National Recognition Study: key points

The National Recognition Study was set up last Autumn under the chairmanship of Quentin Davies MP to look into ways to improve the public's appreciation of the work carried out by Britain's Armed Forces and to build up links between the Forces and local communities.

Some of the ideas coming out of the National Recognition Study are:

• Forces personnel should be encouraged to wear uniform in public and when off duty (despite the Peterborough experience).
• Businesses such as cinemas and travel firms should offer discounted prices to serving personnel.
• Military bases should be opened to the public to "normalise" the work of the Forces (surely a risky suggestion from a security point of view).
• Service personnel based in the UK should do more to visit their local civilian communities, running cadet forces and other "outreach" projects.
• Call for a new Veterans' Day Bank Holiday (but an Armed Forces Day would honour both veterans and serving personnel).
• Reduce the limits on Forces' freedom to speak to the media, so the public get a better idea of the people behind the uniforms.

However, judging by reports in the media, the public's turnout at homecoming parades and the positive responses in recent opinion surveys, the Armed Forces are now held in high regard by the vast majority of the public. It would seem that it is not so much recognition by the general public that's needed; it is recognition by the Government that needs to be encouraged. For the last decade the Labour Government has effectively been reducing the UK's military budget and treating the Services in a shody and off-hand way - poor equipment, poor pay, poor housing, poor health and welfare services, etc. It has been the pressure from the public and the media that at long last seems to be getting the Labour Government to recognise its responsibilities and its duty of care to the Armed Forces. Perhaps the Labour Government will even reconsider its decision to ban the Red Arrows from appearing at the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony; nuLabour apparatniks barred the RAF's air display team and Britain's roving ambassadors because they thought them to be "Too British"!

Link> AV: National Recognition Study launched
Link> The Telegraph: Restoring pride in our Forces at heart of review
Link> The Guardian: Army launches recruitment drive as polls highlight soldiers' popularity