Norman Kember-honourable and brave or a bit of a pompous arse??

[moondog]

I'm plumping for the latter.....

[LadySherlockofLGJ]

Total pompous arse.

Happy to go to Iraq for the glory, forgot to factor in being kidnapped, happy to have been rescued by people who were not singing Kumba Ya My Lord, but by all accounts, not happy enough to have the manners to say Thank You, when he was liberated.

[moondog]

Yes,my thoughts rather......

[LadySherlockofLGJ]

Oh and at his age, how do you possibly run fast enough not to allow yourself to be kidnapped. ?

[DelGirl]

I've not heard him though seen some footage and saw his friend on this morning the other day and his colleagues, but even on that i'm inclined to agree!

[LadySherlockofLGJ]

bump

[donnie]

harsh words! I don't htink he is pompuos at all....just an idealist.I just read the transcript of his statement and in it he DOES thank the forces which liberated him.

[Flossam]

I heard his wife describe him as something along the lines of 'perhaps a little silly ' and they thought he might get bombed but never kidnapped!

at not thanking the kidnappers, although it must have been a huge for him too, confusing and disorientating. Maybe he didn't mean to be rude!

Or, maybe, he is here to back up the grumpy old people thread on here recently!

[HappyMumof2]

honourable and brave

[Yafta]

this may be a bit harsh, but I can't help thinking what was he doing there anyway, and why should we risk our soldiers to free someeone who should have known better than to go into a war zone?

My dh thinks the SAS probably enjoyed a trip out to do something heroic !

[chonky]

I think his initial intentions to go to Iraq were honourable and brave, but to not thank his rescuers is certainly not honourable. They risked their lives for him!

[beansprout]

But he has thanked them. My god, the man has been through a terrible ordeal and he is being slagged off for not having written a press release thanking all the right people the moment he was released!

[Mercy]

I think he was well meaning but misguided tbh. FGS he's 74! Don't really know what he thought he would achieve going there in the first place. Apparently he wanted to show his solidarity.

[HappyMumof2]

leave the poor old man alone, please

[beansprout]

Totally agree HMof2. If people really do need to sit around and slag people off, surely there are people more deserving than Norman Kember?

[nulnulcat]

i totally agree with beansprout and happymumof2 fgs leave the poor man alone!! he has probably been through hell and so what he hasnt issued a public statement! we dont know what he said at the time he was rescued im sure he was very grateful

[Mercy]

He has issued a statement. I don't really think that's what Moondog meant - or did you?

\linknews.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4845096.stm\see here}

[Mercy]

sorry

\link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4845096.stm\here}

[MamaG]

pompous arse

[HappyMumof2]

fgs - do people have to be so bloody nasty about a poor old man who has done nothing wrong and hurt no body

[MamaG]

But what if the people who rescued him had been shot and killed?

[HappyMumof2]

what are you saying??? you think he should have been left there?

[gomez]

I am with the pompus arse camp.

Arrogant and self-seeking behaviour with no thought for the potentially negative consequences for all concered. Even Terry Wait (whose motives and methods could be viewed as dubious) felt his approach was questionable.

[franke]

"I do not believe that a lasting peace is achieved by armed force, but I pay tribute to their courage and thank those who played a part in my release."

Er, so he did say thank you.

[Mercy]

It was his choice to go.

[MamaG]

No, I'm saying he shouldn't have been there in the first place.