Circles - what a great idea

[johnofgwent]

I think in the end it comes down to this.


A few years ago I was rudely awakened by the fire alarm in my hotel. Nothing massively serious, a washing machine or tumble dryer in a laundry annexe went bang.


My eldest's comment on the inevitable arsebook post was 'dad, did any of the firemen have cute arses" to which I sent back "yes but she was driving the wagon and I swear she had a wedding ring"


Like you, I don't give a flying one whether what comes up the ladder has tits, balls or some combination in between. My sole concern is did they pass the physical to get us the f**k out of the house on fire....


I can state categorically back in 2012 Swindon FRS welcomed any who met it's standards and stuck on desk or management roles any who did not. I was sorting their IT out and stupidly took up the goading from their PT guy. I failed, but not by as much as I expected. I was then still actively scuba diving in UK waters though.


But that was then. I wonder about now. ..

[papasmurf]

And everyone will blindly clap and cheer this new 'diversity'. And that will be fine. Until it all goes wrong in some shit hole one dark night, because half your unit have no fecking business being there.

There are some males "who should not be there," either.
No names no pack drill. Really bad shout on a lifeboat, (Not the Lizard Lifeboat,) horrendous weather, one of the crew started to panic and pray.
He never went out on the lifeboat again.

[cromwell]

We'll never mind DD rumour has it that it will be all AI  robots and the like eventually.....shades of terminator.

[DeppityDawg]

it will (I hope and fervently believe) be quite a while before the SAS have women in their front line yomping ranks, and that is ENTIRELY to do with the fact, the unavoidable fact, that two X chromosomes mean much finer grained muscle and infinitely more dextrous motor control

Its coming John. There are already women (albeit only single digit numbers) in the Infantry - and provided they've passed the existing standards, they should be there on merit. Yet many serving soldiers known that different standards (so called 'gender neutral) are being applied. Recently, one female candidate for an Infantry instructors course was allowed to stay on despite having failed a routine fitness test - this meant 14 other men who had also failed, had to be allowed to remain too, despite the fact that failure has always meant RTU (return to unit). Only after the 75 men who had passed threatened to go public with it were they actually all failed. This is what happens. Lower the standards so more women can pass - and you get more more men who cannot meet the existing standard as a result too.

This is politics John. Let me be clear - there can be no reasonable objection to anyone, man or woman, being there on merit. Several women already are there on merit. But this is not what will happen overall. Biology will continue to play its part, and most women won't even apply. Of those that do, the Army's own studies suggest that only 4% of females can attain the standard (and incidentally, less than 40% of males). And the liberals and the woke will cry "foul" and "discrimination". So in order to meet 'diversity and equality targets', the "standards' will be watered down yet again, people who 'fail' will be given second shouts, those responsible for ensuring the standards are kept will be brow beaten to look the other way, and political expediency will win the day. Again.

And everyone will blindly clap and cheer this new 'diversity'. And that will be fine. Until it all goes wrong in some shit hole one dark night, because half your unit have no fecking business being there.

[johnofgwent]

There's no doubt that you know how to tell an entertaining story, John    But I think you miss my meaning. I was talking in generalities, not specifics. From someone like me and those around me's point of view, we would have been at the sharp end of the technology people like you and 'Rona' were using to create new and novel ways for us meet our makers. My job was to keep those around me alive, and I make no apology for focusing on the objectivity of that. One of my last postings before discharge was as a weapons instructor with the ATRs, and at that time (early 90s), the first significant numbers of female recruits were starting to come through, fueled (not unlike many of the lads) by fanciful and less than honest appraisals of what forces life was really like sold to them by bored lifers in the ACOs

Its not an exaggeration to say that at this time, the majority of females failed. Most (and not untrue of the males either) because they simply were not prepared for what it was really like - but equally because the standards of the time were extremely high. And this was just the basic requirements for all those entering the Army, standards sufficient for those in the corps and service arms, not those going on to the combat arms. For those (previously not even open to females) the training would be about to become 10 times more demanding. Even the basic standards were heavily reliant on strength and endurance, so it was in many ways not surprising that many of the women failed (many men did too) But the uncomfortable feeling always remained that somehow, the ministry and the powers that be were going to change this in order to stop the amount of failures. And we KNEW that was political - and when politics meets reality and fails, guess what the answer always is?

I am not saying men are 'better' than women, or vice versa. But we are not equal and never will be. Men are better at certain things, and women better at others. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Focusing on our strengths improves them - but pretending we are equal only exposes our collective weaknesses. The enemy doesn't care what gender, colour or religion you are. Minus 18 degrees will kill you if you aren't prepared, man or woman, just as surely as a bullet through the head will. For that reason, you will be able to march 15 miles with 80lbs of kit on your back in any weather, and you will dig slit trenches at the end of it, no matter how exhausted you are. Because if you don't, and the enemy decides to put mortar rounds down on your position, you and everyone else will be dog meat in the morning. If you can't meet these standards, man or woman, then no one around you will respect you, and you have no right being there. In the end there is a fecking good reason why we have them. Because they help to keep us all alive when it all goes to rat shit

I should have said, right at the start, that while I have no problem with women wanting to be in combat, I was brought up to believe they had more sense.


I also understand that the real issue is that while it's one thing to have an all woman crew on a minesweeper (I was on site overseeing the installation of an autopilot at in a submarine at Barrow In Furness when one such all female crew brought an MCMV in from patrol and rufty tufty submariners RAN past me to hide from them) or a female pilot in one of those fancy replacements for the harrier, it will (I hope and fervently believe) be quite a while before the SAS have women in their front line yomping ranks, and that is ENTIRELY to do with the fact, the unavoidable fact, that two X chromosomes mean much finer grained muscle and infinitely more dextrous motor control, and more rods in the retina meaning far better seeing in low light than the possessor of an X and a Y chromosome who sacrifices the densely packed retinal rods to increased cones which mean better movement discernment and colour discrimination, and sheer bulk muscle mass for the sacrifice of that motor dexterity.


I came up through the glass ceiling in an area of science where women excel over men because those low light level, high detail observations and that fine motor control are an advantage. Women make the best microsurgeons because of this. It's given me a rather unique perspective, and one I wish more would have the chance to experience.

[T00ts]

Not according to this -

And of course, her excuse will be "well, I haven't been able to go out as much blah blah..."

Oh dear - there is one other hope and that is that I saw one shopping centre somewhere was closed because there were too many people. You might be lucky.

[DeppityDawg]

I thought Tier 3 closed all unessential shops - so the big spender sources should be closed. Your bank will survive. 

Not according to this -

Non-essential retail will re-open on Wednesday 2nd December. The centre will be subject to Tier 3 guidelines so restaurants and cafes will be offering takeaway only. All leisure will remain closed.

And of course, her excuse will be "well, I haven't been able to go out as much blah blah..."

[T00ts]

Three I think

https://newcastlegateshead.com/business-directory/shopping/metrocentre

I thought Tier 3 closed all unessential shops - so the big spender sources should be closed. Your bank will survive. 

[cromwell]

So what tier are you in?

Tiers of resignation I'd guess that his OH is shopping........again.

[DeppityDawg]

So what tier are you in?

Three I think

https://newcastlegateshead.com/business-directory/shopping/metrocentre

[T00ts]

Sunray is in the middle of preparations for a trip to the Metro, and it looks like daughter no1 is getting ready too. I fear I shall be a lot poorer by the end of today 

So what tier are you in?

[papasmurf]

Oh blimey,bet your wallet is more battered than Katie Prices ...........Ermm face

Luckily for me, the Ball and Chain, is refusing to go shopping.

[cromwell]

Sunray is in the middle of preparations for a trip to the Metro, and it looks like daughter no1 is getting ready too. I fear I shall be a lot poorer by the end of today 

Oh blimey,bet your wallet is more battered than Katie Prices ...........Ermm face

[DeppityDawg]

Sunray is in the middle of preparations for a trip to the Metro, and it looks like daughter no1 is getting ready too. I fear I shall be a lot poorer by the end of today 

[T00ts]

Well I don't disagree too much,however when the man is putting all that stuff away up and down a ladder to the loft he doesn't need reminding that he hasn't fixed that lock on the garden shed yet

We just can't have everything in life!