Should the UK service people get paid for the stories?

I agree. Stunning that the British armed forces would allow this sort of thing from serving personnel. I am gobsmacked.

Why not - everybody else does.

Politicians get money for old rope with their newspaper columns and ridiculous after dinner speeches: I mean who wants to listen to a politician. At least these folks who were held hostage might have something to say and if they make some cash out of it then good luck to them.

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
Why not - everybody else does.

Politicians get money for old rope with their newspaper columns and ridiculous after dinner speeches: I mean who wants to listen to a politician. At least these folks who were held hostage might have something to say and if they make some cash out of it then good luck to them.

Were they held hostage? Are we to allow our service men and women to sell their sexed-up stories to a lying manipulative press who will sensationalise every word? These bleating big girls blouses endured NOTHING other than the fear they might endure something. This is outrageous and the MOD have clearly lost the plot imo. No doubt they will all soon be appearing on Celebrity Big Brother.

Just as judges are not employees in the usual sense of the word, but are, in fact, the Queen's judges; I would have thought that serving armed forces personnel came into the same kind of category.

I think this was a poor decision, These guys are serving personnel and for good or bad they have a job to do.

I think its stunningly bad for the army to allow the sensationalism of failure, it will appear that you can earn good money if you are caught as opposed to not getting caught.

I think the last glimmer of sunshine has set on the empire.

In a word no.

But unfortunately this seems to be the way of the world now.

By the way, since when were they hostages?

I thought that thay had been arrested for being allegedly in the wrong waters - this does not make a hostage to me.

quote:

Originally posted by acad tsunami:

Were they held hostage? Are we to allow our service men and women to sell their sexed-up stories to a lying manipulative press who will sensationalise every word? These bleating big girls blouses endured NOTHING other than the fear they might endure something.

Well, apart from hearing weapons being cocked when they where blindfolded; capture at gunpoint, being told to confess or get seven years in jail, being held captive by an armed and clearly beligerent bunch and the woman being told that her comrades had been flown out of Iran and she was the only one left - NOTHING!.

But should they be allowed, as serving personnel, to sell their story to the press?

I think not.

I think this is a bit tricky, Nigel; the events happened to them, and the press ( gawd bless 'em ) no doubt waved gargantuan cheques under their noses.

The cynic in me does note that their stories will no doubt get a *very* wide audience, which will not make the Iranians look as generous as they might like.

Regards

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by mike lacey:
I think this is a bit tricky, Nigel; the events happened to them, and the press ( gawd bless 'em ) no doubt waved gargantuan cheques under their noses.

The cynic in me does note that their stories will no doubt get a *very* wide audience, which will not make the Iranians look as generous as they might like.

Mike

The cynic in you notes what you see as some possible positive outcomes to the sale of their stories.

What does the principled man in you say?

The principled man in me says that this stinks to high heaven.

Regards
Deane

I'm not too sure why there is a problem here.

The issue is of National interest; the blokes have had a less than pleasent time of late and there are no National or Operational Security issues that I can see; so why not?

I just can't see any good coming of this, except financial good to those who chose to sell their story - such as it is.

What next: our brave boys and girls queuing up to be the next to be arrested? Those who are next arrested actually receiving the treatment the navy 15 feared they would receive because of the redtop antipathy?

I think the MoD is being pragmatic: the press would get some sort of story from the relatives anyway.

I think its wrong. By all means tell your story, but leave the money aside.

Are we more likely to hear the truth if we get 15 individual stories via the press, or if we get one storey from the MOD or if we simply accept what Iran has already told us?

It would be better if the issue was simply closed. (the Navy will have its lessons-learnt excersise in private and if it has any sense, will keep the findings private)

Cheers

Don

quote:

Originally posted by mike lacey:

I'm not too sure why there is a problem here.

The issue is of National interest; the blokes have had a less than pleasent time of late and there are no National or Operational Security issues that I can see; so why not?

The Ministry of Defence does not allow this - according to all of the news stories - but is making an exception for this particular case.

To have a rule already in place implies that the MoD can see what the problem is here - but have decided to go against policy.

So therefore,"Why?", should be the question here; instead of , "Why not?"

Three weeks solid coverage on national tv. What is there left to tell.

quote:

What is there left to tell.

The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.

Cheers

Don

Don you would need to be pretty naive if you think the MOD will not be briefing this lot on exactly what they can and cannot say.

The simple answer is no. The Famous Fifteen may have been through a bad experience, but to make money out of the story is in very bad taste. Duty is probably a dirty word in the modern world, but you join a service to do you duty for Queen and Country - what ever that duty may entail.

These people were on duty, and should therefore accept the risks that involved, and not expect to make any money on the side by selling their story to to the news hounds. Mistakes were made, and they should be held to account for them, not rewarded.

In this day and age it is probably no longer politically correct to maintain the hard won traditions of the past, but with this act I think the 5 have dishonoured the once proud Senior Service. The 15 should be ashamed of their actions and not proud - or richer for them.

Rob

I can't help but feel for the (British) dad that lost his son a few months ago in the line of duty.

I tend to doubt that the families of service personnel who have died in the conflict will see any of the money.

quote:

Don you would need to be pretty naive if you think the MOD will not be briefing this lot on exactly what they can and cannot say.

Probably

That still leaves the Truth, the whole Truth etc to be told - which is what the question was about.

Cheers

Don

quote:

Originally posted by Don Atkinson:

The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.

...so help me Rupert?

Hhhmmm...let me see

Die in service - no one tells your story (think of all the US service personal killed in Iraq and the TV time they got).

Captured in service and released - live to tell my story and get some $$

I think I know which one I would prefer....

quote:

I agree. Stunning that the British armed forces would allow this sort of thing from serving personnel. I am gobsmacked.

Good grief man. You must have heard of the term’s cannon fodder and smoke screen.

The rank and file are taking flak during this media fed controversy, whilst the real controversy as to why the military commanders allowed its personnel to get captured is conveniently overlooked.

It was a classic FUBAR and should not have happened, but did. There will be a lot of heavy questions asked away from public scrutiny. In the meantime, what better way to deflect public attention from the actions taken at the time the boarding party was taken than to focus on other aspects of the story? This money thing is both very wrong and very much a smoke screen.

Ultimately it will be for a Court Martial to decide who is to blame and it should not be a trial by media. Heads will roll, that's for sure, and were I the officer in charge of that boarding party, I would not be feeling very good about any of my decisions right now, least of all my decision to accept money for my story. As for the Commanding Officer of Cornwall and the Task Force Commander, I would not like to be in their shoes trying to explain things to the Admiralty.

If neither the ship or the helo were in a position to cover the boarding party, the boarding should not have gone ahead. For the Famous Fifteen to profit by this folly is wrong.

Rob

As seen of the Letters page of the Guardian.

quote:

It used to be "Join the navy and see the world". That seems to be being replaced by "Join the navy and be in the News of the World".
Gordon Mott
London