Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:41 pm Post subject: BFPO is in peril, peeps......
Save BFPO petition
Armed Forces have been advised that the BFPO facilities in mainland Europe will be shut from September 2010. Personnel, and their families, deployed in Europe currently enjoy the same postal rates as the UK. Withdrawal of this long established tradition will further erode personnel's ability to communicate with their families in the UK and safe receipt of parcels etc through a secure network.
This is scandalous!
Though we all understand that defence cuts are to be made, this is an area which affects the families in particular. The BFPO system is the mechanism whereby post is received by our serving soldiers and their families abroad at a postal address recognised as being part of this country, no matter where in the world they are serving, even in war zones. Amongst other things this disenfranchises them if they are postal voters; some credit card providers will not send cards abroad (M&S for example) whereas they will to a BFPO address; it may affect their ability to let their house whilst posted abroad, or away from home; it may take away their tax advantages such as being able to have an ISA whilst posted abroad. It will affect Open University students who have a BFPO address as they will be charged higher fees; it will potentially effect children of serving soldiers when they go to University, as they may not be eligible for student loans/fees to be paid, and will be charged higher fees as they live abroad. They will also be charged different rates for subscriptions etc as they will now have to come via local mail, and not the UK mail.
While I do not want to start a "rights & wrongs of being there" discussion the least they could do is give our people the support & equipment they need while they are away...
Food for thought, it might be worth asking the powers that be, whether they will be stopping serving prisoners from corresponding with their families at public expense at the same time...
Oh, I have also put it on another forum... _________________ the luxuries of civilisation satisfy only those wants which they themselves create...
The Worst Journey In The World
Apsley Cherry-Garrard 1922
This is appalling _________________ "If we reduce the amount of stuff we allow to accumulate in our lives, we won't have to organise it"
Elaine St James from her book 'Simplicity'
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lets hope this makes a diffrence! Sick of hearing about STUPID Goverment Carp totally, totally outrageous!!!
