wearing kilts AND trews, as I believe Highland and Lowland regiments were merged in some cases.  My dad, who was adjutant of The School of Infantry in Warminster at the time was squeezed out; nineteen years of service and then floundering in civilian life.  He was never quite the same man thereafter, and sometimes I find myself yearning for the skirl of the pipes again...
Keith

[ryan]

"LONDON RALLY - SATURDAY APRIL 9th - TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Dear Regiments Supporters

The Save the Regiments campaign and The Save the Scottish Regiments campaign would like to extend an open invitation to each one of you to come along to the National Save the Regiments Rally in London on Saturday April  9th. The purpose of the March and Rally is to send a clear message to the Government that the latest round of disbandments and mergers to the UK's regiments are unwise and unwelcome.  It may not be your regiment or unit that is affected this year but we can all be certain that this Government will continue to cutback on the UK's defences until precious little is left!  Already several airforce bases around the country have been informed of substantial cutbacks - every part of the armed forces  - ARMY, ROYAL NAVY AND ROYAL AIR FORCE are under threat.  
It could be any unit of any of the services next, therefore it is time to make a stand and say enough is enough to the Government!

Despite severe and widely recognised over-stretch of our Armed Forces, this Labour government is intent on cutting the number of the UK's regiments, and merging many of the remaining Regiments into single multi-battalion regiments. The Armed Forces have been over-committed for too long, with insufficient funding by government. To save money, the Infantry is being reduced in size and its regimental heart cut out through merger.
 
The Infantry has served this country loyally, bravely and unquestioningly for hundreds of years. Ours is now a very unstable world. There is a global war against terrorism. Now, perhaps more than at any time since the Second World War, we need highly professional and motivated infantry. The government’s merger of our historic regiments, removing at a stroke centuries of tradition and regimental pride, will destroy the vital ingredient that makes the infantryman so unique.
 
The forthcoming General Election will give the electorate an opportunity to express its opinion. Quite simply, a vote for Labour is a vote to destroy the UK's famous Infantry Regiments.
 
Throughout the UK, there is very strong opposition to the government’s plans. On Saturday 9th April the Save the Regiments will hold a march and rally in London to support its campaign to retain the UK's regiments and their regimental identities.  We will be joined by representatives of many of the UK's Regiments.  All supporters of the fight to Save our  Regiments are very welcome to join us on Saturday 9th April.
 
We are dismayed at the loss of capability represented by this Labour Government's financial cuts, at a time when the infantry have never been so stretched.  We also deplore the decision to do away with the regimental system as we know it in many parts of the country.  The loss of identity and contact with traditional recruiting areas will have a devastating effect on recruiting and morale.  We don’t believe that these proposals have been properly thought through.  We ask the government to think again.”
 
The public mood in regarding the government’s treatment of the Armed Forces as a whole is one of anger and disbelief. On the 9th April the people of this country and former members of many different armed forces will have the opportunity to send a powerful message to this government that what it is doing is wrong and that it is out of touch. We will campaign to Save the Regiments right up to polling day.
 
This battle is every bit as critical to the survival of the Regiments as that fought by many of our fallen and veterans in countless battles and more recent conflicts.  We must not allow a Labour Government to do what countless dictators have failed to do - destroy our Regiments.

Please come along and show your support for The British Regiments, especially as so many of the UK's media outlets will be there (Sky, BBC etc).  Help us fill Trafalgar Square for a magnificent backdrop to the start of General Election campaigning and make sure Blair knows people hold him responsible for the destruction of the British Army's Historic Regiments (no doubt getting ready to sell the remainder of our Armed Forces into a Euro Army!).
Please note
We are still looking for more pipers and drummers to join us – if you are a piper or drummer, or know of someone then please call us on 01980 59 49 49 – or just turn up at Hyde park at 1pm on Saturday.

All regimental standards – both of current and former regiments are welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend, or are overseas, then please consider alerting a friend or friends to this important event by forwarding them this email.

Details are as follows:
 
Assemble from 1pm at Hyde Park (North carriage Drive - close to Speakers Corner)
 
March Off at approx. 2pm
 
Rally Trafalgar Square - approx. 3pm

For full details please log-on to the rally website at  www.londonrally.info
 
This is the last opportunity you may have before the General Election to make a stand against the Labour Government's defence budget cuts which have caused the appalling and ill-conceived mergers and disbandments of the UK's regiments.  Please support the March and Rally by attending and show the country that you care about the UK's servicemen and women who make up our proud regiments.  This is truly a UK wide rally representing all the UK's Regiments whom are under threat.
 
Thank you
 
Save the Regiments Campaign Team"

[goggy]

As an ex civilian in uniform I'm going to toss my 5 cents worth in here.
Let me start by saying,take care,if  Bluur's Government  suddenly recants what would you feel?
Do any of you realise what "keeping them on the hop" means in military terms?
I was posted to a County Regiment way out of my own County,as were a few others,we had to learn to assimilate ,train and cohere as a group,quick smart.No County loyalties,no old feuds or blood oaths, and I think we did okay when needed.
Regiment and County,Service arm etc;
dont mean a thing when events go egg shaped.
Having said that,having spent some time also digging holes in various pieces of ground,with "Banjoe's" was very often pushed aside for the latest earth moving machine to make me redundant,only to be recalled when the situation was too tight or dangerous for a machine!!
As previously expressed in earlier mails,men on the ground,YESTERDAY,are whats needed,the best of everything in support and in combination.Why were the Falklands troops using enemy equipment?Because British WASNT best!!
The moral has always been,take care of your own,family first,so what is your money,energy,production being used for?
YES,I'm so disgusted with all the reductions,cuts,band aid solutions,and pathetic political posturing that I wonder at the title of Great Britain.
Get the Bluur out of sight and clear vision back.
               Seething,Goggy.

[Salty]

My four penneth for what its worth.

I was in the Royal Navy when we had one. The amount of ships we have now would just about match what was in the British Home Fleet prior to the 1960s. We have no Aircraft carriers to protect our ships even. Sorry, but a so called carrier that can only carry eight warplanes is a total waste of money. A Fleet requires round the clock protection for days and sometimes weeks at a time, which is totally impossible to do with eight planes. If that is, they remain in service or do not get shot out of the skies.
Each service requires the help of the other, but as one or two have already said, without men on the ground nothing can be achieved.

I was very sad when the Hampshire Regt went, also the Gordons. Even to me a southerner, the Black Watch were something special.

If I had my way no one would be allowed to enter politics without first having served a minimum of ten years in one or tuther arm of the services.

Then perhaps they would not be so keen to send our trops to war with sub standard equipment or to war in the first place.

I will keep my thoughts on Mr BLIAR to myself.

Tom

[q98]

Why are we surprised when the "shiny bums" pull these stunts? There are NO votes in Defence; we and they know it.

From a Scot by birth, an Aussie by choice and a PROUD twenty-five year veteran with Service in two Commonwealth countries.

[stockman fred]

On a similar subject, they said on the Southern news last that after 800 years,the government are seriously considering closing the Royal Navy base at Portsmouth as we no longer have enough ships to justify 3 bases. A report will be out next year.
Fred

[manmack]

ryan,i to used to think like you,my old man fought with the black watch in ww2,i would like to see them all reformed,but its the sign of the times,when you think that a single soldier armed with a satelite system can bring down the firepower of a dozen regts onto an enemy then you can see how our arguement fades against the government,some thought should have gone into the name changes to keep alive the memory of such regts,if they are going to call it the royal scottish regt,then why not name the companies of the regt after the old disbanded ones,EG,black watch company [royal scottish regt]argyll company,[royal scottish regt] etc,but saying all that,ime still voting YES,mack