Not again Robathan!
Defence Minister Andrew Robathan, bane of the nuclear test veterans, appears to have got himself into trouble…again.
This time it’s over Arctic Convoy veterans trying to get recognition for their momentous efforts during WWII through nothing more than a medal.
Yet Robathan bizarrely chose to compare them to people given medals by murderous dictators like Colonel Gaddafi.
Perhaps it’s time for a little reshuffle at the MoD.
Nuclear Test Shame 
I think this proves why Robathan refuses to discuss matters relating to the atrocities committed against the British nuclear veterans and their Allies.
He is a ‘Liability,’ he opens his big mouth and puts his foot in it. He cannot tell the truth, (his Masters at the Ministry of Defence forbids that) he does not have the capability of inventing plausible stories (they have to be written for him, again by his Masters at the MOD) so he has to act thick and appear to be dumb.
On second thoughts, after listening to some of his comments he is probably not acting!
I think Robathan should go and see people who are suffering from the Nuclear tests also the veterans from the Russian Convoys. As an active Royal Marine Association member I see at every Memorial Parades former Merchant Navy veterans. Why not give them the recognition they deserve. What will it cost the MOD and government to pay compensation to the Nuclear vets. and what will it cost them to give out medals. There are not many veterans left of either the BNTVA or the MN. Shame on him. The MOD wastes money fighting our case and the govt. wastes money in aid to countries whose governments pocket the money or buys arms!
Nuff said
Hi Dave I agree with you and I think,thousands more,someone from the M,O,D must be reading these comments and possibly the sitting goverment and yet they do nothing about the man.I think he has friends in high office it,s the only excuse I can think of
Dave thank you for the comment . The sad fact is the current government, like previous governments , will put up with Robathan because, until policy is changed, they think he is doing a good job .
Robathan is following the agenda of all successive governments since the cold war . He has friends in high office because his job is to be an enforcer of policy against the interests of veterans not, as the title suggests, to be a champion for veterans .
The post of veterans minister is a poisoned chalice of deception.Not surprisingly there is a high turnover in this post . If a Minister starts to do anything positive for veterans he is sacked . Whilst Robathan follows government , that is MoD veterans policy since the cold war, his job is safe .
The cost of medals for the heroic and gallant Arctic Convoy veterans is a mere pittance compared to the £ 42.2 million average per annum paid as a bonus to MoD officials over the past 9 years .
The Ministry of Defence is a department that is out of control and a law unto themselves . No Prime Minister has, so far , had the moral will or political guts to radically reform this department .
Robathan is the spokesman for veterans policy that is intended to appear to the public to hold veterans in high regard whilst doing everything possible to do the very opposite . The post of Minister for Veterans is a typical product of the years of spin and deception of the Blair administration commenced with a negative vengeance in 1997 .
Officials at the MoD line their pockets with tax payer’s bonus money, waste billions on procurement mismanagement and defending themselves in court against the indefensible Atomic Veterans Claimants Group . In contrast they follow a policy to spend as little as possible on veterans welfare , pensions or recognition .
In the nuclear test veterans debate in the Scottish Parliament on the 24th November, Derek Mckay MSP, asked an interesting question :
” Why can the UK spend £100 billion on new weapons of mass destruction , but not a fraction of that amount on supporting our veterans and servicemen ?”
Fortunately the general public are now becoming increasingly aware of the depth of betrayal of Britain’s Armed Forces. On a positive note , Robathan is without doubt helping that perception . Nuclear test veterans and widows , through the CVFI , for many years have been saying the Minister for Veterans is a Minister to impose policy against us .
Robathan is just digging a bigger hole for the veterans policy of successive governments .He certainly won’t resign and therefore give up the extra £30,000 pa and the ministerial car just to begin to look after veterans interests .
The post of Minister for Veterans was only created , as a public relations exercise , in 2004
by Blair as part of the Veterans Initiative policy . Veterans affairs until then were handled by an obscure parliamentary – under – secretary for defence .
The standard practice then, as now, is to decline five applications for widows pensions, get patted on the back and then retire to their club for after- dinner port to round off another hard day upholding veterans’ policy on a shoe string budget. Nothing has changed .
The post of Minister for Veterans should surely be taken out of political hands and handed to an independent funded panel ?
It seems clear the MoD can no longer be trusted to openly and honestly administer the welfare of veterans, the procurement of equipment or anything else for that matter except the continued mis-management of public funds .
Nuclear veterans are extremely fortunate to have this platform to air our views and thank this wesite for all the help it is giving to our fight for truth and justice .