Did anyone else see Joanna Lumley on BBC this morning campaigning for the Gurkhas?
Talk about a story to make your blood boil.
I only caught a bit of it but it seems that Gurkhas who served before 1997 are being refused citizenship over here.
She had a Gurkha with her who had served for 24 years and had numerous medals, he was finding out today if he was going to be deported!
WTF?!!!
We've got wronguns over here like that hook handed cleric guy who we can't seem to get rid of and at the same time we're booting out people who have fought for our country!
Why do the power that be always seem to get it so wrong and be so out of touch with what normal people want?
Rant over.
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If you've risked your life for this country, for little reward then surely you deserve the warmest welcome and deepest thanks?
Was proud that the Gurkhas took part in the March for England. An honour that they were there. Was great to see a cheque handed over to their benevolent Society for a few hundred quid as well. The masses see these people as heros HM Gov dont give a sh*t.
It's astonishing how they are being treated yet Abu Hamza has his ass wiped for him in prison.
There was a march today...
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hqQwZ7mUoDYfJT-i0c2v1w_8h7qw
I remember going on a cadet exercise down in Folkestone a few years ago and I saw around twenty of them playing football on a small patch of grass. Interestingly all of them were wearing their burgens (big back packs) and I managed to find out later on that they also stuffed a few bricks in their bags whilst having a kickabout!! They all seem to be about 5ft 5 but absolutely hard as nails. They have fantastic traditions and culture, and are hugely respectful people.
WOT A JOKE!!
The Ghurkas are a fine bunch (quite possibly the best soldiers in the world - I have heard many anecdotes to this effect) who have served our country brilliantly over the years. To think of some of the sponging, criminal scum that we let in - to not give the Ghurkas citizenship is obscene.
Where can we voice our protest?
One of the reasons being given is that they had 'little or no identity with this country'.....somewhat like the countless thousands of Pakistanis,Nigerians or Somalians for example that have come here in their countless thousands in recent years....what a lame fooking excuse....those responsible for this outrage need their arses kicked from here to Christmas time but you'll not find the feckers as they are no doubt tucked away in some Whitehall backwater sipping Earl Grey and dunking Butter Osbornes!
I with everyone, time we treated the Gurkas well - Amdy Faye will get a UK passport after playing football (badly) for 5 years - why not a Gurkha who has spent 5 years or more in the British Army?
Agreed mate, proud to march alongside them, its a bloody disgrace the way they are treated, this, and past governments and whitehall numpties who make these decisions should hang their heads in shame.
These people have more pride, dignity, honour and loyalty than a boat load of asylum seeking scum who will turn into benefit scammers and knife merchants.
Rant over
It makes my blood boil. If I was in London yesterday, I'd have been up there protesting with them.
I refer to my comments posted above. Absolutely shameful disgusting treatment of true heros for our country. Some retired Gurkhas who have won the Victoria Cross fighting for our county have not been given the right to live here.
In France, every person who completes their time in the French Foreign Legion automatically gets French Citizenship.
Over here the Gurkhas have been cheated of the right of abode or more properly, to become British Citizens. The Government have had the chance to right this wrong for all Gurkhas, not just those who've served in recent years. They have completely flunked it.
There cannot be any justification for this failure.
4000 can live here but campaigners said it wasn't enough?
Campaigners have condemned new rules giving more Gurkhas the right to live in Britain as a "disgrace".
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said the changes would allow around 4,300 more former Gurkhas to settle in the country out of the 36,000 who served in the British Army before July 1997.
But supporters of the Gurkhas' campaign attacked the new criteria as "unattainable", with actress Joanna Lumley saying she felt "ashamed" of the Government.
Ragprasad Purja, 43, served with the Gurkhas for 17 years.
He said: "It is the saddest day for the Gurkhas and the saddest day for the British Government. I cannot believe that this Government made such a decision. I was proud of my service but now I am very sad."
Mr Purja, who was discharged after 1997, said he would continue campaigning for the former Gurkha soldiers who have been refused permission to settle in the UK.
"It's not justice, so we'll keep on fighting," he said.
David Enright, of Howe and Co solicitors, said: "They have set criteria that are unattainable. They require a Gurkha to serve for 20 years but a rifleman is only permitted to serve for 15 years. It's a sham and an absolute disgrace. It's far more restrictive than the old policy."
Mr Woolas said it was "simply not true" that the Government had betrayed the Gurkhas.
He told the BBC: "What we've done today is to allow even more people in without setting a precedent that would create a massive pressure in my view on the immigration service, which I don't think the public would want me to grant."
Ha ha ha Unless he has his claw let him do it himself actually on second thought.
So even if all 36,000 and their families wanted to settle here (which I doubt) why should that be such as burden. They are disciplined and hard working or wouldn't have lasted very long in the regiment.
And if they were give a full pension they would more than likely stay in Nepal in any case where they would have a relatively high income.
If I remember rightly at the time this was done to prevent the predicted mass immigration from Hong Kong post handover. Still doesn't make it valid in my eyes
When someone gets around to guessing at the figures we could be looking at hundreds and thousands of illegal immigrants that the government can't be arsed to find and deport.
But someone who has faced death to fight for our freedoms even though they don't even come from the UK? They will find them and (at least try - you wouldn't find me messing with a Ghurka) deport them after todays decision. There's gratitude for you.
But would you expect our present government to behave in anything other than a despicable fashion these days? Thought not.
we will house them and give them a benefit system and turn our own people away it is a fecking disgrace
Hear, Hear.
Bing for PM
I believe the Queen, in her capacity as Chief of the Armed Forces(or whatever it is), can actually veto this if she wishes...though I'm not certain of that.
Anyway oneway or another they need to speak out and sort this one out and I believe they can...the government would be shocked rigid if Liz spat her dummy out over this and I hope she will.
We allow the dregs of former Communist nations almost carte blanche to abuse our social security system yet
penalise those who have , over 300 years helped to create our democratic freedom.