“When you go to war you know the consequences…that’s what you join for …you’re only frightened when it starts to happens and anyone who says they are not frightened in battle are stupid.”
So says the most injured man to return alive from the Falklands war, Simon Weston CBE.
Simon was in hospital for over 3 and a half years and has had over 70 operations but he states that, “Liberty and freedom always comes at a cost and we should never put a limit or a cost on it.”
He does not believe that Maggie Thatcher went to war to save her career but rather that “she changed this country, it is recognized that this country cannot be messed around with until this latest EU debacle.”
Simon talks movingly about how he met Carlos, the pilot who dropped the bomb on his ship and says that he, “hasn’t forgiven him as what is there to forgive? He was just doing his job and I was doing mine. He wore his countries uniform as we wore ours. He won the day but we won the war.”
Simon was a bit of a tearaway before the army straightened him out and thinks that perhaps National service could help now, but only if every youngster had to do it.
He states that, “we do need discipline and respect back in society.” He adds that, “Sometimes summary justice works, coppers giving you a slap, we knew there was the likelihood that this could happen and laws seemed to mean something then but now we are thinking of getting rid of short sentences…. we know prison doesn’t work but we are failing to come up with an alternative.”
He calls terrorists cowards and returning to his theme of leadership and politicians he states, “The truth is our politicians are the problem, we need leadership. We need the fierce leadership we had with Margaret Thatcher.”
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