I would like to thank the organisers of the site "www.britisharmedforcesthebest.com" for allowing me to join this splendid group and giving me an opportunity to vent my spleen and speak to you the serving and ex serving members of the best forces and those that support them in this sad World. But before I go on, please accept my sincerest thanks for your service and sacrifice, all of you. I got involved in politics awhile ago and wrote a pitch in the local rags online paper whilst standing as a candidate for change, I was basically stating that we have a perverse state of affairs when serving personnel upon completing their terms of service were returning to local Towns and Cities and finding it nigh on impossible to find either affordable housing or the work needed to pay for it for various reasons. I have an old colleague from a housing background who states 1 in 3 new tenants to social housing are non British Nationals in his Borough and that to get a home in the Local Gov arena upon leaving the Forces, you cannot sign up before leaving whether you are single or have a family, but have to wait until the day you are homeless to do so, this is my understanding of the situation as of my latest information and I personally know how long it can take to find and prepare a property for a new tenant. Please tell me what does a forces family do after being a statistical cut and awaiting a home ???. This involvement of mine started and became a passion as my two Sons joined the British forces and all the issues surrounding this started to become apparent to me. I have to say that as my awakening unfolded I became aware of many issues and I have to say a reticence from the powers that be to fully engage with those leaving the forces regards long term help and a National fraud regards the promise of a Military Covenant and the woeful and penny pinching instigation of it spurred me on. Yes the Government offer re-training regimes for three years upon signing out, but my experience from my conversations with those serving and leaving is that it is up to the individual to find out and if you don’t know and don’t ask you don’t get. For now I will be a little controversial and ask a final question of you all. If a police officer or other member of a service loses their life carrying out their work or even off duty, gongs and awards are presented almost immediately, now I do not say this is not deserved on the contrary, but why public services and not the military services, lets be honest the pay is hardly comparable, the conditions are hardly comparable and the day to day risks are hardly comparable, this surely adds to the low morale within the forces, yet even now the professionalism of our forces belies the state of affairs. A good example of this was the battle by many of this Nations good people to get Lee Rigby a simple plaque. Before I finish I would like to say keep your chins up and soldier on, the support for your service is growing again in this Country and we will continue to fight your corner. Again thank you for your past and present service. A forces father. Mick. To be continued.

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