Public Perception of the DF

[stephen]

[MOD: Split from "Glorified Cleaners in Uniform"]

To start with I'm a civilian taxpayer not a soldier. This is a fairly interesting thread. Why do the fulltime staff resent their part time staff so much? In all the jobs I've had, part time staff were always looked on as equals.

Having lived in plymouth for many years, I'm used to seeing the Royal marines train, I know what a professional soldier looks like and the Irish army doesn't even come close. To be honest the British lads are total professionals, trained for real combat situations and go into real conflict zones regularly. The local population are incredibly proud of them, and rightly so. They are a credit to the uniform. The Irish lads are not, they have never been tested in a real full scale conflict.

In my job I happen to work with Irish soldiers. The truth is, they do absolutely nothing all day, except play cards, smoke fags, go home early and watch the television. Nearly all of them are unhealthy and overweight. As a taxpayer I would expect them to look smart lean and professional, not like they just rolled out of bed. A far cry from the marines in plymouth.

At least the part time lads are practically free, fair play to them. However I would scrap them and most of the army. It's not cost effective to keep them. Investing heavily in the naval service would be a better use of the defence forces budget. The navy provide a great service and could do with extra funding.

[Gasplug]

Stephen welcome to the board. I have one question regarding your post are you really stupid or a masochist?

[haribo]

The Irish lads are not, they have never been tested in a real full scale conflict

I wont go as far as to say you have opened a can a worms, maybe a tin of sardines, i suspect. i shall wait and see.

[thomashood10]

So what would be your opinon of the Irish Army Ranger Wing then stephen?

[HavocIRL]

Now all due respect to the wing, I'm sure they could kill me with a glance but any that I have had the fear of seeing did seem a bit on the overweight side.

I'm not saying they're unfit or anything, I'm sure they could run me into the ground without breaking a sweat. Just that all the Rangers I've seen did look a bit tubby.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi all
Stephen is partly right.The PDF doesn't always give the image of relentless professionalism that the BA/RAF/RN projects.The British Forces are a true global force and their professionalism is reflected to the public eye. The Irish Army seems to bask in the glory of it's UN achievements and very little else. There's no shortage of overweight timeservers in the PDF and you all know it.
regards
GttC

[Groundhog]

The Irish Army seems to bask in the glory of it's UN achievements and very little else. There's no shortage of overweight timeservers in the PDF and you all know it.
regards
GttC

As an overweight timeserver, I resent the implication that I'm basking in the glory of my UN achievements.

Let me take this opportunity to thank all you PAYE workers once more for paying my mortgage, feeding my family and keeping me in a level of comfort to which I have become accustomed for the last 20 years. Plus I can retire next November, aged 45 on a pension that you will have to finance until I die. God bless you all.

[hedgehog]

Balls of steel Stephen,

I dont smole I dont watch day time telly seldom get the chance to leave before 1700 and the last time I played cards I ended up naked in a room with an RAF female sgt who had the worlds squarest head


AS for Grassy- 8 brits out of tens of thousands kicked the shit out of them lads- we dont know what happened prior to that to cause such a beating


sure we in the PDF have problems, we are way way over committed. but we can and we do struggle to be the best soldiers we possibly can.

I dont think we live off the back of our UN glories, I think and most people who have been overseas will probably back me up,

we have been extremely lucky so far in that we have not had mass casualities

but with the sissification policy of the df as espoused by cuddly jim shreehan, we ARE at some stage going to have mass casulaities.

The RM are its true a most proffessional organisation and a credit to HM forces, just like the majority of squaddies.


I like to think we to as an organisation are a credit to our Country as well.

I suggest Stephen that the rest of your comments are just generalisation that have no real merit becuase you couldnt possibly speak for teh majority of Irish soldiers both Part time or full time

you raise some valid points- welcome to the board- I cant wait to introduce you to Jag

to finish I am a Soldier tax payer not a civilian

[Parts]

In my job I happen to work with Irish soldiers.

Where would this be, as a matter of interest?

[Grasshopper]

Balls of steel Stephen,


AS for Grassy- 8 brits out of tens of thousands kicked the shit out of them lads- we dont know what happened prior to that to cause such a beating

Agree but that still dosnt change the fact that there are people going to judge it considering its on sky news for everyone to see makes the british army look bad, Now the point im trying to make that there are lads in the army not just the Irish army that will make other solders look bad. Theres always going to be a soldier who just could not be bother but that doesnt mean that the hole of the irish army is like that.

{Mod edit: Learn how to use the quote button grassy}

[Viking]

There’s nothing in that video that hasn’t been seen on regular occasions in the North so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody that UK soldiers can be thugs.

Stephen is comparing chalk with cheese when he compares the UK Marines to the PDF. Firstly, the Marines are a small proportion of the UK Forces – less than 10,000 of a total of about 200,000. Compare the PDF to their equivalents in the Infantry, artillery or logistics and the PDF will compare very favourably.

I’ve seen plenty squaddies and they are nothing to be proud of. In the main, they are ill- educated, not particularly bright and have a naïve attitude to their profession.

I’ve also had the privilege, through an officer I know in the UK Army, to visit some establishments (RLC and RA) over there. From my experience, plenty garrison soldiers in the UK could also be accused that “they do absolutely nothing all day, except play cards, smoke fags, go home early and watch the television”

Laziness is not something that we can deny happens. Try getting a soldier after lunchtime on a Friday and see what I mean. However, laziness is a problem across the board in the public service, not just the army, and its unfair to single out the PDF.

[Groundhog]

Yes this show the British soldiers in a professional manner. Trained to kick the head out of little kids!
Im sure the population is incredibly proud of them now.
Cop on!
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/armyvideo.shtml

I wouldn't put a lot of faith in the NOTW and remember that the Mirror got caught a while back with fake photos of atrocities. But I will say that the Irish army could not do worse than Bloody Sunday, Bravo 20 and the Welsh Guards at Fitzroy.

[Groundhog]

Why do the fulltime staff resent their part time staff so much? .

If you actually read these type of posts you'll be surprised to find it's the reservists who resent the PDF. For example if a member of the PDF referred to all RDF people as fat, useless, layabout bags of shite who are only in the organisation for beer, sex and a couple of weeks off work a year, he would quickly be banned. And rightly so. I think the same rule should apply to those RDF members who slag off the PDF but it won't happen since the board is owned by RDF members. In general members of the PDF do not slag off the RDF too seriously. There are of course exceptions to that rule. In fact we can go days without mentioning the RDF. Mostly we slag off each others football teams or our own officers.

To be honest the British lads are total professionals, trained for real combat situations and go into real conflict zones regularly. The local population are incredibly proud of them, and rightly so. They are a credit to the uniform. The Irish lads are not, they have never been tested in a real full scale conflict. .

Write to your TD and complain. The decision to go to war is not one that can be made by the DF.

Investing heavily in the naval service would be a better use of the defence forces budget. The navy provide a great service and could do with extra funding.

I knew this was a windup.

[Gasplug]

since the board is owned by RDF members.

Actually the owner of the site is in the Civil Defence, the mods are all Members of the rdf two are former members, maybe its about time they got a pdf mod.....

[rod and serpent]

I noticed Stephen has not replied, I think he is stirring the sh1t