March 11, 2011
Not content with taking on the world's tyrants, boldly going where no-one else will dare and generally doing a lot of shooting away from these shores, the British Military has decided expand the fight... to its own inner demons.But the news that the government has funded a 24-hour helpline for military personnel suffering from 'mental issues', strikes Guru as a questionable use of resources when cuts are decimating our world-renowned fighting machine.
After all, surely one of the main criteria for wanting to be a soldier is a certain je ne sais quoi on the mentality front. And Blighty plc certainly wouldn't expect right-thinking individuals to be willing to steam in a put their lives on the line - that, surely, is a role reserved for the slightly bewildered (to put it politely).
The ITV-watching classes are clearly destined for such roles. And the fundamental recruitment stance of "Are you willing to march for three days' solid without much food or water, certainly no sleep and no prospect of coming out of the situation in a healthier state than when you went in?" seems to put off hardly any potential squaddies.
So to splash the cash on a telephone helpline that conceivably could be overloaded as all 240,000 military personnel get on the blower to weep, gnash their teeth and generally sound off seems a tad strange.
They'll be expecting to have rights next. Then a decent day's pay, danger money and proper compensation for 'friendly-fire' injuries.
Still, it's good news for the telecoms companies.
Guru's Tweets