Harry Windsor

[Whig]

Typical of republican ignorance on any British topic. The guy's name is not Harry Windsor. His birth name is Harry Mountbatten-Windsor. His name in the army is Harry Wales. He is not and never has been Harry Windsor.

Look, I know a little more than most on nobility styling but one is hardly an ignoramus for not getting this right. And it's not the furthest from his name, it's what many would presume his name is.

[Catalpa]

The General's statement does not quite say he is not going to Iraq - or does it?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2081082,00.html

[badinage]

Wrong decision by the Brits - pretty well an admission of defeat that they cannot even protect one man in Iraq if the insurgents are after him.

It would have been better to send him, keep him on the Staff in HQ behind the barracks wall and send him home after a couple of months - that way they would have saved face instead of losing plenty.

It depends which way you look at it. From the point of view of the military itself, as disappointed as they might be for Harry personally, they don't want an increase on attacks on British bases and British armoured vehicles if that can be avoided simply by not sending one individual junior officer. Not sending Harry may actually save a life or two, or certainly several limbs.

From the political point of view, and the monarchy's point of view, its a bad decision, as it leads to people making the kind of moronic comments made on the BBC webpage on this story: e.g. 'why should my grandson have to go and risk his life if Harry isn't going', 'why should the Queen be allowed to take her family members out of the front line' etc. The fact that the monarchy supported Harry's request to go, and that presumably a non-famous soldier would be kept behind from Iraq or Northern Ireland, etc, if the kind of specific threats made against Harry were made against him/her seems to be lost on such people

[Shankill Browser]

The fact that the monarchy supported Harry's request to go, and that presumably a non-famous soldier would be kept behind from Iraq or Northern Ireland, etc, if the kind of specific threats made against Harry were made against him/her seems to be lost on such people

Absolutely true. It is British Military policy not to send any individual who has been specifically targetted to the area where the threat eminates from. It's a policy of ... We will face the threat collectively and not allow any individual to face it singly.

[ephenry]

why endanger the troops in his unit further all for the sake of some jingoistic power trip?

[Catalpa]

Seems Harry has been sent to Canada to hone up on his miltary skills before being dispatched to Afghanistan - though why the Afghanis would be any less interested in sending young Harry to Paradise ASAP than their comrades in arms in Iraq is anyone's guess!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/s ... 75,00.html

[Conuil]

Typical of republican ignorance on any British topic. The guy's name is not Harry Windsor. His birth name is Harry Mountbatten-Windsor. His name in the army is Harry Wales. He is not and never has been Harry Windsor.

The person called Harry Wales, Windsor or Mountbatten - should just be called;

HARRY NO BALLS

[beardyboy]

And now, what was the question to begin with??? Do we beleive that harry winsor is going to serve in a war zone? No Way, its a PR stunt.

It is not a PR stunt. The guy is in the army. He insisted that he would like everyone else go to Iraq, rather than he left behind. The army faces the problem of how to square Wales's wish to be treated as an ordinary soldier, with the fact that he is more of a target than anyone else because of how he is. They would probably prefer he go no-where near Iraq at all. But he, to give him his credit, insists that he be treated no differently to anyone else. In reality that is not an option, so the army will use him in a way that benefits them, but also helps to ensure that his profile will not make him a greater target because of who he is.

Your response is pure brit-bashing. And again I ask the question: what the ************************ has any of this got to do with Irish politics :

His mammies army are occupying Ireland - about 9000 of them I beleive - can someone check this figure?