Comment, analysis, news

Olympic Medals for the Military

The involvement of the armed forces in the Olympics should not pave the way for military solutions to other civil situations.

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Nobel laureates call for end to TV’s “Stars Earn Stripes”

Nine Nobel Peace laureates, including retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, on Monday called on television network NBC to cancel its "Stars Earn Stripes" reality show, calling it a bid to "sanitize war by likening it to an athletic competition."

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Alcohol misuse ‘significantly higher’ in armed forces

Calls for Ministry of Defence to look at why 13% of military have a drink problem compared to 6% in general population

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Military and education not compatible

Letter to the media in response to article by Labour MPs inviting the 'military to invade our schools'.

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David Lammy’s Army School for Rioters

There was a truly awful article in last week's New Statesman by Tottenham Labour MP David Lammy, accusing 'the left' of a curmudgeonly attitude towards the government's plans for military-staffed 'service schools.'

Lammy condemns critics of the scheme for propagating the idea that ' servicemen and women are "brainwashed", "killers", and hell-bent on converting our sons and daughters to violence' - arguments that he describes as ' nonsense - and offensive nonsense at that.'

With that strawman out of the way, he goes on to argue that

The military already play a hugely positive role in our schools. The Combined Cadet Force and Army Cadet Force are fantastic national institutions. These are organisations which offer adventure training, flying, sailing, white water rafting, and navigating Britain's finest landscapes from Cornwall to the Cairngorms, all for free.

Of course all these activities could and should be available in schools. The problem is that neither school budgets nor the curriculum allow much space for them, not to mention the obsessive risk assessment process which makes schools reluctant to take their kids beyond the school grounds, let alone go canoeing in the Cairngorms.

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Our curious love affair with the military

Have you detected a growing enthusiasm for all things military? This week the troops were called in to save the Olympics, they're constantly on our TV screens, and our parks are full of bootcamp fitness sessions for puffed civilians.

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Labour plan to set up ‘Service Schools’ staffed by soldiers

A new generation of “Service Schools” staffed entirely by former members of the Armed Forces could be set up across Britain under Labour plans to raise education standards, it has emerged.

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Cadet forces scheme: £10.85m to encourage young people to join

Scheme coinciding with Armed Forces Day aims to create 100 new cadet units in English state schools

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Service Schools and more cadet forces – an exercise in recruitment

Over the past month, amid announcements of major cuts to the armed forces, came some unexpected news on public spending: £10.85million to expand cadet forces into state schools, a £1million grant to promote a military ethos in schools and senior Labour politicians calling for a series of 'Service Schools', staffed entirely by former members of the armed forces, to be established. Unexpected, that is, to anyone who hasn't previously been aware of the importance that military policy makers place on access to young people within education.

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Judge rejects bid to stop Olympic rooftop missiles

The clear implication of today's judgment was that "the MoD now has power to militarise the private homes of any person" even when there was no war on, or state of emergency declared.

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