'While I respect members of our armed forces, I have nothing but contempt for the government'

I have nothing but the deepest respect for the men and women of our Armed services and their families’ who have to give so much too, in defence of our country and nothing but contempt for the government sponsoring the hounding of our veterans from Blair’s neo colonial left-wing wars to Northern Ireland.

Bad enough that ex-services make up the largest identifiable group as homeless and in prison due to mental health issues.

Last year some 87 veterans took their own lives and this year 22 that we know of.

£22m is allocated to mental health for the services (there is a 24 hour help line 0800 323 4444) it’s a fraction of the sum given to corrupt law firms and other scab pickers who seek to profit from chasing veterans and growing rich on the misery others.

Already the government has invested about £10m in SF/IRA law firms and god only knows how much in its own official witch hunt of those who stood in the front line of democracy, up held the rule of law as laid down by democratically accountable governments.

What is really offensive is the government agreeing with SF/IRA that we have to be held responsible.

We were at the time; at the expense of our own legal rights.

Soldiers would have their weapons confiscated, were isolated, given no legal support or advice and mercilessly interrogated.

Their officers were banned from helping and advising them.

When we finally started to get legal advice it was from lawyers in the army legal department whose role was to prosecute troops.

Of course there was the odd rotten apple and very quickly got rid of, bad behaviour simply wasn’t tolerated.

We stood between warring factions and had to save the communities from themselves as often as not! SF/IRA killed more people from the Nationalist Communities than the Crown Forces killed in the entire Troubles across the divide.

370 RUC officer died on duty, 30 prison Officers and some 1,500 troops.

7,500+ troops were injured, the figure for mental health issues arising from NI service is not recorded but NI has the highest rate of suicides in the country and research shows that a third of the population suffered from terrorist atrocities (500,000).

Using figures from other conflicts it’s reasonable to conclude 9000+ will have taken their own lives.

The idea there can be no “equivalence” between the services and the terrorist is in itself demeaning, in any war mistakes are made but we didn’t go out with murder in our hearts each day, we were there to keep the peace.

The terrorist have been put beyond the law, so why have we been deliberately left out of the peace process?

Why do we have to be held to account again and again and why have we been deigned our Human Rights under the UN Convention Criminals get more protection.

The statute of limitations is clear but not available for NI veterans who have been singled out for discrimination by their own government, who funds our persecution at the hands of our enemies, who are now beyond the Law due to Saint Blair’s illegal letters of absolution to those responsible for thousands of deaths.

£100m spent of Bloody Sunday inquiry where 17 rioters where killed in an exchange of gunfire and violence but where is the justice for the innocent of Black Friday 300+ injured and 30+ killed, the same in Birmingham and Omagh?

What about Manchester, Guilford, Woolwich, Enniskillen, Kingsmill and many other atrocities.

As the Hyde Park murderer walked free waving Blair’s letter; 200 of our own are now under reinvestigation.

I shall be at Hyde Park protesting on the 29th, not at some hypocritical show of support from an ungrateful, disrespectful, self-serving government which has willingly continued Blair’s betrayal.

If our MP has the audacity to show his face, demand an end to this national scandal and why he doesn’t support human rights for our veterans and why we have been left out of the peace process.

Beyond upset at this injustice and will be remembering those comrades who lost their lives and their families, because they did their duty.

Time our cowardly MPs did the same.

Anthony Brown-Hovelt

Wilton