Misleading Headline ?

I saw this in this morning’s Metro : Soldiers kicked out of a pub for wearing their uniforms

Not very fair one would think. Why should soldiers be discriminated against ? Especially these ones – who’ve lost 9 colleagues in Afghanistan.

Except there’s a hidden twist. In the same article the management of the pub reveal that yes it is their policy not to serve service personnel in uniform – and why ? – because that’s what they’ve been asked to do by the authorities from nearby military bases.

As “RAF Brize Norton spokeswoman Katie Zasada said: ‘Any personnel in the Navy, Army or RAF are not allowed to enter any pub in uniform, unless it is for a wedding or funeral”.

In other words these soldiers were breaking standing orders by entering the pub in uniform.

Sort of changes the story doesn’t it ?

I can’t help but think that the Army and Air Force have a tough enough time without newspapers sniffing round trying to find non-existent stories about them.

I’m just glad the non-story they came up with didn’t accuse them of waterboarding the landlord to persuade him to give them a Tikka Masala and a Scampi & Chips.