Remember them...

Unlucky for some?

On this Friday, the 13th, to 'celebrate' the start of the HP SPVA Interim Contract, HP have arranged a complimentary breakfast for all SPVA staff. (Unless of course you aren't at core sites... sorry IPPH and VWS!)
We think that this scheme smacks of corporate hospitality. (Should we enter it in the gift book?)

We also believe that we, the taxpayer, will pay for it (indirectly) if we haven't paid for it already.

We think this idea is nuts, and that there are easier and more ethical ways of getting a breakfast.

What do you think?

Kentigern House Sale

The sale of Kentigern House in Glasgow is going ahead.
A 20 year lease is being sought in exchange for £47 million pounds. (We understand an offer in excess of £50 million has already been received.)

The actual cost to the taxpayer however over the 20 year lease period will be in the region of £140 million when rent and maintenance costs are calculated.

We believe this to be entirely unacceptable and have sent letters to our Parliamentary representatives in protest and urge all members wherever they are based to do so.

The Veterans Agency branch have written to MPs, MSPs and MEPs and urge all members to do so. A draft letter can be viewed and retrieved here. Please ammend and personalize for your particular location. You can easily send your representatives an electronic letter through writetothem .

Cartoon of the day...

Cartoon of the day...

Cartoon of the day...

You can take in the VA Branch thoughts on this here.

We are all in this together...

...Yeah, right!

'Tory Boy' George Osborne claimed at the Tory conference that "we are all in this together." He gave the very real impression that merely a pay freeze, a longer working life and piffling attacks on our pensions would be THE price's we will pay to support the bankers, Old Etonians and dying millionaire's heirs. Yes we are all in this together, unless, it seems, we are in the MoD.

Todays Times reports that the Tory's plan to make 25% cuts in the costs of running the MoD, with no plans to cut uniformed personnel; "instead sweeping cuts would be applied to the 89,300-strong workforce of civilian staff employed. "

By my reackoning thats around 22,325 civillian jobs to be disposed of in the MoD.

So who, exactly, is in this together?