Prince Harry

Has been on the frontline in Afgahnistan, well done to him. He's not affraid of getting his hands dirty.

Well done to him.

[BBKing]

Brainless toff, probably in the best place for him. Better than being hauled out of the gutter outside a nightclub every night, but pretty much the same level of usefulness. Second sons of royalty don't need to have a use, though.

I do feel a bit sorry for the local Afghans wondering where the next bomb's going to land - images of it working rather like a day's huntin' on the moors with Grandad ('I say, Rupert, thought you were a grouse, old chap'). Still, it could be worse, it could be Dick Cheney, I suppose.

[etccarmageddon]

I despise the royal family but in this case I view him as a hero just like all those that are on the front line.

A little vituperative, BBK - not his fault who his parents are/were (imho).

[BBKing]

A little vituperative, BBK - not his fault who his parents are/were (imho).

I'm by nature vituperative. The British Army, as few people realise, is the least middle class of all British institutions - toffs at the top, plebs at the bottom and it damn well *works*. Hence my suggestion that the best place for a brainless young toff is out there in uniform rather than out of his head here. I reserve the right not to regard him as a hero for telling aeroplanes where to drop bombs, though. Much overused word, that.

I used to work/live with the Pongoes in Berlin - one of the last remaining (imho) bastions of the class-divided societies; quite a few working class and middle class chaps in the officer corp, but lots of Henry's.

When you go out there and do what our lads do everyday then you can slag them off till then BB give it a rest. Everyone was saying he wouldn't go when iraq was mentioned so give the guy some credit he could of got out of it he didn't and he has been out there doing the job that deserves respect if you don't have any don't comment.

Originally Posted by RizzyKing

When you go out there and do what our lads do everyday then you can slag them off till then BB give it a rest. Everyone was saying he wouldn't go when iraq was mentioned so give the guy some credit he could of got out of it he didn't and he has been out there doing the job that deserves respect if you don't have any don't comment.

Well said rep added.

[BBKing]

You'll be telling me next that if I don't like it I should go and live under the Taliban. I'm not buying it, this is a 24 carat PR stunt from top to bottom with Prince Harry's (doubtless genuine) wishes or courage the least of anyone's concerns. Check the BBC stories (particularly the tenses used) - they've clearly had a deal with the MOD to follow Harry around and film him machine gunning the desert and sitting with his helmet and jacket off holding a phone. Presumably a documentary is in the offing. 'Hey, proles, pretty distraction over here! Lookee, lookee! Don't worry about the serious stuff, Mature, Serious Wise Men are spending your money making sure you don't have to do any difficult thinking, just keep watching'. Don't believe the hype. The two things our presence in Afghanistan is giving us are heroin and dead and injured soldiers.

Like I said, I'm not buying it. Calling them 'heroes' and not examining what they're doing isn't supporting the troops, it's conniving in sending them to pointless death, injury and mental illness. We *know* all this now, there's no excuse for ignorance. If you're so keen on 'the troops' go and see what they're saying on ARRSE or elsewhere. There's a horrible lazy streak that treats 'The Troops' as an abstract concept and hides at the merest suggestion that sending people to fight pointless unwinnable wars far from home isn't a good idea.

[Less splenetically, the chances of this being kept secret were near zero, since half Fleet Street must have been bought off or silenced in some way. They pay people to follow Harry around, after all, you'd notice him not being around for two months plus. The magazine that broke the story in Australia is read by 10% of the population, so why the secrecy here?]

-- update --

i was being harsh on the BBC. Actually, it was *all* the major news outlets, with the 'journalism' being done by the MOD press people, i.e. spin doctors. Do the usual criticisms of the government over media manipulation not apply when someone puts 'Prince' in front of their name?

The BBC and co. basically signed up to receive propaganda from the MOD in return for their silence and co-operation. So much for press freedom. Oh, and the chances of Harry being in Afghanistan being a 'hero' right now are zero, the arrangement was that he'd be flown out if the story broke.

Under the agreement, if the embargo was broken by British media Prince Harry was expected to leave the war-torn nation.

In the case that the story was broken by foreign media first, as has happened today, British media were "implored to resist diving in" at least until he has been taken to safety.

So that was all a waste of everyone's time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008...sandpublishing

I am not buying what your saying either or what you say your saying you seem to have a problem with him because of what he is. It isn't his fault he is a royal and he didn't HAVE to join the forces but he did. So like i said unless you have served ?? don't comment on those that put on the uniform or try and find smart ways to degrade what they do. So many people now taking cheap shots at the armed forces from the comfort of a chair in the UK.

[Marge]

Well, CNN tell a slightly different story here

The head of the British Army, Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt, said Harry's deployment had been kept secret after striking an agreement with the media.

British and international media -- including CNN -- had agreed not to report Harry's deployment because of security concerns for him and his unit. The military confirmed the operation after a U.S. Web site broke the news blackout.

Originally Posted by RizzyKing

I am not buying what your saying either or what you say your saying you seem to have a problem with him because of what he is. It isn't his fault he is a royal and he didn't HAVE to join the forces but he did. So like i said unless you have served ?? don't comment on those that put on the uniform or try and find smart ways to degrade what they do. So many people now taking cheap shots at the armed forces from the comfort of a chair in the UK.

He's not a hero, he's doing his job. I respect him, and all the others who are serving out there, but it's what they joined up for.

This is being a hero.
"There were now seven casualties still in the minefield, three of whom had lost limbs.
"Despite this horrific situation and the serious injuries he had himself sustained, Corporal Wright continued to command and control the incident. He remained conscious for the majority of the time, continually shouting encouragement to those around him, maintaining morale and calm amongst the many wounded men. Sadly, Corporal Wright died of his wounds on the rescue helicopter.
"His supreme courage and outstanding leadership were an inspiration to his men. For acts of the greatest gallantry and complete disregard for his own safety in striving to save others, Corporal Wright is awarded the George Cross.""

btw, I have served.

[kronas]

how can someone be a hero in a war which was perpetuated on a whim that a group is a 'threat' to us ?? all hes doing is being there because the british army is there, nothing has changed apart from the threat (national security) being bigger for attacks against the country, the poppy fields keep growing and growing and the taliban is still there, vested interests in the rebuild of the country ???

the fact the media kept it quiet just shows there is no impartiality in what is being said in the various medias.

[tweetypie/8]

Originally Posted by RizzyKing

When you go out there and do what our lads do everyday then you can slag them off till then BB give it a rest. Everyone was saying he wouldn't go when iraq was mentioned so give the guy some credit he could of got out of it he didn't and he has been out there doing the job that deserves respect if you don't have any don't comment.

well put rizzy.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by kronas

how can someone be a hero in a war which was perpetuated on a whim that a group is a 'threat' to us ??

perhaps by his deeds and actions whilst there? Just because it's a naff war doesn't mean you can't conduct yourself in a heroic mannor, in keeping with the best traditions of the army.