Armed forces members get in to EEP for a fiver on Saturday

[buspasspar]

Does that include the step hen bridie  and bovril   Sally ?

[Grant]

1 hour ago, SanguinePar said:

Not really an occasion then, is it? Can anyone who calls the club about planning a works day out expect the same treatment?

If the club can see the chance for further money? Absolutely. 

[parsforlife]

8 hours ago, Digs said:

That's a magnificent amount of assumption.

It clearly states the Scots Guards and their pipe band are guests of the club so presumably they might be playing before the game/at HT in the way it was a common occurrence in years gone by? Therefore they have added in a way to recognise the Armed Forces, especially given our historic military ties with McCrae's Battalion and the fact we have a bench outside EEP for a winner of the VC.

I’m expecting a military display of some sort yes.  Quite why I’ve no idea, and since I’ve never seen one in my life at eep then your claim of them being a common occurrence seems to be massively stretched.

We have no need to recognise the armed forces as a club,  especially not the current ones.  the McCraes battalion yes.  As for the bench? That only has tenuous ties to the club and really was put there as he was related to a board member.

[Lochalsh Par]

Grant is absolutely correct and I read the the Royal Regiment of Scotland for the Scots Guards. The motto is the same. Hands up for not reading properly. It looks like they have booked as guests with their Pipe Band and they will also parade some military vehicles outside the ground. The club are inviting all serving military entry for a fiver. on the day.. Look before you leap eh!!!!

[Grant]

2 hours ago, SanguinePar said:

Not really an occasion then, is it? Can anyone who calls the club about planning a works day out expect the same treatment?

Further to this, we've made a big deal about hiring out the concourse to a skate company today. 

[parsforlife]

1 hour ago, Grant said:

Further to this, we've made a big deal about hiring out the concourse to a skate company today. 

I'm not sure if it was a hire or a link up as part of community engagement,  certainly looks to have fulfilled the later.

[Kaiser Chief]

11 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

I'm not sure if it was a hire or a link up as part of community engagement,  certainly looks to have fulfilled the later.

You are correct....it wasn't a hire.

[Piracy]

I've no issue with this and I'm not interested in politicking on issues like this either. I think the club know a large section of the local community and Pars supporters support the armed forces. The club has worked very hard to grow itself within the community, I just see this as part of that ethos/initiative. They do a tremendous amount of work with the business community, schools, disabled fans etc. There's nothing wrong with this imo. 

[parsforlife]

9 minutes ago, Piracy said:

I've no issue with this and I'm not interested in politicking on issues like this either. I think the club know a large section of the local community and Pars supporters support the armed forces.
 

The club has worked very hard to grow itself within the community, I just see this as part of that ethos/initiative. They do a tremendous amount of work with the business community, schools, disabled fans etc. There's nothing wrong with this imo. 

Going to split this as part B I’m 1000% on board with.

The first point,  it’s hard to make anything that is either for or against the armed forces anything less than political, it’s government agencies after all.   They may well know some pars fans support the armed forces, but they should also know many don’t and for me that should mean it should be left well alone,   We want as much unity as possible and anything that can possibly create divide should be at minimum very very carefully through through and generally best avoided. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by parsforlife

[Piracy]

4 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

Going to split this as part B I’m 1000% on board with.

The first point,  it’s hard to make anything that is either for or against the armed forces anything less than political, it’s government agencies after all.   They may well know some pars fans support the armed forces, but they should also know many don’t and for me that should mean it should be left well alone,   We want as much unity as possible and anything that can possibly create divide should be at minimum very very carefully through through and generally best avoided. 

The public, like the fan base are diverse in beliefs and principles, that I support. If people choose to find the likes of this distasteful, then that's fine by me. I'm just saying from a personal perspective it doesn't bother me. 

What I will say is I'm against successive UK Goverments foreign policies. Invading countries and leaving behind absolute carnage. It's repugnant. However the average service personnel don't make the decisions to take us to war. 

[parsforlife]

8 minutes ago, Piracy said:

. Invading countries and leaving behind absolute carnage. It's repugnant. However the average service personnel don't make the decisions to take us to war. 

they don’t make the decisions to go to war and i absolutely hold the arseholes who do make that decision in much more contempt. However every single service personnel has agreed they will do said arseholes bidding knowing that 99% of the time that decision will be disgusting.

[Piracy]

7 hours ago, parsforlife said:

they don’t make the decisions to go to war and i absolutely hold the arseholes who do make that decision in much more contempt. However every single service personnel has agreed they will do said arseholes bidding knowing that 99% of the time that decision will be disgusting.

Again taking into account diversity, there's a huge number of reasons for people choosing to join one of the services. For many youngsters one reason is the lack of employment and career opportunities. For others it's a means to getting away from repressive social, economic or domestic situations. The Forces are a great career path. I've worked with a huge amount of ex service personnel over the years and one constant is the benefits of education and qualifications recieved. Sets them up for a good working life, in return benefitting their family situation.

[Piracy]

8 hours ago, parsforlife said:

they don’t make the decisions to go to war and i absolutely hold the arseholes who do make that decision in much more contempt. However every single service personnel has agreed they will do said arseholes bidding knowing that 99% of the time that decision will be disgusting.

I missed a point here in my last post.

Service personnel are duty bound to defend our society, that's their primary function. I'd say every country needs to be able to defend itself. It's those making the decsions in Government who are the issue, not those serving.

[Lochalsh Par]

27 minutes ago, Piracy said:

I missed a point here in my last post.

Service personnel are duty bound to defend our society, that's their primary function. I'd say every country needs to be able to defend itself. It's those making the decsions in Government who are the issue, not those serving.

I think you have covered it very well now. Good point well made. A storm in a teacup as they say. As an add on , how many of core supporters work / worked in the Dockyard and the name PARS allegedly stems from Devon Sailors based at Rosyth - Plymouth Argyle Royal Supporters.

[Digs]

13 hours ago, parsforlife said:

I’m expecting a military display of some sort yes.  Quite why I’ve no idea, and since I’ve never seen one in my life at eep then your claim of them being a common occurrence seems to be massively stretched.

We have no need to recognise the armed forces as a club,  especially not the current ones.  the McCraes battalion yes.  As for the bench? That only has tenuous ties to the club and really was put there as he was related to a board member.

Massively overstretched? Just because you don't know about it, it doesn't mean it didn't happen. I'm sure other older posters will back this up that pipe bands were a very common occurrence at football grounds. Alex Walker's Pipe band from Dunfermline were regulars at east end park in the 80's into the 90's and other pipe bands, including military pipe bands, usually played before Scotland games at Hampden and at Cup Finals. 

Just because they are the Scots Guards, it doesn't make this a 'military display'. They're a pipe band, that play music. The vehicles outside will also generate interest, whether you like that or not, with the younger fans, as kids love to see things they normally can't get close to, like army vehicles, police cars, fire engines etc They are merely tools being used to engage people, it's not an army recruiting office.

Some of the hand wringing going on here is baffling to me. As Piracy says, you can disagree vehemently with successive governments foreign policy and still support people in the forces and he sums up this situation perfectly.