Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: iTunes on April 29, 2009, 12:51:17 PM

Title: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: iTunes on April 29, 2009, 12:51:17 PM
See Rule #14
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: hyster on April 29, 2009, 01:14:40 PM
See Rule #14
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: gpwurzel on April 29, 2009, 01:31:58 PM
See Rule #14
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: jdbecks on April 29, 2009, 02:30:39 PM
yeah I worked with them when I was in the army, they are great people that have such respect for others it makes you really feel ashamed with the amount of pond life living in the UK, also their selection to get in the British army is about ten times harder and they travel all over Nepal when they open recruitment, the guy I worked with bulled his working boots every day, would walk over to me when i was about 400m away and offer me a cigarette, but when they fight they are ferocious and very aggressive, I'm glad they fight for us :D

did you know they get a smaller pension than their british solider counterparts
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: gpwurzel on April 29, 2009, 02:45:47 PM
Yep, did indeed jd, supposedly based on the lower cost of living in Nepal - which, when they are based elsewhere is pretty crappy. The way these fella's are treated by the Govt they work for is shameless, petty and pretty damn disgusting imo.


I'd rather have these guys living in the UK than the extremists etc they currently let in, and indeed pay benefits to, then use them against the country they live in. Will stop now, as in danger of going into rant mode which wont be pretty.


JD, thank you for your service (from 1 vet to another) :salute

Wurzel (Ex Royal Navy 19 years till madness intervened  ;))
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: xbrit on April 29, 2009, 02:56:13 PM
We used to fly the Gurkhas back to Kathmandu and fly out the new recruits to Hong Kong for training. The flight back to HK was always a fun time with the new recruits being fresh out of the hills and not knowing the basic parts of air travel i.e. lighting fires to cook food and other things too crude to mention here.
I also spent time with a small detachment of these guys in Belize, they made extra money buy killing the larger species of snakes and selling the skins in town.
Whatever the Government does for the Gurkhas could never be enough, they have been our friends and comrades in arms over all of our recent wars/conflicts.
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: hyster on April 29, 2009, 04:01:21 PM

I'd rather have these guys living in the UK than the extremists etc they currently let in, and indeed pay benefits to, then use them against the country they live in. Will stop now, as in danger of going into rant mode which wont be pretty.


i was going to let rip on the same thing but didnt for the same reason u have  :furious
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: Vulcan on April 29, 2009, 04:33:15 PM
They're in NZ at the moment (or just were). Everyone here has the hugest amount of respect for them, and they attended the ANZAC parades (it was ANZAC day recently)
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: Treize69 on April 29, 2009, 04:49:14 PM
My uncle served with them for years in Borneo, and had nothing but good things to say about them- including the fact that he'd rather serve with them than most of the other Brits he served with during his career. In fact, he said that after he retired, being around them was one of the things he missed about the Army most of all.
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: 68Wooley on April 29, 2009, 04:56:49 PM
Don't get me started on this. I hang my head in shame every time I read this story. When you look at the dregs of humanity we let in to Britain and then turn down people more loyal to the country than most UK born people will ever be it makes me want to scream.

I wonder if I can apply for US citizenship yet? I've no desire to be British any more.
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: Shifty on April 29, 2009, 06:12:05 PM
You and me both - having worked with the Gurkha's (which was a fun time), I think its scandalous that this country will let in all the lunatics and provide everything for them, but bars the people who have been helping watch over this country.


Truly, truly pathetic,


:salute

Wurzel

Something about Western Democracy Gpwurzel. Sometimes it will put it's own head so far up it's a** it thinks a turd's a rose and vice versa. No matter what side of the Atlantic the Democracy may be on. I do hope Great Britain does right by these people that have fought bled and died for the Union Jack.

<S>
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: 68valu on April 29, 2009, 06:46:04 PM
Don't get me started on this. I hang my head in shame every time I read this story. When you look at the dregs of humanity we let in to Britain and then turn down people more loyal to the country than most UK born people will ever be it makes me want to scream.

I wonder if I can apply for US citizenship yet? I've no desire to be British any more.

As far as I'm concerned, Wooley, you are a "US citizen" whether officially recognized or not.
<S>

 :salute :salute
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: jdbecks on April 29, 2009, 07:19:28 PM
for those who dont know who they are heres a few pics I googled,

quote from the brittish army website
Quote
As many as 30,000 potential Gurkhas apply to join the British Army each year and between 150 and 200 are selected

(http://www.operations.mod.uk/fingal/fimages/gurkha.jpg)

Im guessing this photo was taking in Kabul, northern Afghanistan working under ISAF


the khukuri, it dont look to big there, but its bigger in real life

(http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11825181/Gurkha_Khukuri_Knife.jpg)
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: Scherf on April 29, 2009, 07:31:46 PM
Yeah, this whole thing is scandalous - I just can't fathom what the politicos think they're going to get out of it (and they don't do a thing not based on what they'll get out of it).

I think there's a pic over in the Funny Pics thread: "Gurkhas: Because a little guy with a knife and a smile is scarier than a big guy with a gun and a scowl."

Ayoo Gurkha!
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: xbrit on April 29, 2009, 07:51:13 PM

I wonder if I can apply for US citizenship yet? I've no desire to be British any more.

Not sure how long you have been here but I got mine 3 years ago. I waited until I had been here for nine years then applied, that process took almost 2 years with all of the background checks. I knew I wouldn't be going back so decided that if I'm here I may as well go all the way.
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: ghi on April 29, 2009, 08:03:01 PM
I used to work with them years, at sea ,when Princess Cruises was owned by P&O: they used to do security jobs patrolling those huge ships day and night, most of them Falkland war vets, i don't know if Princess fired them after the merge with Carnival Cruise Line.
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: iTunes on April 29, 2009, 09:46:42 PM
Not sure how long you have been here but I got mine 3 years ago. I waited until I had been here for nine years then applied, that process took almost 2 years with all of the background checks. I knew I wouldn't be going back so decided that if I'm here I may as well go all the way.
I can apply for mine from last December, but there's a small part of me still undecided, nothing real dramatic, just that I spent a good few years in the service and I'm still of the mind that it has to still mean something (Falklands to Iraq via Northen Ireland), Anyway back to the Gurkhas, can you imagine the outcry if it was France with their Liegionaires? or if the US had a branch of Foriegn nationals fighting for them then deporting them? Just wouldn't happen and I really hope the Prime Minister back there does the right thing.
I'll be keeping an eye on this as it develops, I can only imagine the outcry in the Barracks over this...
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: AWwrgwy on April 30, 2009, 12:00:12 AM
Quote
Gordon Brown's government has suffered a shock defeat in the Commons on its policy of restricting the right of many former Gurkhas to settle in the UK.

MPs voted by 267 to 246 for a Lib Dem motion offering all Gurkhas equal right of residence, with the Tories and 27 Labour rebels backing it.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg called the government's position "shameful".

Immigration minister Phil Woolas told MPs new proposals would be published before Parliament's summer recess.

In a statement, he said: "This government respects the will of the House of Commons."

He added that all outstanding applications for UK residence by Gurkhas would be dealt with by the end of May.

Mr Brown's first significant defeat as prime minister came despite last-minute concessions being offered to rebel Labour MPs.


wrongway
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: gpwurzel on April 30, 2009, 12:06:32 AM
Unfortunately Wrongway, thats not binding on this particular so called *Government*

Wurzel
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: RTHolmes on April 30, 2009, 05:13:14 AM
this is just bewildering. we rubberstamp applications from unskilled, uneducated economic migrants with no English, from countries that have never even been part of the commonwealth, while turning away Gurkhas who have risked their lives and fought for the UK. this alone should guarantee them residency, apart from the fact that those Gurkhas are some of the finest soldiers in the world. its absolutely disgraceful.

 :salute Gurkhas
Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: Swoop on April 30, 2009, 05:49:15 AM
The Gov was defeated in parliament yesterday by a Lib Dem vote to allow Gurkhas to stay, Labour MPs voted against they own party and plenty more abstained the vote.

This is the first time in living memory that a Government in power has been defeated in parliament by a vote proposed by the opposition.

And quite right too.


However, as has been pointed out......the current government of this country has a way of doing whatever the hell it wants. 


Title: Re: Gurkhas- Right to residence in the UK
Post by: Fishu on April 30, 2009, 05:53:52 AM
That is madness, how could anyone refuse the right to residence from a group of people who have a long tradition of being one of the country's finest defenders? In the meanwhile it's OK to ship in people from Africa and the middle east to get the social benefits without obligations. I wouldn't refuse the rights from anyone who's served for a country with a fine record.