MR. CHARLES LOVELACE, FMM.
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4 May 2016.
Sir,
Subject :Military Medals Review-Independence and Transparency.
On 10th September 2007, I sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Defence (Des Browne) proposing a National Defence Medal. This letter was placed in the public domain and published in the NSVA journal Christmas edition.I also contributed to the Veterans Recognition Report which your Shadow Defence Team was sent.
I now refer you to the enclosed letter Dt. Thursday 7th January 2010 Ref: RC/DC in response to my letter to you. I commend you to the penultimate paragraph where you write;
This is an issue we will consider. We have stated that a future Conservative Government would review the rules set out by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals governing the awarding of medals. During this review, all medals issues will be considered and rules will be drafted to ensure that all medal decisions are thought through and applied consistently.
Once in power you failed to honour this statement. The recent review was supposed to be definitive and draw a line in the sand on medallic matters. In fact the much vaunted transparency has been invisible. Many campaigners, even now, are still awaiting replies to questions raised under the Freedom of Information Act. The HD committee seldom meets and is undemocratic. I remind you that democracy is government by all the people through elected representatives giving equality of rights in society. The so-called worthies in this cabal are ALL unelected and most have never even served in uniform
Sir John Holmes’s July 2012 Military Medals Review wrote and I quote;
The current system of decision making is vulnerable to the charge of being a black box operation, where those outside have no knowledge of what is being decided or why, and have no access to it; and where the rules and principles underlying the decisions, while frequently referred to, have never been properly codified or promulgated.
I was astounded to ascertain that out of 14 members only 4 of the HD Committee were there at the meeting to discuss medallic recognition. Sir John Holmes said that this was a matter of Great National Importance. So simply, how can 4 members be even credible? The appointment of Mr. Jon Thompson, PPS to the MoD to chair the Committee to review various candidates for medallic recognition beggars belief. Veterans are well aware that the MoD has constantly and vehemently opposed the NDM campaign. Indeed, themischievous and inaccurate comments over the cost of medals were dismissed by Sir Nick Harvey, Armed Forces Minister 2010/2012 as Total and Absolute Nonsense.
It would be virtually impossible for Mr Jon Thompson to maintain his independence without compromising his function at the MoD. After all he was responsible in that department for finance and planning including efficient and effective use of defence resources. I can only conclude that he was a ‘placed man’. In my opinion this stinks.
This has been another shabby episode in medallic history. As I consider my hard earned coveted ‘Green Beret’ with officer’s cap badge, I can only regard members of the HD committee with contempt. After all I have served and twice volunteered. (RM and Queen’s Regiment TA.) They however remain, unrepresentative and unelected
Sir John Holmes also wrote ;
The process is also largely invisible and inaccessible to those outside the system, which has substantially added to the frustration of veterans and other campaigners, unable to penetrate beyond bland official statements that a particular decision has been taken
Nothing has changed since I started campaigning in 2006. No wonder veterans remain frustrated by continued secrecy, faceless officials hiding behind the Freedom of Information Act and the deliberate obfuscation.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Lovelace.(Flavian Medal of Merit.)
THE PRIME MINISTER- 10 DOWNING STREET, LONDON. SW1A 2AA.
cc. Damian Hinds, Esq., MP. House of Commons, London.SW1AOAA.