UK: War dead to be driven down side streets to avoid the public

[Kunal Biswas]

UK: War dead to be driven down side streets to avoid the public

For several years, the flag-draped coffins of fallen servicemen and women have been met by large crowds who line the streets to pay their respects as they return to British soil. But repatriation flights are to be diverted and will no longer be flown back to RAF Lyneham and through the small Wiltshire town of Royal Wootton Bassett, where they were saluted come rain or shine.

Instead, they will arrive back to RAF Brize Norton, where they will be driven through the back gate and then down side roads, neatly avoiding the nearby town of Carterton, as they make their way to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Andrew Robathan, Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, admitted that the decision to avoid public scenes of emotion had been taken deliberately.

"The side gate was seen by the Ministry of Defence and the police as the most appropriate way to take out future corteges," he told Radio Oxford.

Full Article: Telegraph

 

[mayfair]

Those who do not honour their brave and dead are undeserving of freedoms bequeathed to them by the sacrifices of these brave men and women. Shameful behaviour indeed.

 

[pmaitra]

Those who do not honour their brave and dead are undeserving of freedoms bequeathed to them by the sacrifices of these brave men and women. Shameful behaviour indeed.

I do not disagree. This is shameful indeed. I would, however, like to highlight the practicality of such a move. War weariness has largely been attributed to similar sights of body-bags and can reach such a point that frivolous talks of chivalry and valour will have little impact on the public. This works to the detriment of the foreign policy objectives of the country.

Just the two sides of a coin.

 

[mayfair]

I do not disagree. This is shameful indeed. I would, however, like to highlight the practicality of such a move. War weariness has largely been attributed to similar sights of body-bags and can reach such a point that frivolous talks of chivalry and valour will have little impact on the public. This works to the detriment of the foreign policy objectives of the country.

Just the two sides of a coin.

I understand your point. But downplaying the sacrifices of those servicemen in such manner is only intended to hide the symptoms and not cure the disease that is codsawallop of Brobdingnagian proportions that the UK MoD mandarins have turned their foreign policy into. Had it not been for the failed policies, initiatives and measures, the body bags would not be arriving in droves in the first place. So rather than take measures to correct the course of their disastrous foreign policy they choose to play down the number of war casualties and the sacrifices of those men and women.

It's more of "We bottled it big time but we cannot allow these fallen soldiers their due respects lest it highlight what a bunch of wankers we are and people start asking questions. We cannot allow that can we?" from the British bureaucracy and politicians. Of course them being who they will have an eye on extremist vote in more than one marginal constituency as well.