GURKHA PETITION - Please sign it...

[Jamesx81x]

The Gurkha regiment is the finest regiment within the British Army, they would rather die for this country than admit failure. Their pensions and benefits are lower than the rest of the Army which is just totally unacceptable. About time the Governement woke up and realised what
$%*t sate our army would be in without regiments like them.

Rant over and signed!

[Misterzeus]

Signed with pleasure.

These brave men should be recognised for their very loyal service.

Mr & Mrs Z

[bottomburp]

There's now a printable petition that you can download - here:

http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/gurk...ition_form.pdf

As Joanna Lumley says in her email to those who have signed the petition online: "Please download and print some copies, and ask friends and colleagues who have not signed on line to sign up. Please do pass it round (some friends of mine have run street stalls asking people for their signatures - I'm not asking you to go that far!) and return completed sheets to me at the address on the form by the end of October."

Perhaps you take a few sheets along if you're doing a car boot, put some in the reception area at work etc.

Many thanks for the support. The aim is to get 1 million signatures - so there's a way to go yet.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Signed earlier.

I had the great pleasure and honour of being involved in the earlier campaign to get Hon. Lt Pun VC to UK for medical treatment, and have often worked with the Gurkhas.

It is interesting to contrast the government's treatment of the Gurkhas with the way they have looked after the Afghan terrorists who hijacked an aircraft at Stansted, the Somali murderers of a policewoman, and a terrorist who was involved in the Princes Gate siege. Quite how Jacquie Spliff, the ****poor Home Secretary, can justify such double standards is beyond me.

[jonni2bad]

Signed, great cause.

[pt2537]

Signed, the Ghurkas are the finest fighting unit i have ever had the pleasure of serving with, this is a very worthy cause

[WebFerret]

Signed - What the hell is wrong with this government?!!!

This government have an absolute duty to look after the people who have served for this country - ALL service personel regardless of race creed ect, ect, ect.

This government would do well to remember this, and prioritise their expenditure before offering help elswhere such as migrant immergration! - remember 'government', whithout the actions of these service personel, this country would doubtfully be in a position to offer such benifits to migrant immergrants which you currently give!

Reality check!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This country is in great need and is long overdue for a government with a sense of reality and common sense!

[bottomburp]

A message from Joanna re the campaign is available to view here

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=InjrGSHMQ2I

Please ask your friends, colleagues and family to sign this petition online or download the paper version and take it out and about with you and collect as many signatures as you can.

Thank you!

[SharpmanTF1]

done - passed info to work collegues via email.

[bach]

Please help Joanna Lumley with this campaign

This should not be allowed to happen PLEASE PLEASE SIGN THE PETiTION


Gurkha Justice Campaign: Let's make a BIG impact this Thursday‏
On Thursday, I will be in Parliament Square, Westminster at 11am before handing in the Gurkha Justice petition.

We've had fantastic support from across the country, and the petition we'll be handing in will be one of the biggest ever collected in the country - in a little over six weeks. Thank you so much for the support.

Our team are sorting the petition ready to hand in, but they tell me any signatures up until Wednesday night will be included. A really big last burst of signatures would be fantastic - please remind any friends, family and colleagues to make sure they sign at Gurkha Justice Campaign before 9pm on Wednesday!

I really hope that, on Thursday, the Government will finally bow to the pressure from our thousands upon thousands of petition signatories from across the country, to the Home Office Select Committee, and to the High Court, all of whom have backed justice for Gurkhas.

If there was ever a time to stand with us, then that time is now.

A really big turnout on the day will really add to the pressure of the petition. It will show how strongly we all feel about righting this wrong. If you can come along to Parliament Square in Westminster by around 10.30am on Thursday 20th November, I would simply love to see you there.

We will be joined by a number of the real stars of the campaign themselves - the ex-Gurkhas who have served our country so loyally. Amongst them will be Honorary Lieutenant Tul Bahadur Pun VC who served with my father, and who has been such a huge inspiration to the campaign.

At around 11am I've been asked to say a few words in Parliament Square, and I'll be joined by other members of the Gurkha Justice Campaign and some special guests are joining us from Parliament. After that, a small delegation will go to Cenotaph and lay a wreath, before going on to Downing Street to hand in the petition.

Finally, we'll return to Parliament Square to thank ALL those who have come to show their support. That will take some time - on Thursday there will be people that have helped the campaign from across the country. I'm honoured they are coming - the commitment of those from across the country on this campaign has been incredible, and I'm so grateful for their support.

So, I hope to see you on Thursday, and that you can make one final push to encourage EVERYONE you know to add their name to the petition at Gurkha Justice Campaign before 9pm on Wednesday.

Onwards! One last big push for our Gurkha heroes, and I hope to see you on Thursday.

With warmest good wishes,

Joanna
Gurkha Justice Campaign

[bottomburp]

Many thanks for posting that bach.


There are currently 130540 signatures.

COME ON EVERYONE - If you haven't signed this petition yet please do it online TODAY and get everyone you know to sign it TODAY - it closes at 9pm tomorrow evening so there's no time to waste.

Gurkha Justice Campaign

GET TO IT!

[schrodingers cat]

done it,these people should not only be allowed to live here they should be payed for the service that they have provided,not too happy about the way some of the french treat our vets either
S.C

[bach]

From The Times

January 29, 2009


Britain opens door to 36,000 Gurkha veterans after policy U-turn




(Reuters)



The Gurkhas: officials fear for the brigade's future



Michael Evans, Defence Editor

Thousands more Gurkha soldiers and their families will be given the right to settle in Britain under a new policy to be announced by the Home Office.
New settlement rights due to be announced could open the door to 36,000 Gurkhas who served in the British Army before 1997. Nepal is understood to be concerned that the loss of so many citizens and their army pensions could leave a huge hole in its economy.
The Home Office was forced to take action after a ruling from High Court judges in October that the Government needed to review its policy on whether Gurkhas who had served before 1997 could live in Britain.
Officials say that the forthcoming decision has such far-reaching consequences that concerns have been raised about the continuing recruitment of Gurkhas from Nepal.


An appeal on behalf of Britain's staunchiest allies was launched, with the feeling that this was not a request for charity, more of a debt of honour

• Letter from Field Marshal Montgomery

• Letter: Gurkha Welfare Appeal

Related Links

• ANALYSIS: Army is path to riches for Nepalese

• Gurkhas celebrate court win for right to settle

Defence officials have warned the Home Office that if the right to live in Britain were extended to every Gurkha who has served in the British Army Nepal might scrap the 1947 agreement under which its young men have been recruited each year. Since the tripartite agreement was signed with Nepal and India, the Nepalese economy has relied on income coming into the country from Gurkhas serving with the British Army.
The Home Office has come up with certain criteria for settlement that will keep the numbers down without flouting the judgment of the High Court. One Whitehall source said: “We can still meet what the judges want while keeping the criteria as tight as possible. We have no idea at this stage how many will want to come to live in the UK and how many members of their family they will bring with them.”
The MoD denied a report last week that it wanted to scrap the Brigade of Gurkhas because of the potential multimillion-pound cost of paying out bigger pensions to the Nepalese veterans if granted settlement rights.
“We don’t want to scrap the brigade. Five hundred Gurkhas are serving in Afghanistan at the moment,” a defence source said.
Gurkhas are needed, not just for their professionalism, but to boost numbers in an Army that is nearly 4,000 soldiers short. The Gurkha veterans who will be covered by the new policy are those who served in Hong Kong before the handover to the Chinese in 1997. After that date new Gurkha recruits from Nepal were based in Britain.
The MoD’s argument in the High Court case was that Gurkhas serving in the former British colony up to 1997 had no expectation of living in Britain and returned home to Nepal after completing their term of service. Only Gurkhas with strong links to Britain could be considered for residency.
The judges accepted that 1997 was a reasonable cut-off date but insisted that the decision to deny Gurkhas who had served before 1997 the automatic right to live in Britain was discriminatory and illegal. They said that the Nepalese soldiers had displayed the same courage and commitment to Britain as those who had served after 1997.
Gurkhas have fought alongside British soldiers for nearly 200 years — 200,000 fought in the world wars and 45,000 have died in action.

[bottomburp]

MESSAGE FROM JOANNA LUMLEY DATED 28TH APRIL 2009

"Thank you so much for your support of the Gurkha Justice campaign. We are overwhelmed by the support the campaign is receiving.

As you may know, on Friday, the Government badly let down the Gurkhas. The new rules they have announced will exclude the huge majority of ex-Gurkhas who retired before 1997 from claiming citizenship in this country. They've given five bullet points that virtually cannot be met by the ordinary Gurkha soldier.

It is so obvious that the treatment of the Gurkhas has been a great injustice. To treat them like this is despicable.

The strong reaction by the public and press should show the Government that they simply cannot get away with this outrage.

I'm ashamed of our adminstration. We will be challenging this decision in the courts and in Parliament. We will not stop now.

This is not a party political campaign: it's simply one for justice. I am so grateful though for immediate support from MPs from all Parties, including amongst others Conservative leader David Cameron and Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg.

Nick Clegg has agreed to put a vote to Parliament this Wednesday calling for a fair deal for Gurkhas. This vote on its own won't change the Government's ruling, but would be an overwhelming signal to the Government that they need to think again.

We need all MPs that support the Gurkha justice cause to turn up and vote for a proper deal for Gurkhas on Wednesday. Can I ask that you take a couple of minutes right now to ask your MP to do so?

You can send a message to your MP directly at www.theyworkforyou.com - please ask them to support the Gurkha Justice motion on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, there will also be a Gurkha Justice rally and protest against the Government's decision, starting at noon in Old Palace Yard, Westminster. Many MPs have already committed to support the vote and join me and others at the rally. I know it's awfully short notice, but if you can, please do come along as well to add your support.

If you can pass on this message to others as well that would be fabulous - and if they sign up to www.gurkhajustice.org.uk we can keep in touch with them directly in future.

Lastly, again, thank you so much for your support. It means so much to us. I spoke today to Lt Madan Kumar Gurung, who has been at the forefront of the campaign since it began. He said to me that he has no fear for the Gurkhas any more, as he knows the loving hearts of the British people will not let them down. With your support we won't.

With warmest good wishes,

Joanna
www.gurkhajustice.org.uk





This message has been sent to those who have signed up for the Gurkha Justice campaign by signing at www.gurkhajustice.org.uk or on a printed petition for supplying your email address. You can opt-out of further correspondence from the campaign at any time by email to optout@gurkhajustice.org. uk


IF YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED THE PETITION YET PLEASE DO SO.

PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, COLLEAGUES AND ASK THEM TO SIGN UP.

IF YOU CAN GO TO THE DEMONSTRATION ON WEDNESDAY PLEASE DO SO.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

BB

[ScarletPimpernel]

Having had the great pleasure of working with Gurkhas occasionally, I am in full support of the campaign.

The United Kingdom owes a debt of honour to these soldiers and their families; the weasel words of creatures like Phil Woolas make one ashamed to be British.

It's a shame that the same amount of energy that ZANU-Labour has expended on trying to stop Gurkhas settling here has not been spent on protecting our borders. This government has failed miserably to protect our borders from illegal immigration and bogus asylum seekers.

The Gurkhas have already made a contribution to the country, unlike so many others who are just a drain on our resources.

Please support the campaign.

Aayo Gurkhali!

[JonCris]

Done Wooly & his ilk aren't fit to lick their boots - Shameful piece of dirt

[Mr lex]

Aayo Gurkhali!

Done.

A very good friend of mine served with the Gurkha's in the Falklands and reckons they were some of the finest solders he had ever served with.
To the point he went out to his NCO's village to celebrate the mans wedding

This government should be ashamed

	Separation and DIY Divorce An idea wedding present? Why not be prepared for the worst. Follow this link to read the review of Lawpack's Separation and DIY divorce kit. This DIY Divorce Kit can show you how to arrange a quick divorce on your own, without the expense of a solicitor. Get divorced as often as you like with a single kit. Takes the fear out of gettng married.

[JonCris]

This government wouldn't know shame if it slapped them in the face

[ScarletPimpernel]

[ScarletPimpernel]

House of Commons - contact. Wait out.


SITREP:

On the motion that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence in UK:

Votes for: 267
Against: 246

Government defeated. Outstanding news!

Not quite the end of the war, but a significant battle won.