Month: October 2012

Why I Have No Sympathy For Evicted Ex-Soldier


This story has been run in “The News”, my local paper, four times to my knowledge. More space has been given to this story than any other “near homeless” family tale.

So I can only guess that either the family know someone at The News and are playing the sympathy vote for all its worth or this is a pretty pathetic attempt at attacking David Cameron and the government.

The issues here are pretty straightforward, as reported by The News ……

  1. Mark Hampson – Joined the army and gave 23 years service with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    For this we, as a nation are truly grateful.
  2. Mark Hampson and his family have lived in the same army quarters for 18 years.
    This subsidised accomodation has enabled Hampson and his family to live a reasonably comfortable life with the MOD being responsible for the property maintenance and quite possibly, in those 23 years, providing a new upgraded kitchen and bathroom. I make the last comment based on my army-wife granddaughters experience after spending a short period of time in married quarters.
  3. Mark Hampson has survived a battle with cancer.
    For this he does have my sympathy. To be diagnosed with cancer is not easy and it can have adverse effects on friends and family too.
  4. Mark Hampson became a self-employed lorry driver. So he is fit enough to work.
  5. Mark Hampson – Left the army a year ago but only now does he realise he will lose his home.
    This is totally rubbish. He knew when he signed up for the married quarters that he would have to leave at some time. So he has had at least 18 years to prepare for leaving this house. You don’t just suddenly up and leave the army unless you are getting dishonorable discharge or you go AWOL . You have to give notice which starts a number of wheels into motion. If you are being medically discharged a lot more wheels are set in motion. The army does try to prepare soldiers for exit. Again, based on talking to my granddaughters husband who is currently going through the exit procedures for leaving the army. There is money available for re-training as preparation for life on civvy street.Oh and let’s not forget the following which I lifted straight off the Army website.

    After two years of Regular service you’ll have earned an Army pension that will be paid when you get to the age of 65. And if you serve for 12 years you’ll be entitled to a tax-free resettlement grant on retirement too. Anybody aged over 40 who has served for at least 18 years gets the right to claim an immediate pension and tax-free lump sum on leaving the Army, and a second lump sum when they turn 65.

    With 23 years in the army Hampson more than qualifies for pension and lump sum. Add to this any additional funds, if Mark Hampson is being medically discharged. In one of the four articles he is quoted as saying

    He applied to join the army’s security services but he said he was not deemed fit enough following his recovery from cancer.

In summary Mr Hampson has known for at least 18 years that MOD accommodation was not for life, that he would have to give up the house provided by the army.

He has known for sometime that he was leaving the army and did in fact leave a year ago. Since then it appears that he has done nothing to prepare for this moment. What has he done with the lump sum ? Has he used it as a deposit either for a mortgage or for rental accommodation ?

On the evidence presented by The News he is expecting the British Tax Payer to bail him out and apparently it is David Camerons responsibility

All this on the back of a pledge by the Prime Minister of the formation of a ‘heroes’ committee’ to give service personnel the support they need when leaving the forces.

The News reported this week how he has found it difficult to find accommodation through Chichester District Council’s housing scheme – despite assurances from Prime Minister David Cameron that former servicemen and women will be supported after leaving the armed forces.

The implication is that it is Camerons responsibility to hand him a council house or to allow him to remain in his current house.

He said: ‘It’s a bit of a shock that it’s happened so quickly. The stress of it is a bit worrying – we don’t know where to turn.

‘I’ve served my time and thought there might be a bit of advice and help to go forward.’

It hasn’t happened “quickly”, it isn’t a shock when you know it is going to happen. Even if you ignore the 18 year long awareness he has been ex-army for a year so knew he was on limited tenure in this house.

Mrs Hampson said they have been offered temporary accommodation but would have to re-home the family dogs – labradors Sasha and Mollie. She added: ‘We couldn’t get rid of the dogs, it would break us and Mark.

So they didn’t consider putting the dogs into kennels while they found permanent accomodation ?

And now that the eviction has happened and the family are living apart we are expected to be sympathetic. Well it’s not going to happen. This family have really made themselves homeless by lack of planning and an assumption that the government or the local council has a responsibility to look after them. Nothing reported by The News has shown this family to be anything other than a bunch of scroungers.

This is why I have no sympathy for this ex-soldier.

War veterans deserve so much more than this…- Defence – Portsmouth News.

War hero’s family writes to MP over eviction- Defence – Portsmouth News.

After 23 years of service veteran faces losing home- Defence – Portsmouth News.

Evicted ex-soldier apart from family – Defence – Portsmouth News.

Destruction Of An Icon ?


I have been watching the ongoing reporting and investigations into Jimmy Saville with a large degree of disquiet.

This man was a household name, present in our living rooms for a number of years, via “Top of the Pops” “Clunk Click” and “Jim’ll Fix It” on a weekly basis. He was famous for all the charitable works and the public persona he presented showed no real hint of the revelations now gracing the newspapers and other media. He was and is an icon but that status

Assuming that the allegations, that are now coming to light about “Uncle Jimmy”, are true then there is no doubt that he was aided by his staff and those at the BBC. The weight of anecdotal evidence is growing daily. Only time will tell if the police determine if this turns into solid evidence.

I do have some understanding why the young girls did not come forward at the time and make complaints. It is for the same reason that any child does not complain about being abused by family members, parents or priests. There is always a sense of power or fear although that comes down to the same thing in the final analysis.

While I do understand the victims reluctance or reticence to speak out, I don’t understand the many people around Saville who stood by and DID NOTHING.

I watched the Exposure documentary on ITV and one person describes being dragged away from Saville after an alleged assault. She describes how the staff berated her for her bad mouth and told her that she would only be allowed back into the inner circle if she retracted what she had said about him. This in itself is the staff condoning what he, Saville, was doing.

Many people have now come forward and described the rumours that were going around the BBC. Rumours that had gone up to senior management. Yet nobody did anything, nobody warned Saville to back off, to stop doing whatever he was doing that was feeding the “rumours”.

All these people colluded with Saville and by their inaction provided him with a steady supply of victims. We as a society let the victims down because we created a an untouchable “star”, a celebrity that nobody wanted to cross in case it impacted the charitable works he was involved in.

One also has to question where the press has been in all of this. With all the rumours that were going around I am absolutely amazed that the press did not pick this up and run with it. After all they have run with less and hounded people with less to be ashamed about.

The disquiet I feel is that a “star”, someone who I sat and watched with my children in our living room, a person that we admired and respected is in fact somewhat tarnished.

I am also feeling sorrow for the charities that must be wondering what may have happened under the umbrella of their charity names, have they been tarnished by Savilles activities ? To a degree I also feel sorry for his remaining family members although I suspect that they may have had some idea of what “Uncle Jimmy” was like.

But most of all I feel very sorry for the victims that have had to live with the memory of his actions.

My Condolences To The Bartons Farm Protesters


A few days ago protesters lost their fight to prevent the building of new homes on a site just outside of Winchester. The Government has approved the building of over 2,000 homes at Barton Farm on the edge of the city. Campaigners have been fighting for over 15 years to prevent this decision.

This decision echoes that which has allowed the West of Waterlooville development to go ahead despite local opposition.

I note that the Winchester protesters concerns very much mirror mirror my own with regard to the loss of countryside, lack of infrastructure to support the additional housing, traffic and load on utilities. Once again the developers and planners are citing the additional jobs that the development will generate.

For Bartons Farm the developers are claiming generation of 8000 jobs ???

One can only assume that they are talking about temporary jobs for the construction workers. Once the development is completed will these jobs still be available. I don’t think so.

Strangest comment comes from Mike Emett, director of Cala Homes.

On traffic Mr Emett said the 2,000 homes would reduce the congestion because fewer people would need to drive into Winchester from Eastleigh and Southampton.

Does he assume that existing Eastleigh and Southampton based work force will all up sticks and move to Bartons Farm or perhaps that they will give up their jobs, hand them over to local workers who are the new residents of this development.

It really is bizarre to suggest that an additional 2000 houses will reduce traffic congestion. Time will tell.

My condolences to the residents of Winchester and to the protesters.

Sunflower


Here we are on the run into autumn and these sunflowers have appeared in a field on top of Portsdown Hill.

View From The Conservatory


I hung this feeder a couple of weeks ago, loaded it up with bird feed. So far they, the birds, have ignored it. I’m guessing that they have plenty of other food sources which is why they haven’t touched this seed. With all the wet weather the seed has sprouted. I thought it would be worth a photo.

I guess the birds aren’t hungry. Hence the overgrown feeder.

Had to repost this collection. These are all top notch photo’s. Makes me jealous, not only for the photographers who own the shots but because they were there. Thanks to them and thanks to Ken at Bear Tales for sharing.

Good-Bye Abu Hamza


Finally Home Secretary Theresa May has been given the go-ahead for the immediate extradition of the radical cleric to the U.S.

Leastways I hope it really is good-bye. This fiasco has been going on for too long. Eight years this person has been running rings round the authorities and all at the British taxpayers expense. His latest attempt, to obtain a scan to show that he was unfit to stand trial, seems like desperation especially now that the European Courts of Human Rights have opted not to intervene. Hamza knows that the Yanks aren’t a soft touch like the British authorities and that they are likely to hand down severe sentences.

The sooner he is out of this country the better.

Once he’s gone then the authorities can focus their attentions on Julian Assange another one who is running rings around British authorities.

Purbrook Place – 03/10/2012


Building work is forging ahead on Purbrook Place, one of the latest housing developments in the Waterlooville area.

Purbrook Place – 03/10/2012

Permission was granted for the construction of 76 homes, consisting of a mix of 2, 3, 4 bed houses and 2 bed flats with associated parking. The landscaping is scheduled to include open spaces and play areas. There will also be a pumping station ???

Purbrook Place – 03/10/2012

The, main, road access will be from Stakes Road but there will also be pedestrian access to Stakes Hill Road. and the nearby schools.

It is a shame that, at this time, Havant Borough Council and the Highways Agency haven’t taken the opportunity to revise the nearby roundabout which will bear the brunt of the additional vehicles that this development will bring.

The Purbrook Place development on its own will not increase the burden dramatically. However when you take into account the additional traffic that will come this way from  other developments in the Waterlooville area then it is imperative that some improvements are made. I have posted previously regarding the difficulty that can be experienced trying to negotiating this roundabout. These difficulties are primarily caused by virtue of the fact that drivers do not “have” to stop.