SOCPA - a send-off for ex-sergeant major edwin linton
rikki | 03.07.2006 01:21 | Indymedia | Repression | London
edwin, brian, and little friends
supporters gather to give him a happy send-off
the first coins in his collection bucket
edwin has been a staunch supporter of brian haw's for many months now, sleeping over at the square and helping protect brian from harm. he has now decided to do his 'outreach' project, as he is concerned that people outside london are even more oblivious to the government assaults on our freedoms than those in the capital.
some children helped start his collection bucket which he hopes will help fund his work. brian gave a short emotional speech thanking edwin for his care and support, and then, banner in hand and kitbag on his back, he set off in the blazing sunshine, heading west out of the square.
he will be missed.
rikki
e-mail:
rikkiindymedia@googlemail.com
Comments
Hide the following 17 comments
more socpa news including a short film
03.07.2006 13:20
and here
rikki
He's a fake
04.07.2006 22:38
And am I the only one who finds the disappearing comments on this thread on the subject of this mans deception deeply ironic on a website that claims to fight censorship ?
Phil
a quick search reveals that...
04.07.2006 22:45
This newswire is for NEWS not half-arsed denials by people without any proof - that isn't news
scroogle
He's still a fake
04.07.2006 23:25
Get in touch with the Scots Guard Association, ask them if he's ever been a RSM. Guess what they'll tell you ?
He may have been living his fantasy for a while but that doesn't add any credence to his claims. Has he produced his "Red Book", the document soldiers get on leaving recording their service ? Have any other ex-soldiers come along to support him ? - you'd expect that, especially for a RSM.
And finally, look at the state of his dress. No RSM in the British Army would be seen dead as scruffy as that.
Phil
Never mind the RSM..
05.07.2006 07:23
benny
Phil has a point!
05.07.2006 08:57
Paul
"looks more like a tramp than a guards RSM"
05.07.2006 09:09
Paul - Your comment stinks of a discriminatory viewpoint - which you'll find is one of the resons that an article or comment may get hidden.
fashion editor
Is he for real, if so he should be proud to prove it.
05.07.2006 09:57
There seems to be rising number of 'incidents' where individuals claim an attachment or connection with the armed forces, in order to further there selfish and deluded ideals. They are dubbed 'Walts' by those who have served, and rightly want to protect the reputation of 'ex-service personnel'. If he is a proud ex-member of the armed forces, he should be more than happy to prove that he served. If not, then please don't use his misguided 'claims' to further this site's political aims.
Despite this, i do in principal agree with the protest about the decline in freedom of speech and the curb on civil liberties in Blairs Britain.
Milkybar Kid
Indymedia and the armed forces
05.07.2006 10:43
I say that the Milkybar Kid isn't the Milkybar Kid at all. By his reasoning he now needs to prove that he is. Otherwise his comment should be hidden.
Armed Forces Editor
Armed Foerces Editor
05.07.2006 11:35
Research is everything so next time you publish drivel make sure it is authentic drivel.
Jim
Wear hoddin grey, an' a' that?
05.07.2006 21:49
This anectdote is old and threadbare, but when I'd been leafletting the army event some RSM caught me and noticed I'd been skipping the posh cars and so bellowed at me 'YOU! HERE! NOW!' I duly trotted over, expecting a kicking, and he briefly looked at my leaflets and said 'YOU'VE MISSED HALF THE CARS - WHAT IS THE POINT OF HALF-DOING A JOB. GET BACK TO IT AND DO IT PROPERLY'
My point is peace-activists are a lazy, unfit bunch and if the military are expecting us to stop these senseless wars, then they'll be waiting a long time and a lot of soldiers will die senseless deaths. Now if you had some honour, and some respect for the weekly casualties, you be joining us and helping bring the troops home now rather than sniping at those who do.
Danny
SAS hero McNab: "talk to a Big Issue seller theres a good chance he's ex-forces"
05.07.2006 23:55
This is some of what he had to say:
"The Borrowers"
The fact is, our troops are inadequately equipped. They always have been. I've been in Operations where I had to steal grenades from American forces because we simply didn't have any. Maybe that's the reason why the British army is known as 'The Borrowers.'
(he also juxtaposed this appalling state of affairs and lack of priorities with the relative ease with which we can seem to find £20 billion for Trident, a weapons system that we can live without. Soldiers can't live without proper equipment.)
"No-one there to listen"
There are young men, some of them in their twenties, who have suffered both mentally and physically in operations from Northern Ireland to the Balkans and Iraq.
Friends of mine have committed suicide. There simply was no-one there to listen or assist them after the wars they'd fought in.
Very soon, we'll see others needing our help and support when they return from Afghanistan. Other countries respect and look after its soldiers. We don't.
If you talk to a Big Issue seller, there's a good chance he's ex-forces. I don't know of another country that would allow that to happen.
There are young men, some of them in their twenties, who have suffered both mentally and physically in operations from Northern Ireland to the Balkans and Iraq.
Yehudi
What's all this about homeless people?
06.07.2006 20:45
_Harrifer_
In reply
06.07.2006 22:09
In reply, yes it is a widely known fact that a large percentage of the homeless population is made up of ex-members of the armed forces, and that this is a scandal. Men and women who serve and protect their country are left to deal with their problems (both mental and physical). As for serving soldiers' concern for homeless ex-colleagues, they would rather not join people like Brian Haw, as whilst making a small impact on the atmosphere around parliment, he and his associates have done nothing to help ex-soldiers. Instead they would prefer to take a course of action that is highly effective, the most popular being donating to the numerous ex-service personell charities, such as the RBL, Erskine and SSAFA who do sterling work with the small resources they can muster. This would be a far better way of suporting them, and in doing so help reduce the number of homeless people.
Yehudi-
The Uk armed forces have always had to put up with shortages in material and equipment, regardless of the colour of party in charge at no10. In our country that values social stability and security over defence, it's only to be expected. It's disingenuine to compare us to the Yanks. Their culture of millitary spending is SO different to ours. They rely on the military-industrial complex to support their economy (which is not weighed down by a welfare state). We do not, and as such cannot afford to spend along similar levels. In relation to the young men and women you mention, please refer to the paragraph above. Whilst the MOD and the govt do and are taking an almost laxidasical approach to the mental and physical well-being of our troops, there are groups working courageously to help them.
Harrifer-
You miss the point by a country mile mate! The man may leave the army, but the army never leaves the man. 17yrs of service in the Army molds someone so successfully that they do NOT give up their patterns. Continuing the structure and routine of Army life is s part of the coping mechanism that helps people deal with leaving.
Milkybar Kid
Homlessness
07.07.2006 02:00
(scroll down to the text highlighted in yellow and blue)
Ben
Something definitely doesn't add up here . . . .
07.07.2006 15:55
Mr. Linton is not only an ex RSM of the Scots Guards, but a Gulf War veteran to boot. Now I would never claim to be particularly good at maths, but from the dates supplied by Mr Linton in other articles, he was discharged from the forces at some point in late 1975 / early 1976 after 17 years service. It is somewhat unlikely that he took part in the Gulf War some 15 years after the Army dispensed with his services. Indeed, even had he stayed on and completed his 22 years colour service he would have left in 1982.
I have to say that 17 years service seems a very short period of time in which to reach the appointment of RSM, one imagines that he must have been some sort of wunderkind. It hardly seems likely that an alcoholic could have achieved such a feat, even one as apparently functional as Mr. Linton.
Finally, I have it on good authority that the Scots Guards Association have never heard of the gentleman, and one would certainly expect them to remember such an important personage as an RSM.
Flipper T Rox
No, the dates certainly don't add up.
08.07.2006 00:57
As for any government or associate body revealing or confirming that someone was, wasn't or is in the armed forces, I doubt very much whether that is a practice that does go on, should go on or be encouraged or condoned. Not in the public domain.
The security implications for the soldier or former soldier concerned are obvious. Publicly revealing that you were formally employed within the military should be a matter for the individual themselves to decide. Not for treacherous and insidious back channel sources and briefings to either confirm or deny.
Assuming for a moment that it is true that the Scots Guards Association have records of everyone who has ever served in the Scots Guards, and that they have checked those records as you seem to be inferring, why exactly did they feel permitted or authorised to do that? Has Mr Linton made such a request? Haven't the Scots Guards ever heard of a little thing called the Data Protection Act?
Soldiers who have served their country are entitled to confidentiality throughout their careers and long after they've left the service. The fact that they're engaged in anti-war activities post-military that might be seen as embarassing by the government does not justify attempting to besmirch their character, integrity and honesty.
Lawrence Livermore