the Daily Echo 8 January 2010 (Windsor Liberal Democrats)

Windsor Liberal Democrats <info@windsorlibdems.org.uk>

the Daily Echo 8 January 2010

January 7, 2010 9:58 AM
By Sandra Gidley MP
Originally published by Sandra Gidley

A few years ago I participated in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme and I have therefore watched the debate, in this paper, with interest.

The scheme was set up by Neil Thorne and the thinking was that as fewer MPs had a military background before entering parliament there was a lack of understanding of military issues amongst parliamentarians. The scheme sought to address that perceived problem by enabling MPs and peers to spend a lot of time with the armed service of their choice.

When I enrolled on the scheme I elected to spend time with the army and was vaguely aware that the placement was funded by a variety of sponsors and that my enrolment on the scheme would not use up defence funding.

The experience was one of the most rewarding aspects of my parliamentary term. I felt it was a privilege to be able to gain such an insight into the working of the modern army. In the early days of the scheme there are a large number of on site briefings from different aspects of the army and along the way there are opportunities to spend periods of time working closely with our soldiers. This included nearly a week on the Canadian prairie on "battle readiness" training, sleeping rough, eating army rations and having a chance to really get to know and understand some of the soldiers. More importantly, we also learnt from the troops about some of the successes and failures of their equipment.

It is not all "playing soldiers" though. One army Colonel made especially sure that we saw the conditions his families and troops had to live in and another took great pains to ensure that I understood what was involved in the softer side of "peace keeping" in Kosovo.

We are issued with uniforms. This is not so that MPs can play out their fantasies. It is so that barriers are broken down and we can relate more easily to those around us. When we are alongside troops on maneuvers the last thing they need is a booted, suited individual requiring special attention. Donning the "Combat 95s" means that we can muck in with the rest of them!

As a result of the placement I feel I have a much more realistic view of our armed forces and I also raised a number of concerns, behind the scenes, with Ministers. There are some issues that I have retained a quiet interest in.

Yes, there may be concerns about the transparency of the funding and I hope that these will be addressed but that doesn't make it a bad scheme and I fervently believe that politicians of all parties have gained a greater understanding of our defence system and that our armed forces are actually better off as a result of the collective increased wisdom.

Published with kind permission of the Daily Echo