The Ghurkas

The Ghurkas are ferocious, loyal, honest, dependable and terrific soldiers from Nepal who have been fighting for Britain, as part of the army, since the early nineteenth century . They are feared by Britain's enemies and long admired by the British people. When push comes to shove they are amongst the first soldiers sent to the most difficult battles. Right now they are fighting alongside the rest of our men in the most difficult engagements in Afghanistan. Their battle standards have flown around the world and they have never let us down.

It is therefore sickening that the Ghurkas are now having to march in protest against the British government. Some of these magnificent men even returned their medals. They have no alternative because the government will not allow any of these men to live in Britain if they served its army before 1997. That's when Britain decided to base the Ghurkas in the UK rather than Hong Kong, where they had been stationed long term. They were also given a pension at about one quarter the rate of their British born fellow soldiers. The government's rationale was that the pension was based on where they were from, in Nepal, rather than in the UK. 

This has admittedly stopped for the Ghurkas who have been in the army over the last 10 years but the government still will not change these regulations for those who served before 1997. I am not very interested in the rationale of the government, and I think no one else is either. The should pay these people at the same rate of pension as anyone else who served us. 

The total cost for this would be something in the region of £200 million. We're a very rich country, with one of the biggest economies in the world, we can afford it, and its morally right to do it. 

Allowing these magnificent soldiers to live in the country they served shouldn't even be a question. We allow all the other soldiers who are born overseas, and serve in our army, to live in the UK after they serve. The Ghurkas have to be given equal right to settle in the UK under the same terms immediately. 

The total number of men who might take up this right to live in the UK would be about 7,000. Whereas the UK is currently allowing about this number of legal, economic immigrants into the country every 12 days. No one quite knows how many illegal immigrants are also sneaking across our porous borders in addition.

Why are we treating these decent, honorable men worse? Let them in, and pay them properly, now.