Protest over merging regiments
 

I thought Racooper would get a kick out of this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4106465.stm

Protest over merger of regiments

Hundreds of campaigners have marched through Edinburgh in protest against plans to merge Scotland's regiments.

The King's Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots are to merge and join the other four infantry regiments as part of a new Scottish super-regiment.

Save The Scottish Regiments has warned the government it faces a sustained campaign against the move.

Army veterans were joined by politicians for the march along Princes Street in the Scottish capital.

As part of the reforms of the UK's infantry, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the merged Royal Scots and KOSB would be combined with the Black Watch, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the Royal Highland Fusiliers and the Highlanders in a new Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Mr Hoon and Army chiefs said the changes were needed to the structure of the infantry to ensure an Army fit to meet its commitments in the 21st century.

However, speaking on Saturday, retired Scots Guards Colonel Martin Gibson said: "The campaign is to make sure that the six existing Scottish regiments continue, despite what Mr Hoon said in parliament.

"The Army does have to change for the 21st century but the commitments that we have at the moment, as far as the infantry are concerned, and the reduction from 40 to 36 battalions is totally inappropriate at the moment.

"Overstretch is in evidence throughout the infantry."

Campaigners gathered in East Market Street and marched along Princes Street to Princes Street gardens where speakers addressed them.

Organisers expressed delight at the turnout and members of the public applauded as the parade of campaign supporters, politicians, bands and military vehicles made its way to the rally point.

Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said that rather than merging the regiments, voters should "disband the contingent of Scottish Labour MPs" who supported Mr Hoon's proposals.

'Parcel o' rogues'

He said: "On each and every occasion that an issue comes to the crunch they back their government and vote against Scotland.

"They are Scotland's 'parcel o' rogues' and it is time to send them packing.

"Instead of disbanding our regiments and keeping Scottish Labour MPs we shall use this election campaign to keep our regiments and disband the Labour MPs."

Scottish Tory MP Peter Duncan told the marchers: "The Blair Government may well think that this debate is now over, since the announcement has been made.

"Well the message for them is 'hear us in Edinburgh today and understand that it's not over yet'.

"The message of Conservatives at the next General Election will be a simple pledge to take action to save the Scottish regiments.

"In the very first week of a Conservative government, we will reverse the cuts to the Scottish regiments and reinstate all 6 to single-battalion regiment status."

Save The Scottish Regiments said that from 1 January it will focus on a new campaign to organise tactical voting for the next general election - widely expected to take place in May 2005.

It said it plans to field candidates in several constituencies, including key marginal seats and ask voters to back the next best-placed candidate to unseat or deny Labour an MP.

The campaigners claim the Ministry of Defence will be doing away with hundreds of years of military tradition and that recruitment will suffer if it proceeds with its plans.

However, the government and senior officers insist they are creating a modern and flexible fighting force.

Figgers HM's Government would sacrifice tradition to save a few pounds.

Yeah... it's been on the books for a decade or so now...

Most of say the Black Watch vet's had assumed that the service of the regiment in Iraq would allow it to remain as is... but that of course would screw up all the military's plans.

Now first off it's not only the Scottish regiments that are being merged, but all of the UK units.

Here is a listing of the new Infantry OoB:
As for the sacrifice of tradition to save a few pounds... I doubt the tradition will be sacrificed - afterall some of these regiments have traditions that go back over 200 years, that make no sense anymore - but yet they are still done. Tradition is a suprisingly powerful force within the British military system.

Oh and as you can see in the above OoB, this isn't a new event - there was a spat of mergers back in 1966 and we did the same thing here in Canada back in '67 here in Canada.

T.A. - Territorial Army - is that the British equivalent of the Guard/Reserve?

what a stupid Idea. Idea should be captilized tongight. HM's MP for whoever came up with this is retarded. He should be kicked out of parliment. For life.


I hate the House of Commons. What a dumb legislative body. I want the House of Lords to kick their ass, and then piss all over their statue of John Milton.

Exactly

The British Regimental System preserves the traditions of units through the Rerseve or Territorial OoB; at least for Reserve units kept on the active roster - unfortunately some are relegated to the status of "removed from the Order of Battle"... and when that is the case, none of the remianing units retains a "lineage" to preserve.

Closest I can thin of to compare the British Regimental System to is the Marines... think of the traditions, the dress uniform, the motoes, the history, and the loyalty to the unit. That may give people an idea of the uniqueness and loyalty to each Regiment's traditions and past under the British System.


So for example, the unit I was originally attached to, maintains the traditions and history of a unit founded during the War of 1812... and the unit that most Dekes belong too here at UofT preserves the traditions of a Loyalist Regiment from the American Revolution/Rebellion - Coat of Arms includes the tag "1st Americans" (as in the 1st American raised Militia).

Good for you... advocating the dismissal of Thatcher... a little behind the times thoug - different PM and party though.

That's one major difference between American and British military tradition - theirs dates back over hundreds of years. We still have the 3rd Infantry Regiment (the Old Guard), the 7th Cavalry Regiment, the 1st Cavalry Division and the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, among others.

Air Force-wise (which I'm more familiar with), we have the 334th, 335th and 336th Fighter Squadrons of the 4th Fighter Wing, which are direct descendants of the RAF's No. 71, 121 and 133 Eagle Squadrons of WWII, the First Fighter Squadron, whose lineage originates in WWI. There's a Reserve squadron - the 307th, I think - that is a lineal descendant of the Tuskeegee Airmen squadrons.