General Chat

According to today's Sunday Express, there are moves within the government to save money by abolishing the BFPO (British Forces Post Office).

This service has been around for a long, long time and provides an essential means by which our armed services can receive mail, in theatres around the world. The bluey is a lifeline to many of our troops, and would presumably disappear, together with the concession for reduced postage costs for families of those serving in our overseas garrisons.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SaveBFPO/

Please, if you value our brave servicemen, sign up on this petition.

Elisabeth

Methinks that might be one step too far for this measly Government....... Has there ever been a military coup in this country?


Now might be a good time!!

Bar stewards!!

Love

Daff xxxx

Right Daff,

Thats me and thee in the front line for the coup.

Just off to a Help For Heroes event!

Elisabeth
xx

With you all the way ladies ,you have your first [but not last ] ex forces vet on board ,what a load of sad people we have in charge of the country,they could save so much more money by stop wasting money themselves on daft schemes.
They could also take a pay cut ,they arn't worth HALF of what they get as it is .Fred.,Have just added the url to face book as well.

will sign later when I get back... shameful.

Re HFH, if anyone is near Stafford there is a shop there which not only sells the H4H wristbands etc but is collecting donations for parcels. 6 Hunters Row
Gaolgate Pl, Stafford,

What a pathetic stupid government we have. How low can they sink? Thanks for the addy Elisabeth. Off to sign now.

Ann
Glos

I have signed,

Roy

i sent thousands of blueys to hubby during his time in forces,
as one a day wasnt enough to carry all i had to say id get thru at least 2 a day if not 4 some days,

this is a huge morale boost to our forces,
what else you gona deprive um of mr brown
you take mosst of their pay in taxes,
you dont give um the kit promised for the job,
or the weapons to do the job
you dont feed um properly
you dont give them the care when they return home they deserve, when injured mentally or physically
now you deprive their families and loved ones of a letter to be sent or parcels to be recieved
after all the post office aint gona go out there are they

Thanks for the replies girls and Badger!

Just back from a Help for Heroes event. It was glorious sunshine and everyone from tinies in buggies to veterans having a marvellous time.

I am now wearing my Help for Heroes wristband and have a lovely plant I won in one raffle and a voucher for £5 in another raffle. Mum got some books from a British Legion stall, we had an icecream and bought some cakes. (All the stalls, run by various organisations, were for the charity.)

Happy afternoon was had by all.

Keep signing the petition please.

Elisabeth
x

with 2 sons in the forces I hope not what will they do next
I sometimes send them to sons friends if they have no family just to try to cheer them up & hope they do not feel left out

im in

I have been reading more about this petition and believe that it is the European BFPO numbers the government are proposing to axe. It will probably mean that the 'theatres of war' and places like the Falklands will stay.

I still think that all BFPO addresses should stay. Why should those serving in Europe have to pay European postage rates for what is an essential service.

It is just another erosion of government support for our troops and their families.

Elisabeth
x

Elisabeth, many of the families will be in Germany whilst their other half is away in Afghan etc.... and even if the bluey is continued for those in theatre, that still means families in Germany many many miles away from their own families in UK, so the contact is even more important then.

I would never have managed without my bluey's, lol!! 34 years of using them

If someone has never lived away and felt isolated like that, they have no idea how much a parcel for the kiddies from relatives light up their little faces... their daddies are away at war (mummies, too in some cases) so it is the least we can do!

Love

Daff xxxxx

Daff,

I echo everything you say. The postal service is a vital piece of military equipment! In the whole amount of government spending on all departments, the amount which would be saved is a miniscule sum.

Lets hope Mr Brown and his merry band take some notice of the petition. I shall also write to my MP, who is an ex-Military man, and will know the value of the postal service.

Elisabeth
xx

How Dare they even Think of this. I am going to tell all my friends about this site and ask them to contibute to the petition....how about us having a petition to cut out all their perks and have them live on an average yerarly wage, with any special consideratoion having to be maid bye the public...as my oh says "what a country"

bridget

Julie Ann and Daff, both so well put. Does the government not think that the wives and families need support too when they send them off to foreign countries?

A polite nudge for the weekend crew.

The number signing on the petition is steadily rising, but more are needed. Perhaps we can persuade the Government to change their current plans.

Thank you!

Elisabeth
x

This sort of thing is scandalous, given that the savings will be insignificant in the context of the total public spending bill.

Rather than deprive the forces of their post service, why not stop the wastage that is going on elsewhere? Each time there is a review this government is told that money is being poured down the pan and that this that or the other crackpot scheme has failed to deliver any benefits.

There is a report in the news today which shows the wastage in education. Two examples cited were 5 replacement toilets costing £50,000, when the work could have been done for £5,000 and a £1,000 photocopier which ended up costing £35,000.

And to think the people responsible are actually being paid for this incompetence out of tax-payers money.

They seem to waste money on stupid rules, and not care about the servicemen and women and their families. Have any of the politicians got a relative serving??????
Liz

I have just found this response to the Petition in my inbox:

"Read the Government’s response
The Government remains fully committed to providing efficient and effective postal service to our armed forces, especially those serving on operations.

The Ministry of Defence is making some changes to the way BFPO services operate in order to ensure we make best use of military manpower and to ensure the service is delivered in the most efficient way possible. The drawdown of the BFPO personnel supporting the UK military in the NATO headquarters in SHAPE, Brussels, Brunssum, Ramstein, Stavanger, Karup, Rome, Milan, Lisbon, Valencia and Norfolk Virginia should achieve a saving in excess of £1M per annum. The drawdown is scheduled to be completed by September 2010, by which time we aim to have in place alternative arrangements.

These changes relate to the BFPO personnel supporting the UK military population in a limited number of non-operational locations and all in countries with efficient domestic postal services. In order to minimise the impact on personnel and their dependants stationed at affected locations, the BFPO numbers, which are useful for administrative purposes such as proving status, banking and internet shopping, will be retained.

In addition, having taken into account the administrative disadvantages that the changes to the BFPO service could have on personnel and their dependants, some British Forces Post Office services will now be retained in a number of other NATO HQs. While Armed Forces personnel will no longer fulfil these functions and some counter services will cease from September 2010, the changes will enable civilians and, in some cases, Service dependants to take up local employment running a basic postal receipt and despatch facility.

These changes will have no impact on postal services to troops deployed on operations. In particular, the Enduring Free Mail Service out to operational theatres will not be affected."

I think this will mean a limited 'climb-down' on some of the plans. Let us hope so.

Elisabeth