I see your point but up here in the Hebrides the ratio is far higher!

By mentioning the lack of respect I should have made it clearer that I was talking of respect in the areas that you mention including non uniformed people such as teachers.

The ‘news’ in the UK has, since the 1980’s been highly polituically motivated and has been used as a tool by consecutive governments in an attempt to manipulate the popular attitudes. If you listen carefully to the news it still states facts but by shifting the emphasis onto certain words they can change the actual meaning of the news article.

For example I was horrified last year when there was an article which appeared on all channels news. It covered the ‘plight’ of the economic migrant in Italy where, in the summer many had to camp in the countryside for a pitance of pay. It left the listener feeling as though the migrants were being abused but the article quetly stated that the wage was an average of £150 a week. If you consider this logically how many on benefits in the UK get this amount per person? Furthermore they had no housing expenses and were in reasonable summer accommodation like many other campers. These migrants came for the summer months then went home with their savings – this was not reported. What made it even worse is the fact that the average wage here is actually less than that!

Bearing this in mind surely the plight of many in the UK is far more ‘newsworthy’ than the supposed plight of the seasonal economic migrant in Italy. What is considered newsworthy is often ignored and the ‘planned’ news item will be used in preference. The article about the wearing of uniforms was, in every case, alarmist and one station actually stated several times that the abuse was from minority groups. To my mind it was a poor attempt at bringing something to the fore of which we are not yet aware. I have noticed that articles such as these are followed a week or two with another article about a different matter but one which ties in closely with the first. In this case I do not know where they are heading but I can say with some certainty that there will be a further article soon.

I may be a sceptic but time and time again I have seen this scenario play out. You are correct, all the squadies I know only ever wore their uniforms when on duty. However there is another very important reason why uniforms – and I mean all uniforms, should not be worn off duty. If a uniform is worn off duty it dilutes that uniforms importance. If all soldiers wore their uniforms off duty we would grow accustomed to it. If there was ever a need for a large army presence the sight of so many uniforms would not have the same impact. Just a thought 😉

I think it is disgusting that our armed services have to face abuse when they work to such professional standards. Sadly there is little respect for anything these days.

I agree, however this is not just an issue about people being seen, off duty, in uniform. The same happens to people who are not members of the military as well as on duty policemen, nurses, firemen etc. People in plain, civilian, attire get abuse hurled at them in public places as well. One of the points I was trying to make is how is this news? This has happened since humanity learned to talk…

One thing I hadn’t considered with the original post was the effect of 200,000 people wearing uniform (on and off duty) around the streets of the UK. That is around 1 in 300 people, so a busy high street in a city would expect to see several uniformed people wandering around. Add into this the ID card situation and, blimey, we get cold war East Germany. My, how times have changed.

The fact this bit of nonsense made it into the news astounds me. No member of the military in their right mind wants to wear their uniform “off-duty” as it kind of defeats the purpose of being “off duty.” We don’t complain that Police, Nurses and Firemen get changed out of their uniform at the end of the day, so why should the military be any different?

However: I agree with the comment above as I too feel threatened with the prescence of a uniform, any uniform, but I would not hurl abuse. Is there any reason why they have to wear uniforms when ‘off duty’? I think not. What purpose does it serve? I think none.

So why do it?

Honestly, I don’t want to see British Armed Forces in uniform, in public. Looking at 19 year old squaddies makes me feel nervous, not protected.

All your points are so right.

I also wrote about this same “survey” yesterday in http://www.whydontyou.org.uk/blog/2008/03/07/spin-the-news/

“Old woman leaves house, walks on the road. Red bus misses her by swerving. Now that is not a news story. But try this. Old woman leaves house, walks on the road. Red bus hits her and drives over her. The driver was an immigrant who has recently arrived from a country where they have left hand drive automobiles. DVLA and London Transport were under fire and forced to explain how a driver could have driven a bus with little training. An enquiry has been ordered.”

So it is with reporting. I am sure you saw BBC’s self-serving Populus (or is that Populist?) survey on the white working class feeling under-represented. Not a lot of academic detail is available about the questions and more fool me, if I intellectualise an issue, while the headlines are likely to have me spat at by some person who deems it fit to spit. But the questions are rather self-serving and in reality, they did not discuss that the data from working class and middle class respondents are not very different. But by framing it as a “race” issue rather than a “class” issue, BBC is redeeming its soul and will I am sure return with its ‘integrationist’, ‘diverse’ agenda with greater vengeance. BBC reporters on Facebook almost all mark their politics as liberal, so any surprises?

Back to the journalists’ laziness and other factors – yes it is all of those. All news that is unfit to be called news is now rolling on our TV channels and radio stations 24 hours a day. Who can find substance to discuss 24h a day? Garbage has to be it!

PS: I found your blog through Tales Of An Ordinary Girl. Glad to find too. Thanks.