AFTER meeting with a number of Harlow TA members last week Friday night to discuss the closure of Harlow's territirial army centre, I thought it would be worth posting here a number of questions to Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell.
The answers to these ten questions are vitally important if the TA members in Harlow, and the wider community, are to have the full facts about why this totally illogical decision to close the centre was taken.
We need answers - and a full explanation now. Mr Rammell owes it to the local community, the community which he currently represents in Westminster, to inform them why he allowed this centre to be closed."
1 - You (Mr Rammell) say the closure was necessary to save money for the frontline. Yet since 2001, 12,000 TA members have gone to Iraq or Afghanistan?
2 - If the TA has been closed to save funds surely the fact the MoD is now paying petrol costs for TA members to travel to Chelmsford means it would have been cheaper to keep the TA open in Harlow?
3 - Why is it that the Harlow TA was initially told closure would take place in March 2010. Yet it was in October, when the Harlow TA members were away on a training camp, that they were told Harlow TA was to be no more, and the TA building was closing immediately? (Many TA members were not even able to get their belongings as the centre was emptied whilst they were away training).
4 - Why was the Harlow TA disbanded when local recruitment was booming? In fact Harlow TA had one of the highest recruitment in the regiment.
5 - Why despite guarantees, were not all Harlow TA members not offered a place in Chelmsford?
6 - Will not the cost of clearing the land around the Harlow TA, and making it fit for civilians be so costly that it will make any alleged savings from the Harlow TA few and far between?
7 - The Government have made a u-turn on cutting funding for TA training. As yet Harlow TA members have not received their training money. When will this be received?
8 - Why was Harlow disbanded when its location is vital to its work as in communications back-up - particularly as the TA was close to London and Stansted?
9 - You (Mr Rammell) talk about making savings yet why are MoD bureaucrats getting bonuses of £47 million when just a fraction of this could keep the Harlow TA centre open?
10. Why as Armed Forces Minister and local MP have you not done more to support the constituency and national interest in keeping Harlow TA open, rather than spouting the latest line from the Government? Why have you not yet met with TA members to discuss the decision to disband Harlow TA?
By Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering. http//roberthalfon.blogspot.com
Bill Rammell is a career politician who will do as he is told.
ReplyDeleteHe was responsible for passing on the Red Cross brief on mis treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Yet when Tony Blair said he was unaware of the findings Rammell kept silent and only disputed this after Blair had left office.
Rammell cares only about his career, not Harlow, nor our armed forces.
He is gutless and self serving like most of his colleagues in parliament.