Copy of letter sent today to Denis

Dear Mr Brennan,

I emailed you on the 12th May (copy enclosed) I am still awaiting a reply, why?

Now am I being ignored or are you afraid to talk to me? Or is it that someone in Whitehall is afraid of the truth.

Please talk to us, we are not going away, email me with your phone number and I’ll phone you or just get the Prime Minister to do what Her Majesty requested.

Copy of emails to Chris Edge & Richard Coney. This will make their weekend and look forward to Monday

Good Morning to you Both,

It looks like its going to be a wet weekend so I’ll be able to find time to write some letters to my political representatives, now I hope these letters do not end up on your desk but you know the system better than I.

I’ll try and keep it to one question per letter perhaps this way the Minister will answer the letter him/her self?

One day this question of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia award being worn will be rectified and quicker the better for all concerned.

So with respect, perhaps you two could ask your superiors to correct the errors of the Honours Committee.
I’m sure you would all like a way out of this impasse.

How about an announcement on Her Majesties official Birthday that would do it and only us three, would know about it. That way the powers to be do not loose face and we get to wear the PJM. Every one’s a winner.

Paul,

As I have explained before, the Ministers will only rarely respond themselves, in their own words. They simply have not the time to deal with the hundreds or thousands of letters and e-mails they receive every week. That’s why they have officials in specialist branches. They will almost always seek advice from their officials. Depending of course on the specific question(s) you ask, if it’s about the PJM, the answer you will get from a Defence Minister or the Secretary of State will come from my branch and will be most likely be drafted by me. Unless you write through your constituency MP who is entitled to receive a reply from the appropriate Government Minister when he writes on behalf of a constituent, it will probably be transferred direct to my branch by the Department’s Parliamentary Branch for “Treat Official” action, (in other words another letter drafted by and signed by me). That’s the way democratic Government works.

You know what I’ll say. The HD Committee is organised by the Cabinet Office and only Mr Brennan, the Secretary of the Committee, can arrange for the matter to be reconsidered by the Committee, if directed to do so by the Cabinet Secretary, the Chairman of the HD Committee, if it appears that more work has to be done. This seems unlikely.

Sorry.

Richard Coney

Quote:

That’s the way democratic Government works.

\

I have confidence in the accuracy of Mr Coney's description of the current process, clearly designed to reduce to a minimum any contact between Ministers and the poor saps who are occasionally asked to re-elect them (and that's the only input they wish you to have!!)...but, while it certainly provides an expedient method of 'governing', it seems a bit of a stretch to dignify it by the use of the term 'democratic'....one wonders if 'the suits' are, in any meaningful way, aware of the old adage, "Justice delayed is justice denied"?


_________________
...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

Answer to my emails from Chris Edge FCO

Paul
Thanks for this and your other recent e-mails. You will have seen Richard Coney's e-mail to you this morning. It is pretty much the same system in the FCO. I know that you have recently written to your MP, Geoffrey Robinson, and he should receive a Ministerial reply in due course. I am sure he will pass on information to you. I am not aware of any plans for the HD Committee to further consider the PJM. If this changes I will let you know

On your e-mail relating to the citation for the PJM, asking for my interpretation of it. Personally, I read it as the Malaysian authorities awarding the PJM to those servicemen and others who served in Malaya/Malaysia during the emergency/confrontation to, as the Malaysians put it, "uphold.........the Malaya/Malaysia sovereignty".

Chris

Dear Richard Coney has told us quite a lot and I do not know if he is waffling or genuine but I suspect the latter.

He says in his reply to Paul

The HD Committee is organised by the Cabinet Office.
Mr. Brennan, the Secretary of the Committee, can arrange for the matter to be reconsidered by the committee.
If directed to do so by the Cabinet Secretary, the Chairman of the HD Committee, if it appears that more work has to be done.

The Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office is at the centre of Government, making the Government (wait for it) work for the better.

It is also stated that the Cabinet Office welcomes a new ministerial team following last week's reshuffle. Minister for the Cabinet Office is Hilary Armstrong, along with Hazel Blears who takes over the roll of Minister without porfolio.

Two new Parliamentary Secretaries are Pat McFadden and Ed Miliband.

CABINET SECRETARY AND HEAD OF THE CABINET OFFICE is Gus O'Donnell.

PS. that man Sir Richard Mottram who previously used expletives to sum up his position is the person in charge of Security and Intelligence.

So, perhaps we should be concentrating on the above, especially Gus O'Donnell, The Cabinet Secretary who has the power it seems to change things.

I'd like to add my name to any petition or mailshot activity. This on the basis of a fortnight in the Tawau guardship and a night in a boat on the Johore Strait cradling a Sten in my shaking arms. RJHG.

RJHG

Welcome to the forum, we have quite a parade now, thank you for your support, keep checking in for regular updates

John

HI,
Count me in, EDDIE SMITH, DUMBARTON

Well done Eddie and welcome to the forum............

Nearly 5400 views on this topic and loads of comments, can anyone add any suitable (clean please) suggestions on how we can protest more.


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HD Committee: Amateurs in a Professional World
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Yeah, count me in as well. What do we need to do?
Cheers
Martin (Scouse) Ratia, 208 Sigs 62-65 now retired in Vietnam but happy to do whatever I can for the cause via email.

Good to have you with us 'Scouse'.

...as for what we need to do now?.....Well, permit me to respectfully suggest that a nice polite 'snail mail' letter from Vietnam to Mrs Beckett, asking her to consider 'gingering up' the HD committee a bit, might not go amiss?

It would also further serve to underline the truly international dimensions of this fight!

Rt. Hon. Margaret Beckett MP,
The Foreign Secretary,
FCO, King Charles Street,
London SW1A 2AH
England. UK.


_________________
...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

No worries Jock, consider it done. I'm also working through the list of media and MPs for emails. Cheers, Scouse

You can count me in.