G4S: Catastrophic corporate failure..

[free spirit]

provide evidence for this. otherswise it's "bollocks".

not really how it works, but...

More than 1,000 soldiers stationed in Germany who got back from Afghanistan in April will be sent to the UK to help bolster the Olympic security operation, the Guardian can reveal.
The Ministry of Defence has told 1,200 men and women from 20th Armoured Brigade, known as the Iron Fist, that they will be needed because the security firm G4S will not be able to provide enough guards at the venues.
20th Armoured Brigade, which is based in Paderborn, northern Germany, returned from Afghanistan in the spring, where it was the lead formation for British troops in Helmand province.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/12/olympic-security-troops-back-afghanistan?newsfeed=true

One serving military officer said: ‘A lot of soldiers have had to cancel well-earned holidays with their loved ones to help dig Theresa May and the Olympics organisers out of this fiasco​

​

Read more:​

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2172821/Afghan-heroes-drafted-guard-Olympics-forced-sleep-derelict-buildings.html#ixzz21CcOdFwa​

Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a former Army officer, said his old battalion had been ordered to provide security for Olympic tennis. He protested: “They’re literally just back from Afghanistan.​

“Last week they were warned many of them were being made redundant from troops cuts, now they’re being told their leave is going to be cancelled. Very bitter pills to swallow.”​

Retired colonel Richard Kemp, a former UK commander in Afghanistan, added: “They are soldiers who I imagine are getting ready to go on leave with their families ... and this will hit them very hard indeed.”​

http://www.standard.co.uk/olympics/...-forced-into-games-security-role-7938182.html

RAGING Scots soldiers last night told how morale had hit rock bottom after their summer break was being cancelled and replaced by Olympic guard duty.​

Crack troops from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were already reeling at the regiment being downgraded to ceremonial duties in last week’s Government defence cuts.​

Then they were paraded at their barracks and told leave had been cancelled as they were needed to make up the shortfall in security staff for the London games.​

A source said: “You’ve got guys who were planning to go abroad, either with pals or families. There’s even folk getting married who may have to cancel honeymoons or switch them to the UK.”​

The Argylls, also known as 5 Scots, have been hamstrung in getting leave as they are one of the key battalions in the Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade.​

Since returning from Afghanistan the Argylls have been on standby because of the brigade’s rapid deployment role.​

 

[thriller]

fair enuff.

 

[equationgirl]

And these troops - who've earnt a decent break with their families - aren't even getting decent accommodation for digging G4S out of the shut. They're camping on wasteground or in empty warehouses, according to the article in the Standard. If that is true I am incandescent with rage. I am very very angry.

These troops are facing redundancy and have come back from fighting a war the government (or the previous one) chose for them. It's one thing having to camp when deployed, but in their home country? Are there no barracks or bases with spaces in the London area that could accommodate them?

This is no way to treat out heros. No way at all. Shame on the government.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

had their leave cancelled at the last minute so they all lose their family holidays etc in order to do basic stewarding work at Olympic venues because G4S are too tight to pay proper wages

If anything this is likely to increase deaths of both UK soldiers and Afghan civilians

This

The way they're being treated is a complete disgrace, and the MOD had no business agreeing to this deployment IMO.

That

Apparently the MOD is going to cover the costs of holidays etc that have been cancelled, so there's another major cost that the taxpayer's probably going to end up paying, but this can't compensate the soldiers and their families for their lost time with their families. Still, I guess the government see this as a win win situation as it'll lead to more of them wanting to take voluntary redundancy...

And dat.


Cunts, cunts, cunts x 1000

G4S, Tory fuckheads, politicos in general

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

And these troops - who've earnt a decent break with their families - aren't even getting decent accommodation for digging G4S out of the shut. They're camping on wasteground or in empty warehouses, according to the article in the Standard. If that is true I am incandescent with rage. I am very very angry.

These troops are facing redundancy and have come back from fighting a war the government (or the previous one) chose for them. It's one thing having to camp when deployed, but in their home country? Are there no barracks or bases with spaces in the London area that could accommodate them?

This is no way to treat out heros. No way at all. Shame on the government.

Exactly. These are normal blokes and women, who've gone and done a fucking tough job cos Blair, then Brown, the Cameron were all too weak and stupid to be able to come up with anything more imaginative than, "Send the troops in", and now they've had their precious time with their families tossed aside cos Blair, Brown & Cameron thought the private sector would help out with their silly sports day, and when that went wrong, as the private sector inevitably does when doing what the public sector should be doing, their imagination stretches as far as "Send the troops in".

FFS, who are these twats running our country? Why are they so fucking stupid? They are a political class. They've had the most expensive education money can buy, primed from the off to be politicos. So why are the so fucking bad at it?

 

[free spirit]

So why are the so fucking bad at it?

because they've never had to do anything resembling a proper job in the real world prior to entering politics, and believe that just having completed the PPE course at Oxbridge teaches them all that they could possibly need to know to do the job.

IMO PPE is akin to general studies at A level. Universities used to exclude general studies results from their offers to students, yet we allow general studies graduates to run the entire country, and be at the top of all 3 main parties. They basically learn enough to bluff their way through and make it sound plausible, but not enough to actually know what they're doing as far as I can see.

 

[Quartz]

Let's put the conspiraloon hat on...

Suppose the government had intelligence (first problem right there!) that something was planned for the Olympics? What better way of having troops ready on the ground would there be than having G4S completely cock things up?

 

[two sheds]

Errm, get the troops out in the first place and give them all a couple of hundred bonus from the money they've pissed up the wall to G4S and *still* save the odd few millions?

 

[xenon]

Let's put the conspiraloon hat on...

Suppose the government had intelligence (first problem right there!) that something was planned for the Olympics? What better way of having troops ready on the ground would there be than having G4S completely cock things up?

Rule 1. Never attribute to conspiracy, that which can more easily be explained by cockup.

 

[xenon]

What lead to the cockup though, seems to be G4S intent to pay the bare minimum and treat their staff like slaves. This isn't a sustainable model. The more publically it fucks up the better. The politicians are perfectly well aware of this but they're all hitched to the same waggon.

 

[free spirit]

the government should do what I did at one festival when the other stewards team we were working with ballsed up and lost half their stewards... make all the directors and top level management of G4S pull 12 hour night shifts on the shittiest stewarding location they can find for the duration of the olympics.

That way they'd at least understand the shitness of the situation they've landed the soldiers with, have time to reflect on their massive corporate failure, and maybe reconsider the wages they were offering.

the old boy network will of course never allow such a thing to happen as the ruling class can't be seen to be doing jobs that should be done by the oiks (as they see it). Fuck them, I hope to see them all strung up in my lifetime the snivelling incompetent twats.

 

[silverfish]

I'm utterly astounded that G4S didn't throw everything they had into this job.

FFS its the most visible project on the planet. Coca-cola et al are paying billions for this sort of global coverage. All G4s had to do was turn up and do the job adequately and suck in the millions of quids worth of free promotion kudos and the inevitable future contracts it would bring in

Who thought maximising the profit to the point where they couldn't man the thing needs fucking stringing up

As for the forces, they take what ever shit is rolled at them, despite them dripping like fuck
The group ethos (Can do) and pride of doing a job properly to completion whatever the conditions is what they do.
Men and women who volunteer to exhume mass graves or burn shit pits for a tenner aday extra or put their hands up en-mass to strap themselves to the outside of attack helicopters to fly back into enemy territory to rescue one of their colleagues. They'll piss the Olympics job

note, post contained no cringing references to h+++es

having said that glastonbury used a bunch of royal marines and matelots once and the didn't turn up, got pissed on booze stolen off some performers, and trashed stuff

 

[free spirit]

They'll piss the Olympics job

true enough. I reckon they'll also love showing up the incompetence of the private sector.

Can't say a bad word about the work ethic of any of the ex forces I've worked with, they'll invariably take whatever shit is coming and still come back with a wry smile and ask if there's anything else even at the end of a night shift in the pissing down rain.

note, post contained no cringing references to h+++es

what now?

 

[ddraig]

ero

 

[harpo]

I'm utterly astounded that G4S didn't throw everything they had into this job.

FFS its the most visible project on the planet. Coca-cola et al are paying billions for this sort of global coverage. All G4s had to do was turn up and do the job adequately and suck in the millions of quids worth of free promotion kudos and the inevitable future contracts it would bring in

Who thought maximising the profit to the point where they couldn't man the thing needs fucking stringing up

As for the forces, they take what ever shit is rolled at them, despite them dripping like fuck
The group ethos (Can do) and pride of doing a job properly to completion whatever the conditions is what they do.
Men and women who volunteer to exhume mass graves or burn shit pits for a tenner aday extra or put their hands up en-mass to strap themselves to the outside of attack helicopters to fly back into enemy territory to rescue one of their colleagues. They'll piss the Olympics job

note, post contained no cringing references to h+++es

having said that glastonbury used a bunch of royal marines and matelots once and the didn't turn up, got pissed on booze stolen off some performers, and trashed stuff

The 'Private Sector' (cos they're not really, are they?) is used to fucking up contracts and still getting paid. They've been doing it in various other public sector functions for years. Look at A4E, eg. They're still clinging on to contracts despite years of failure.

This is just what the likes of G4S does.

 

[free spirit]

ero

ah right.

I was thinking 'erp' for some reason....

 

[ddraig]

 

[ViolentPanda]

provide evidence for this. otherswise it's "bollocks".

It's always amusing when you show yourself up for a cunt.

 

[Jon-of-arc]

The missing fourth verse...

You love your job and you can hurt people too​

Minimum wage is too good for you​

You act like police, but ev'ryone knows your fake​

You took their entrance test but made too many mistakes​

Because school was too hard, and there you got attacked​

We'll give you a job which means you won't need to go back​

So get out front and take the lead​

pushing this crim down the stairs, oh their so slip-per-ry!​

G4S! protecting the world
G4S! so dreams can unfurl​

 

[ViolentPanda]

And these troops - who've earnt a decent break with their families - aren't even getting decent accommodation for digging G4S out of the shut. They're camping on wasteground or in empty warehouses, according to the article in the Standard. If that is true I am incandescent with rage. I am very very angry.

These troops are facing redundancy and have come back from fighting a war the government (or the previous one) chose for them. It's one thing having to camp when deployed, but in their home country? Are there no barracks or bases with spaces in the London area that could accommodate them?

Nope. New Labour and the coalition have been selling the land off, where they can.

This is no way to treat out heros. No way at all. Shame on the government.

They're not heroes, they're soldiers, and it's no way to treat soldiers, even though they'll swallow it, like all the other shit.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Exactly. These are normal blokes and women, who've gone and done a fucking tough job cos Blair, then Brown, the Cameron were all too weak and stupid to be able to come up with anything more imaginative than, "Send the troops in", and now they've had their precious time with their families tossed aside cos Blair, Brown & Cameron thought the private sector would help out with their silly sports day, and when that went wrong, as the private sector inevitably does when doing what the public sector should be doing, their imagination stretches as far as "Send the troops in".

Read Kipling's "Tommy". It's always been the same. The poem resonated massively when he wrote it, because it reflected the experience of "other ranks" life so well.

FFS, who are these twats running our country? Why are they so fucking stupid? They are a political class. They've had the most expensive education money can buy, primed from the off to be politicos. So why are the so fucking bad at it?

Because they've no experience of what we'd call "real life", which if you're going to even pretend to govern for everyone, is essential. These jokers though, they're so ill-prepared that they only occasionally attempt to pretend to govern for all, and pretty barefacedly govern just for their own. They're not stupid, they're ignorant, avaricious and class-prejudiced.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Let's put the conspiraloon hat on...

Suppose the government had intelligence (first problem right there!) that something was planned for the Olympics? What better way of having troops ready on the ground would there be than having G4S completely cock things up?

Unless what's planned is a massed infantry assault on Olympics locations, there'd be no reason to deploy standing units.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Errm, get the troops out in the first place and give them all a couple of hundred bonus from the money they've pissed up the wall to G4S and *still* save the odd few millions?

Wanker senior civil servants at the MoD tried to knock the idea of paying troops corraled into the Olympics a bounty on the head, the self-satisfied Whitehall cunts.

 

[savoloysam]

They're not heroes, they're soldiers, and it's no way to treat soldiers, even though they'll swallow it, like all the other shit.

Like the MET oinks they are hired thugs paid to do the government's dirty work for them and that's what they will do.

 

[ViolentPanda]

ah right.

I was thinking 'erp' for some reason....

Bad personal experience?

 

[ViolentPanda]

Like the MET oinks they are hired thugs paid to do the government's dirty work for them and that's what they will do.

That's right, Sam, all soldiers and former soldiers are/were hired thugs.
I don't like being compared to the Met, though. It's kind of like calling an honest villain a nark. Soldiers don't police civilians except on military property, and they certainly don't beat people up (except matelots) purely based on what they look like.

 

[free spirit]

Bad personal experience?

never been that intimate with any member of the forces

 

[free spirit]

Wanker senior civil servants at the MoD tried to knock the idea of paying troops corraled into the Olympics a bounty on the head, the self-satisfied Whitehall cunts.

while they're down there, perhaps the troops should pay the twats a visit


actually, I was thinking that this must be one of the biggest deploiyments of troops into the capital for a looong time. In most countries leaders who're in the middle of slashing the army would think twice about ordering the deployment of this many of those troops into the capital just weeks or months before many of them are going to be picking up their P45s.

 

[ViolentPanda]

while they're down there, perhaps the troops should pay the twats a visit


actually, I was thinking that this must be one of the biggest deploiyments of troops into the capital for a looong time. In most countries leaders who're in the middle of slashing the army would think twice about ordering the deployment of this many of those troops into the capital just weeks or months before many of them are going to be picking up their P45s.

You'd think so, wouldn't you?
MoD has always had the self-awareness of a shit-covered breeze-block, though, and that seems to infect any pol that gets the ministry. Add that to the Old-Etonian officer-class wankshafts in government, and you can see how that isn't going to contribute anything in the self-awareness stakes, either!
I do hope they dole out live ammo to the troops, I really do!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I saw two blokes in camo with little pink "Olympics 2012" badges on the left upper arms at Euston just now. (Not doing anything, just sitting around the food court, apparently in transit.)