Saturday 6 November 2010

We Can Hardly Blame The Younger Generation Now...

...not when their so-called leaders display such a woeful lack of courage and judgement, can we?

Picture the scene: Down in Plymouth, a town with a long and proud history of military service and tradition, the young cadets have spent months drilling to represent the cadet service on Remembrance Day.

And a member of the public wasn't happy about this. Because of the noise? The disruption to traffic? Why, no.


And this oh-so-sensitive soul did what all such cretins now feel empowered to do when they see something which offends their delicate sensibilities - he or she complained.

And that would usually be an end to it, because such complaints would have been brushed aside by the cadet top brass. But we don't have people of the right calibre in these important roles any more.

Instead, we have the likes of Major David Waterworth:
...Devon Cadet Executive Officer Major David Waterworth put an end to the tradition after he ruled that carrying weapons was 'not good for the image' of cadets, who can join between the ages of 12 and 18.
Whereas, I suppose, it's good for the image of the cadets that the man in charge is the sort of person who, on meeting any kind of resistance, flings himself to the ground and rolls over on his back, lips pulled back from his teeth in supplication, tail between his legs, pissing himself in submission?
'I stopped it as soon as I heard they were doing it.'
Well done! My god, we could use men like you in....well, I'm not sure where, exactly. Certainly not in any leadership capacity.
'It's not good for our image to have children carrying weapons in public.'
No, indeed. Far better they learn that, instead of tools to be used by those for whom they may be needed, guns are quasi-mystical objects before which superstitious fools cower in fear.

That'll solve our 'gun culture' problem, I suppose?
'We are not members of the Armed Forces - we are a youth movement sponsored by the Ministry of Defence.'
You'll be dropping the 'Army' bit of the name, then? And the Army-based uniform? And the Army-based command structure, that allows a little popinjay like yourself to strut about on weekends and give orders to people who have, no doubt, accomplished far, far more than you ever will?

Good grief, man, you didn't even have the courage to OWN your decision, instead whining about having no choice in the matter:
He added that a ruling against children carrying rifles had been in place for ten years, but had not been enforced until now.
No doubt those years were in the charge of men with a better grasp of their role than you evidently have.

As I believe a far, far greater military man than Major David Waterworth could ever hope to be once said, 'Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men'...

It seems that the problem stems from a ruling ten years ago, when the UK signed an agreement against 'using child soldiers'. Which naturally, to those unable to think clearly, meant that cadets should no longer drill with weapons.

So, iDave and the coalition - who's going to tell the Cadet top brass that there's a new sheriff in town. I mean, there IS a new sheriff in town, isn't there?

18 comments:

Mr H said...

Sadly the ACF is a Walt/Wannabee Magnet for throbbers like Maj Waterworth.

They like to strut around in the Green and enjoy folk thinking they're 'Soldiers'

As this story illustrates they fall a long way short of that title. The mans a Mk1 Skip Licking Gimp (That's army talk for saying he's a wanker)

Woman on a Raft said...

It's taken me long enough, but I think I've finally understood where the reference "an absolute shower" comes from.

Live and learn.

Edwin Greenwood said...

What a nonce. I was in the CCF. Map reading, taking rifles apart and putting them together again, hopefully without having any bits left over, marching up and down in groups with rifles on our shoulders looking like total prats. Great fun. And, under sensible levels of supervision, we even got to fire live rounds occasionally on the range.

Mind you, that was in the early 1960s, before the advent of Maj Gen R. Sole and the European Convention Against Running With Scissors.

Woman on a Raft said...

There's going to be trouble if the Air Cadets are told they are limited to running round the field with their arms outstretched, going "vrooom" "Neeeeoowww" and "takkatakkatakkatakka".

Mind you, I understand that's our general air capacity for the foreseeable future so, you young cheps, deep breath and let's get those arms out wide, wide, wide.

Witterings from Witney said...

"So, iDave and the coalition - who's going to tell the Cadet top brass that there's a new sheriff in town. I mean, there IS a new sheriff in town, isn't there?"

In a word, Julia - Nope!

Oh, he's new, but Cameron is the same as his predecessors, the only difference being his favourite colour isn't red!

Mind you, as Woman on a Raft points out, as their seniors have no guns, why should the young pretenders be any different!

countdown said...

One: Our enemies (who haven't gone away because we have the power to complain about 'ishoos') will be training their "child soldiers" without worry.

Two: Signing conventions may be diplomatic fun but only for the weak to agonise how quickly they are enforced.

Three: Teaching young people to understand weapons does not mean they will hanker after using them. In fact, it is more likely they will respect the power of them. The unemployed and unemployable inner city scum who shoot each other over 'ain't showin' no respect' have no idea what they have in their hands.

Four: That we are toothless is a given, but the way we shuffled along to the international convention on dentistry and allowed them all to be removed is still amazing.

Anonymous said...

Why worry about the defence of
England in future years,
we can allways ask our German and
French cousins to do the the real
fighting for us,
we can concentrate on the catering
and entertainment.

PS
Some of those Cadet officers are
dodgy in more senses than one,
nudge,nudge.



Flew alone at 16

Anonymous said...

On a parade like this, only the Guard would drill with arms. (Deactivated of course) They do extra drill and training - it is not compulsory (or wasn't in my day many moons ago) so why is there a problem?
Just tell the self righteous little p£U*k to put their objections where the Monkey got the nuts. "Child Soldiers"? Really? With non-working guns?
Please!
Perhaps the Cadets will be banned for "promoting a gun culture" cue the "gun control network" bansturbators.

Lynne said...

I think they should print the bloke's full name: Major Waterworthless-Prick.

Quiet_Man said...

10 years ago would put it right smack bang into Blairs New Labour appease the Multiculties phase.

Terry Pratchett put it succinctly, "rules are there to make you stop and think before you break them"

Furor Teutonicus said...

What part of the word "ARMY" do these arseholes not understand?

Furor Teutonicus said...

And I suposse a discourse on the meaning of "DP rifles" would be lost on the fucker.

Will Jones said...

You probably shouldn't talk about 'tin-legs' Bader, his leadership and ability to ignore beaurocracy along with his flagrant disregard of his disability and his lack of dependancy on the state and others who knew far more than him, make him a bad role model in this day and age.
I mean, if it was common knowledge that a legless man became an ace in the Battle of Britain who escaped so often when captured, the Germans threatened to remove his prosthetic limbs (even worse, when liberated from Colditz, wanted to re-continue fighting) it would undermine the depdendency culture of Britain and all those other things that have made her the great nation she is today!!!

nick2 said...

It was a while ago, but in my school the school(boys) drilled with rifles. Cadets may have been oblivious of their survival prospects with a .303 when they started, but I witnessed a serving NATO officer telling the school what we (+ relatives) could look forward to 'if the balloon went up'. (Deactivated) rifles are relatively harmless. What are cadets supposed to march with now? Broomsticks?

blueknight said...

After 13yrs nulabor's liberal agenda is deeply embedded and it will require a lot of unpicking.
I hope that a small start will become a snowball rolling down hill, picking up speed and size.
If that does not happen we have to make it happen.

JuliaM said...

" The mans a Mk1 Skip Licking Gimp (That's army talk for saying he's a wanker)"

And a fine simile it is too!

"...I think I've finally understood where the reference "an absolute shower" comes from. "

Amazing, isn't it? Apart from a few token 'Yeah, but...' comments, everywhere I've seen this the opposition to his views has been solid.

"...before the advent of Maj Gen R. Sole and the European Convention Against Running With Scissors."

Just another step on the roads to eternal serfdom and the State as mother and father...

"Our enemies (who haven't gone away because we have the power to complain about 'ishoos') will be training their "child soldiers" without worry."

And not with deactivated weapons, either...

"Flew alone at 16"

*gasp* Child abuse! Quick, it's not too late, if we can find a lawyer... ;)

JuliaM said...

"I think they should print the bloke's full name: Major Waterworthless-Prick."

:D

"10 years ago would put it right smack bang into Blairs New Labour appease the Multiculties phase."

Bang on, if you'll excuse the pun. God, how are we to root all these appointees out?

"What part of the word "ARMY" do these arseholes not understand?"

They understand it all too well, sadly. That's why they are so keen to destroy it.

"...undermine the depdendency culture of Britain and all those other things that have made her the great nation she is today!!!"

True enough!

"I witnessed a serving NATO officer telling the school what we (+ relatives) could look forward to 'if the balloon went up'. "

Can anyone imagine anyone being able to do that now? Without being immediately arrested for 'harassment and distress'?

Me neither...

"I hope that a small start will become a snowball rolling down hill, picking up speed and size. "

Me too.

Dr Evil said...

I was in my school combined cadet force. Not only did we drill with weapons we used to shoot them too, even automatic weapons (banned these days though). Shame for these young cadets though. all that training and poof, gone because some arse complained!