IN THE WORKPLACE


What do they Know?


by Ian Carr


For many, the machinations of the Westminster village may seem a world away. But, like it or not, the decisions made there affect us all. So, when Parliament is moulding our future, it would be nice to think that those expressing their views at least know what they are talking about. The Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme gives politicians a taste of miltary life.


Y 38


et for the more active among us, leaving such things to chance is not an option. Which is why, 24


years ago, philanthropist Sir Neil Thorne founded the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS). “When I entered the House, there were very few Members of Parliament with direct military experience and there are even fewer today, which was having a serious effect on the quality of our debates on defence issues.”


One problem facing MPs who want to learn about what makes the military mind tick is getting access to troops at a working level. When they do have contact with the Armed Forces, for example, as a member of a select committee, the opportunities for MPs to get a


Envoy Autumn 2012


good understanding of what life is like for the troops are rare.


“I know from when I was a member of the House of Commons Defence Committee that the military tend to treat you as if you are at least a two-star officer,” said Sir Neil. “Well you won’t learn anything about what goes on at the coal face that way.”


So, from the outset, the idea behind the scheme was to give politicians from all the main parties a chance to get access at an appropriate level. Which means getting MPs into a uniform sweating alongside airmen, soldiers and sailors.”When I was setting it up, I told the Services I wanted the members to be crawling through the bushes with the Corporals, feeling the weight of the kit and the wet of the ditches,” said Sir Neil.


Over the last two decades the AFPS has expanded to include Members of the House of Lords, MEPs, and even the occasional flash of pinstripe can be seen.”I quite like to get high-fliers from the Treasury who might one day be standing next to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and who can ask ‘is that wise Chancellor?’ when he is considering cuts to the Defence Budget,” said Sir Neil.


Each year a two-day introduction to Defence is held at the Defence Academy at Shrivenham where MPs get to experience the nuts and bolts of military life. They learn about the role of the military in a democracy, the strategic context for defence, and how forces are generated to achieve military strategic objectives.


www.raf-ff.org.uk


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