Dispatches: TONIGHT

[WannabBootneck]

Tonight at 2000hrs on channel 4 is Dispatches:Battle Fatigue.


I just thought it might be an interesting read for everyone on here.

Not stirring, but it's always good to be well educated about your employer.

WbB

[JCAP3]

Hey hey, from the title it sounds like a bloody good laugh

[nufc_rulz]

Might be worth watching. Although might show the forces in a bad light judging from the trailers. Plus big brother is on after

[JCAP3]

Aye, can't miss Queen Shabollox - I have so much respect for him/it.

[Sonne]

As per usual it was very damning of the MOD whilst being very supportive of our troops. Some scenes were quite shocking but i think it was handled quite well considering the highly emotive nature of the content.

Sonne

[jarhead]

not bad program, most intersting for someone who is wanting to join up ASAP. Still you can never belive everything the media say.

stil want to be a marine.

[nufc_rulz]

Was a good programme and did shed light on how they are treated. I think the one about the guy that was given to the civilian courts because of politics was disgraceful.

[Felias]

Its all done in the interest of "Human rights." Such as wasting MOD money to pay off a bunch of Albanians or Iraqis who falsely try to claim money from an already cash strapped defence budget!!!!!!!

[two_wheels_only]

the downsizing of the army is what pissed me off the most.. i dont understand why we get rid of such a prestigious and respected reg as the black watch when we still waste the budget on horses and parade bull like what the household cavalry do half the time. no offence to them.

surely the probs in iraq and the recruitment dive that the MOD beaurocrats are doing so hard to cover up shows that we need an increase in manpower not the opposite?

[Sonne]

the downsizing of the army is what pissed me off the most.. i dont understand why we get rid of such a prestigious and respected reg as the black watch when we still waste the budget on horses and parade bull like what the household cavalry do half the time. no offence to them.

surely the probs in iraq and the recruitment dive that the MOD beaurocrats are doing so hard to cover up shows that we need an increase in manpower not the opposite?

The Household cavalry have a specific role to play. Not just for ceremonial events but recce in highly manouverable armoured vehicles. Ceremony and "bull" is all an important part of our national identity and a price cannot be put on that.

Welcome to the board.

Sonne

[TheWedge]

I have a few things to say about this program and journalist, correct me if I am wrong.

Firstly, I was very alarmed to see this program being presented by Andrew Gilligan. If I recall rightly this was the guy who was indirectly linked with the death of Dr Kelly several years ago and put the BBC in direct conflict with the UK government, I am sure he was later sacked from the BBC. Dr Kelly died as a result of Andrew Gilligan's incompetence, Andrew socially engineered this vulnerable man to violate his terms of employment with the MOD/government department which led to him giving unauthorised and inaccurate interviews to Andrew Gilligan.

Secondly, I try to keep an open mind about everything, but I cannot respond to something unless I am sure beyond reasonable doubt that what Andrew was saying was true. I was not convinced by his evidence in the program on anything he talked about. His approach was 99% biased which made getting anything useful and factual from the program very difficult for me, his approach to this 'Investigation' reminded me instantly of Martin Bashir's social engineering and stitch up approach to journalism.

Out of the 10's of thousands of soldiers who served in iraq, Andrew managed to convince less than 5 to take part in this show, he obviously paid them handsomly for their accounts of what has happened and before you know it you had high paid lawyers talking about the harsh realities of war! give me a break!.

I thought so much detail was missing from this program that it did not give me anything worth watching, I had seen every piece of video footage at least 10 times over, although I still enjoy watching the bootnecks blasting the hell out of that building.

Overall, I think andrew Gilligan is a tw@t and the program was too subjective. I could have made a better program than that and at least I would have put some unseen footage in. A waste of time that has done nothing for the army or the government. Gilligan is interested in nothing more than grabbing cash and self publicising. Did you see the size of his belly! The fat donkey!

I think the program should have been renamed:

Dispatches: Two bob journalist desperate for work tries to diss the MOD and the army, with no success

[mfat_man]

Good post

Was going to make the same point about Gilligan, typical self-obessesed journo not to be trusted

[xcj]

for anyone that missed it, it's repeated tonight (or tomorrow morning, whatever you want to call it) at 03:45 on channel 4.

[frostie593]

i agree with 'wedgie' , gilligan is a real fool, and has done nothing from the program except turn some more people against the MOD and government and against the iraq war.

[harry73]

two wheels wrote

i dont understand why we get rid of such a prestigious and respected reg as the black watch when we still waste the budget on horses and parade bull like what the household cavalry do half the time. no offence to them.

If you were amember of the Army I would off ripped your head off for that comment as you should know better but your a student so I let you off as not knowing much.

The Household Cavalry REGIMENT (HCR) are one of the most opperationally active Regiments in the Army. They are sending a Squadron to join 3 Para next month in Afganistan to do there job as Recce Soldiers in Helmand then early next year the Whole Regiment is off to Iraq for the umphteen time.

The Household Cavalry MOUNTED Regiment (HCMR) are the ones based in London doing the Horse thing. In my years in the Cav only about 10% of that was on the Horsey side