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The Gurkhas are told to go - shame on you and your Government Gordon Brown!

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Ron Brind
Ron Brind
Posts: 19041
Joined: 26th Oct 2003
Location: England
quotePosted at 14:39 on 25th October 2008
Thanks for keeping an eye on it Lyn G!
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Ron Brind
Ron Brind
Posts: 19041
Joined: 26th Oct 2003
Location: England
quotePosted at 14:32 on 7th November 2008
I have some great news about the Gurkha Justice campaign that I want to update you on.

Firstly, we now have over 120,000 online signatures with over 20,000 returned in the post. If you haven't done so already, please spread the word to all your online contacts and ask them to sign up online too at www.gurkhajustice.org.uk

Second, there have been some exciting steps forward in the House of Commons.

Earlier this week the Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons considered the right of Gurkhas to settle in the UK. The committee considered evidence from a range of different people, including our lawyers, a submission from me, and representatives from a number of Gurkha organisations.
 
I'm so pleased to be able to tell you that they agreed with us entirely, and have sent a letter to the Home Secretary urging her to take "urgent action to redress the currently unfair situation by extending settlement rights in the UK to all Gurkhas". You can read the full text of the letter at http://tinyurl.com/5ou59q
 
This is a big step forward, with an influential cross-Party committee of MPs backing our cause. This is on top of the High Court's ruling in late September that the Government's action was "unlawful and unfair".
 
But just unbelievably, the Government has still not changed the law, and has still not yet agreed to offer a fair deal for Gurkhas.
 
In this week in particular, when we have seen the tragic death of a Gurkha serving in the British Army in Afghanistan, and four soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles awarded the Military Cross, we need to redouble our efforts to make the Government see sense.
 
Please do whatever you can to ask as many people as you can to sign the petition at www.gurkhajustice.org.uk - I want to take a simply huge petition to Downing Street on the 20th November.
 
And I'd like you to join me in Parliament Square, Westminster, at 11am on Thursday 20th November, before we hand in the petition. I want to stand together with you and our Gurkha heroes and show just how strong the support for the Gurkhas cause is. Will you join me? I hope to see you there.
 
Finally, especially for those who can join me on the 20th of November, you can buy Gurkha Justice t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags and more from our online shop with Spreadshirt at http://gurkhajustice.spreadshirt.net. Wear yours with pride - I certainly do - and for the next few days only (until this Sunday), Spreadshirt are offering free postage on all items to show their support for the campaign. Simply use the coupon code GURKHAFREE when ordering, and the postage for your items should be free.
 
With warmest good wishes,
 
Joanna
www.gurkhajustice.org.uk
 
PS. On Sunday, millions of us across the Country will be honouring those who fought and died for us on Remembrance Sunday.
 
One hundred thousand Gurkhas fought in the First World War. They served in the battlefields of France in the Loos, Givenchy, Neuve Chapelle and Ypres; in Mesopotamia, Persia, Suez Canal and Palestine against Turkish advance, Gallipoli and Salonika. One detachment served with Lawrence of Arabia. 250,000 Nepalese Gurkhas served in the Second World War.
 
It's time to repay our debt of honour to them. www.gurkhajustice.org.uk
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L
L
Posts: 5656
Joined: 10th Jun 2004
Location: UK
quotePosted at 14:35 on 7th November 2008
Oh you beat me to it Ron! Yell
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Ron Brind
Ron Brind
Posts: 19041
Joined: 26th Oct 2003
Location: England
quotePosted at 15:18 on 7th November 2008
Never mind Lyn, thanks as before for keeping an eye on it for us. As you will see I have deleted it.....na,na,nana, na! With a he, he, he because Peter says so!!
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Mick Covell
Mick Covell
Posts: 349
Joined: 7th Nov 2008
Location: USA
quotePosted at 21:18 on 11th November 2008
Your absoloutly right Ron . We do owe the Gurkhas a debt of honour . Its nothing less than a disgrace the way these brave men have been treated . I am adding my name to your petition and wish I could be with you on the 20th .
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Stephanie Jackson
Stephanie Jackson
Posts: 3911
Joined: 13th Apr 2008
Location: UK
quotePosted at 21:31 on 11th November 2008

Great Ron - I've added my name. I also noticed that the first Gurkha died in the Afghanistan conflict recently. They are still there fighting alongside us even though we have treated them so disgracefully.

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Ron Brind
Ron Brind
Posts: 19041
Joined: 26th Oct 2003
Location: England
quotePosted at 07:51 on 12th November 2008
Thanks for adding your support Mick and Stephanie. Should just point out though, that it is not me leading the campaign but Ms Joanna Lumley no less! You are of course right in what you say!
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Beth Austin
Beth Austin
Posts: 1090
Joined: 14th Sep 2007
Location: UK
quotePosted at 18:52 on 14th November 2008

I am most impressed with the responses shown in here. I wasn't familiar with the Ghurkas before moving here 12 yr ago, but have learned of them, about them and that allows me to see more clearly Why you feel, believe and think about them as you do. They are to be commended for all they have done, and continue to do, and those in this group are to be respected for their belief, appreciation, and degree of gratitude being shown to the Ghurkas. I had the pleasure of meeting a team of Ghurkas, approx. a 3 months ago, on the Firing Range in Whitburn, Tyne & Wear. They were doing a practice session on the range, and i happened to stop by with my camera, and spoke to the one who was doing guard duty, whilst the others were on the range. I was most impressed with the young man. His turn on the Firing Range was coming up in 20 minutes, so we had 20 minutes to chat. I learnt more in 20 minutes from that young soldier than I could have learnt by reading about them. I flet most honored to have had that chat with him.

This is just my little experience with the Ghurkas, but it will be a Forever Memory.

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Posts:
Joined: 1st Jan 1970
quote | editPosted at 23:09 on 17th November 2008

The lates update from Joanna -

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 www.gurkhajustice.org.uk 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 www.gurkhajustice.org.uk 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

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Mary Lipscombe
Mary Lipscombe
Posts: 17
Joined: 16th Oct 2008
Location: UK
quotePosted at 21:34 on 25th November 2008
I have signed the petition for the Ghurkas and so has my husband, I think the way they have been treated and still being treated is disgraceful.  They are the bravest of men, always been loyal to our country and yet they have been kicked in the teeth, SHAME on this government.
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