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In my experience we Brits have a great respect for all our armed forces, however we tend to backlash at anything we feel forced into thinking, such as the unflinching reverence we are told we should feel. These current wars have been going on long enough now that no soldier (barring a full 23 yearer) can claim they were forced to go to the middle east, they knew what they were signing up for. We also hear about some of things our soldiers have gotten up to with prisoners and it's unjustifiable, and people have had to deal with thick, meat head, idiot squaddies throwing their weight around in our town centres, both of these are an infinitesimally small minority, but a bad apple spoils the bunch. I think instead of worrying about what the general populous thinks we should be dealing with the massive amounts of ptsd, alcoholism, homelessness and other issues that haunt those that have served their country.

ShumaGorath wrote:
Interesting how their voting habits didn't change until some jobs were on the line though. It's easy to externalize the ideas of war while feigning outrage and continuing on your merry way. It's much harder to actually act in a fashion that is representative of the ideals you have. Well. Unless you're refusing to sell some dude in uniform a hot dog. Small meaningless battles are easier than reforming a countries policies by voting outside of your party.

Peoples voting habits did change, how else do you explain the rise of the Liberal Democrats? Since the early 2000's they became a valid choice rather than a "wasted vote." This wasn't down to better leadership, Paddy Ashdown was a great leader and people never took him seriously. Not to mention the Greens, and the Respect party (whose whole raison d'etre is a protest against war), they have both had some pretty important victories over the last few years. Bear in mind best estimates for those that marched against war was about 2 million across the country, out of a population of 60 million. Of course since proof emerged that the evidence was false a lot more people have voiced their discontent.

The tactics employed in recent wars have not helped, there was a time when we Brits concentrated on Hearts and Minds policies, which if employed in the current wars would have ingratiated us into their society and we would have had a much better chance of singling out extremists. Instead we have killed over 100,000 civilians in Iraq, and over 20,000 in Afghanistan. We send our own citizens to Guantanamo even though when they were supposed to have been at a terrorist training camp, they were actually working part time in a branch of Currys in Wolverhampton. We were the ones who gave power to those we disposed, we trained, armed and supported the Mujahadeen and Taliban in their war against the Russians, and the CIA engineered the coup that put Saddam and the Ba'ath party in. The fact is we are in a couple of badly managed, unnecessary wars, where the only benefactors are a few industrialists. Everyone of sound mind should oppose these wars, but should support those who have served, and that support should be more than just a 'hip hip hooray', it should be dealing with the 250,000 ex servicemen who are living on the streets, and the massive problems with ptsd (more Falklands vets have committed suicide than died in the war).

You then have idiot soldiers such as this - http://edlnews.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/latest-news/503-scot-mchugh-the-racist-british-soldier which does nothing to help the situation.

Now these scum are not the majority, but if I heard someone, in uniform or not, talking in such terms I would not only not serve them, I would report them for it, as should anyone who claims to be anti-facist. I think I speak for the majority when I say that I have a great admiration for those that serve this country, but unfortunately there are a small number of small minded idiots in all walks of life, and they often get heard just because they shout their crap louder.