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Restore our Historic
Regiments from an Unpopular Amalgamation
We have gone
from these:
To this:
The Badge of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland,
formed on 28th March 2006
Scotsman.com News - Top Stories - Army stamp of change as
super-unit cap badge is unveiled
21st September
2007
Alex Salmond joins row over regiments - Telegraph
20th September
2007
A shattering of military tradition - Telegraph
3rd June 2006
On the 28th March
2006, a cynical use of the founding date of Scotland's Oldest Regiment, The Royal Scots, all the Scottish Regiments
were merged into a new Regiment.
We wish the Officers, Non Commissioned Officers and Soldiers the
best for their continued service in the new Royal Regiment of
Scotland,
but believe firmly that they would be better served in their
original Regiments.
The merger of our infantry regiments, reduction in size and the
removal their identity are part of a plan for a "European
Defence Identity" that has
already failed.
22nd December 2005
The Royal Scots are to return for a
short notice deployment to Iraq just before they are merged
with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. There are also rumbles
south of the border as the unpopular mergers continue.
"The
colonel of the Light Infantry is facing a vote of no confidence
by the regimental association. It is furious at not being
consulted about the alleged "surrender" of the unit's famous
name in merger negotiations."
23rd September 2005
Edinburgh Evening News - Opinion - Letters - Army pay too low
21st September 2005
Army
admits merger has damaged recruiting - The Herald
THE army has
admitted for the first time that the planned merger of Scotland's historic
infantry units into a single "super-regiment" has been a major factor in a
disastrous slump in recruitment.
14th September 2005
Scotsman.com News - News Archive - Soldiers are being denied a voice over
amalgamation of Scottish regiments
by Lt Col J A Charteris, Late RS
1,000,000 Signature Petition to Parliament by St Andrew's Day 2005
In the knowledge that
Her Majesty’s loyal army is at “overstretch” and with the hitherto unforeseen
threat to her country’s homeland security posed by the London suicide bombers,
we, the undersigned petitioners, humbly request Parliament:
To re-examine with immediate effect, by means of a Defence Review, the
decision of Her Majesty’s Government to reduce the number of infantry
battalions from 40 to 36.
To cancel, subject to the outcome of the Defence Review, the decision of Her
Majesty’s Government to amalgamate The Royal Scots regiment with the King’s
Own Scottish Borderers regiment.
To cancel the decision to replace the six historic Scottish infantry regiments
with a single large regiment.
Petition to
Parliament
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27th August
2005
Scotsman.com News - Top Stories - Army under siege from a fall
in recruitment
24th
August 2005
How to ask what the soldiers really think
17th August
2005
The merger of our
infantry regiments, reduction in size and the removal their identity are part of
a plan for a "European
Defence Identity" that has already failed
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Christopher
Booker, writing in the Telegraph on 10th July warned us that a
junior minister had recently admitted that the cost of a single
vehicles-and-weapons project for the British Army has soared in
less than a year from £ 6 billion to £ 14 billion, making it by
far the most costly military equipment programme ever planned.
Further the project itself, the "Future Rapid Effect System",
FRES, is planned as part of the EU's rush to establish its own
integrated armed forces, independent of NATO, and rules out any
future British military partnership with the US, thus spelling
an end to the Anglo-American "special relationship". The aim
of FRES - a cut-price version of the Future Combat System being
developed for the US Army - is to equip the British Army to take
part in the EU's 60,000-strong "rapid reaction force". This is
being co-ordinated by the new European Defence Agency (EDA), set
up in Brussels in January under a former MoD civil servant, Nick
Witney. It was also for this purpose that the Government last
year announced the restructuring of the Army, involving the
abolition or merger of 19 historic regiments.
Writing again on 24th July he informed us that the key decision
was taken not long after Tony Blair promised President Chirac in
St Malo in 1998 that he was prepared to co-operate in setting up
a "European defence identity", independent of NATO. He regrets
that as we stand on the edge of the most far-reaching defence
revolution in our history, we get no explanation from our
ministers as to what is going on, apart from stray, inadequate
fragments slipped out by the MoD in the hope that no one is
looking. Apparently the evidence to support this worrying
development is being put together in a paper by his colleague Dr
Richard North. He believes that when published it ought to shake
the cosy, blind little world of British politics to its
foundations.
On 31st July he warns that soon the only thing British about the
British Army will be the flesh and blood of its personnel, on
14th August he revealed how MPs allowed a Euro defence treaty
through Parliament without a vote and on 21st August how more
British billions were to be squandered on Euro-defence.
Surely the rejection of the European Constitution by France
brought an end to the project to establish European sovereignty,
which is the only way a European Defence Force could be
directed, and yet the Government continues with its plans to so
weaken our armed forces that they will not be able to operate on
their own.
From Christopher Booker's Notebook in The Daily Telegraph
More British billions to be squandered on Euro-defence
Revealed: how MPs allowed Euro defence treaty through Parliament
without a vote
The plan that Blair and Chirac hatched will spell the end of the
'British' Army
Europeanisation of the British Army is coming on the double
23rd June 2005
Scotsman.com News - News Archive - Prince Charles speaks up for
Scots regiments
15th June 2005
Scotsman.com News - British armed forces - Readiness of armed
forces attacked by watchdog
Telegraph | News | Armed Forces stretched beyond limit
6th June 2005
Scotsman.com News -
Top Stories - Soldiers did not support merging regiments
"Despite repeated statements
from defence ministers in Parliament that many serving soldiers endorse the
army reform, the MoD has been unable to provide a single letter of support.
Instead, the published letters, without exception, condemn the MoD's plans.
Several accuse ministers of "disloyalty" to the army."
About turn: regimental
museums face the axe - The Herald
In January 2006 the 6 Infantry Regiments of Scotland
will be merged into 1 new one. This should not happen. This is
why.
Defence commitments. There is
currently overstretch. There is a need for
at least 40 battalions not 36. Afghanistan reinforcement is the latest
example (the infantry is rumoured to be close to 2,000 under strength, so
where will Mr Reid find the 5,500 now needed?).
Recruiting and retention is not being addressed. Bus drivers are paid
£22,000 while Infantry soldiers work harder at greater risk for £13,000.
Armed Forces' Pay Review Body Report 2005
shows that soldiers are paid less than half the minimum wage. Unless this changes, the Army
will continue to
under-recruit and under-retain.
The morality of the Iraq war, Deepcut and loss of the Scottish Regiments
are dissuading parents from allowing their sons to join the Infantry.
The decision to amalgamate six regiments into a five battalion large
regiment without a clear identity is most unpopular in Scotland and is
already damaging recruiting and retention. Morale is low at a time of
higher operation challenge than since the end of the Cold War.
Serving officers and soldiers are gagged under pain of punishment.
Their only voice is the
Save the Scottish Regiments (SSR) Campaign.
That the SSR Campaign is just about history is untrue. The
tradition they are passionate about preserving is operational
effectiveness. In Scottish Regiments this is strengthened by single
battalion identity, family bonds and territorial connections. Destroy
these and you reduce operational effectiveness and defence capability.
Those taking the decisions to reduce the Infantry and to amalgamate the
Scottish Regiments do not understand the issues. Furthermore, they are
being advised by senior officers who have scant knowledge of single
battalion regiments in general and the Scottish Regiments in particular.
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Previous Campaign News
and further background...
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