Stating the bleeding obvious...

Great scoop by the BBC in obtaining slides of Bernard Gray's report on Defence Procurement.

http://tinyurl.com/knuztl

That fact is it tells a tale that all serviceman can recite. The Defence Procurement Agency and Defence Logistics Agency as they once were, used to (and I believe still do) work on a policy of Just Enough, Just In Time. Of course how it actually worked was Never Enough, Never In Time. The organisation is a failure, always has been and unless it is privatised or rewrite procurement policy probably always will be.

SO ANGRY!!!!!

Too angry to say anything - this about sums it up:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/labour-manifesto-to-focus-on-bullying-injured-soldiers-200907281936/

General David Crausby MP, I presume......?

So David Crausby, MP for Bolton North East and member of the Defence Committee now believes he has more knowledge and experience about what is required in Afghanistan then General Dannett!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6689952.ece

He seems to be annoyed that the General is talking to the Conservatives… well maybe that is because they are actually listening which seems to be a darn sight more than the government is. General Dannett is not playing politics, he is trying to save the lives of his troops and get the resources he needs to get the job the government wants him to do done. For that he needs to be applauded, not criticised by an extremely ignorant MP. The government promised the country that the Army would be given all the resources it needs to fight in Afghanistan, well that has now been exposed as a bare faced lie!! Bill Rammell’s blustering defence of his government’s record on support for the troops on Newsnight was immediately torn apart by the poignant words of Lt Mark Evison’s diary (Lt Mark Evison was killed in Helmand last month):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5820679/Mark-Evison-We-are-walking-a-tightrope-in-Afghanistan.html

And I quote “As it stands I have a lack of radios, water, food and medical equipment. This with manpower is what these missions lack. It is disgraceful to send a platoon into a very dangerous area with two weeks' water and food and one team medics pack.”

The argument rages on about numbers of helicopters – this is not the only shortage and it is true it would not have saved the lives of the 5 men who died on the 10^th July or those on foot patrol. But they do save lives and what’s more they allow the troops in the field greater flexibility and therefore less predicable for the insurgents. But the response of the government is appalling - they claim they have increased the number of helicopters by 60% - Well 60% of fuck all is still fuck all and when it comes down to it have they actually increased the number of USEFUL troop carrying helicopters by 60%. Statistically speaking as troop numbers have doubled and helicopter numbers (and we are not even just talking about troop carrying helicopters) have only gone up 60% in real terms the quantity of helicopters per man has gone DOWN 20%.

So back to David Crausby MP, he sits on the Defence Committee which should be holding the government and its ministers to account, ensuring the Army has all it needs. But no, he would rather sit back wait for it all to be over and then consider what went wrong at leisure before making some recommendations…… If he continues to fail in his duties of holding the government to account then he should resign from the committee or consider the blood of our young soldiers on his hands.

A little leadership lesson....

Anyone that has studied the very basics of leadership will know that in the most simple terms effective leadership is made up of 3 elements:

Task
Team
Individual

You have to look after all 3 to ensure success. Looking at Gordon Brown's leadership I am really struggling to see if he understands even the basics!! For starters he doesn't even seem to know what his task is, it is hard to focus on maintaining the aim when you don't even have one! And unless you are unlucky enough to have the surname Balls then you can forget he is thinking about the individuals in his team. As for the team, well......


I have taught 16 year olds with better leadership than this man.

I know it's unfair to kick a man when he is down but.......

I don't know how old this joke is, I don't know how many people have heard it, but I dont care because it is funny and it is sadly so apt.........


While stitching up the hand of a 75 year old Norfolk farmer, who cut it on a gate while working cattle, the rural doctor struck up a conversation with the old man.

Eventually the topic got around to Gordon Brown and his appointment as Prime Minister.

"Well, you know," drawled the old farmer, "this Brown fellow is what they call a fencepost tortoise."

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a fencepost tortoise was.

The old farmer said, "When you're driving along a country road and you come across a fence post with a tortoise balanced on top, that's called a fencepost tortoise."

The old farmer saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain,

"You know he didn't get up there by himself, he definitely doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he is up there, and you just have to wonder what kind of idiot put him up there in the first place."

Total Cabinet Failure

So it has finally happened.... She has realised just how utterly useless she really is and has decided to jump before being pushed. How honourable, it is about the only sensible thing she has done in her whole time in office. So who can Big Bad Brown now find that can do a worse Job then dear Jacqui. His Cabinet now reminds me of a ship I once served on (A T23 Frigate for any spotters out there) that was powered by Diesel Generators, a great idea until one of them had a short and we suffered Total Electrical Failure. We were left drifting for hours in a state nautical people would refer to as 'Not under Command' a perfect description I believe to this current Government.

Meanwhile does anyone remember this classic villain from the Pink Panther Movies of the late 70's....

http://tinyurl.com/comdog-brn

(The Evening Standard's photographer has excelled himself this time!!!)

Answers on a post card please.......

God bless my little baby girl.