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Nick Harvey MPStanding up for North Devon since 1992 |
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REAFFIRMING THE MILITARY COVENANT
September 21, 2009 4:40 PM
By NICK HARVEY in LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTY CONFERENCE
By NICK HARVEY in LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTY CONFERENCE
(One minute silence) A silence speaks volumes when we are unable to put into words the debt we owe our service personnel. It is right that we pay tribute to the huge sacrifices made by our armed forces, past and present. To remember those who have fallen and the countless injured and wounded.
For what they do, they do not for perks or pay or privilege but for a higher motivation - to serve their country.
Nick Harvey addresses Party Conference
Conference, we are at a crossroads in defence.
We have critical overstretch, a £35 billion black hole in the budget, and military capabilities that are geared to the challenges of the past rather than the threats of the future.
Regardless of the rights and wrongs of Iraq and Afghanistan these conflicts have raised some brutal home truths about the way we treat our armed forces.
We send our troops into battle lacking the right equipment. They return from operations to appalling housing, are poorly compensated for their injuries, and their pay packets are thin compared to their equivalents in the emergency services.
Conference, with a defence review underway, now is the time to seize the moment and make good on the military covenant.
The challenges we face are compounded by problems which have lain dormant for too long.
Conference, did you know that at present over 51,000 personnel (over 25% of our armed forces) are on less than the basic salary of a police constable or firefighter?
¾ of service housing is below the highest level with much of it in a poor condition.
And severe shortages of helicopters, armoured vehicles and frontline protection in Afghanistan risks undermining our operations and endangering our troops?
It is time for difficult questions and hard sought answers.
As a nation we need to ask, what do we want from defence? What role should we play? And how can we play it?
More importantly, we need to ask how much do we value our armed forces.
And reassure our service men and women that their sacrifices have not been in vain.
Because they do feel let down.
Some people say - "the Liberal Democrats don't do defence".
Perhaps they have a point - we certainly don't do it like the other two parties!
We are the only party that marched against an illegal war,
The only party that stood up against underhand deals between arms companies and undemocratic states,
And the only party with the courage to challenge Trident renewal.
Just because you question the wisdom of wars, does not mean you don't understand national security or care about our troops.
When you take this into account who is the real party of defence in this country?
Here is what we would do:
We would ensure that the 'duty of care' is revived, restored and renewed.
We would put our armed forces at the heart of all our future defence considerations.
It will not be big business, industry or fat cats with inroads to the MOD that guide our policy or shape our capabilities.
We have already seen that that doesn't work.
Instead, we will put the men and women of our services, and their families, first.
They will be at the heart of our policy. Because, after all, they are the lifeblood of our capabilities.
Under our proposals, no soldier that serves on the frontline in Afghanistan would be on less than the basic salary of a police constable or firefighter.
No service family would be living in a home that is unfit for habitation, let alone unfit for heroes.
No veteran would be isolated or left to deal with their psychological war wounds alone.
What seem simple solutions can bring about drastic changes, the value of which could not be quantified by any monetary cost.
Through a new comprehensive Strategic Security and Defence Review we would reassess and realign our priorities,
Identify areas for cuts and efficiencies,
And tackle the tough decisions head-on.
It would take little to yield a lot.
For the cost of just 4 Eurofighters we could fund fair pay for frontline forces.
By reducing the number of civil service desk jobs by 10% we can free up essential resources for our troops
And by ring-fencing the defence budget for welfare we would ensure that service personnel are never again an afterthought.
We are facing an exciting General Election,
An election where a Government that has lost its way will be shown how out of touch with Britain's people it has become.
Defence is no exception.
Vote for this motion and go out and tell people that we are the party of defence.
That we will put service personnel and their families first,
And that we will win the war on the frontline by winning the battle at home.
It is time to do our bit. (Reference to RBL Manifesto slogan)
And we must not let them down.
Conference I urge you to support the motion.
What would you like to do next?
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