The telling word is reluctantly … which seems to play into the hands of the control freaks at HQAC.
Did anyone actually sign this thing willingly and think it is a wonderful idea? If so what is so wonderful about it?
I know we did on the basis of supposed we have to, but I didn’t say people had to. The general line was to stop Wing and so on whinging, althpugh I was more intrigued by the next step and then other steps after that… Didn’t see the childishness etc coming so soon, but am not surprised in the slightest.
With 7 days to go, anyone still not signed?
Interested to see how soon the “you’re binned” letters start appearing. We should expect emails saying “x” isn’t allowed on the squadron anymore by Tuesday and letters Thursday or Wednesday the middle of the week after next. If they don’t then it’s wishy washy management.
I’ve got a member of staff who I can’t get hold of who therefore hasn’t signed. I told Wing and their reaction was “well fill in the non-Attendance paperwork”. I won’t be doing that as I know the member of staff aren’t about and the aren’t due to be.
The problem there is at what point does someone eject their toys.
it’s not really a selling point though. Imagine large parades and large Wing events and people say no, citing “para m”. I can’t see many Wg Cdrs being happy bunnies. If they accept it as is, fine, but I can’t see it personally.
Tough. If staff and cadets cannot legitimately attend an event then there is nothing to be done about it. Cadets does not automatically take priority over all other events.
If there is a trend of people shirking with no legitimate reason other than “I don’t wanna”, that is still within their rights but needs to be overcome by good personnel management skills and encouragement. Esprit de Corps, and all that.
Better information, provided early, with communication to key individuals in good time is what is required to finalise a plan, but have a backup too as the rug may still be pulled from under foot. Simply issuing a mandate from upon high is a symptom of a cancerous leadership and is not appropriate to the cadet organisations.
Apparently the ACF have binned a load of people for not signing it so I do expect it here. It may just take some time for the admin to be done as I guess paperwork for sacking people is going to come low down on the HQ priority list.
Yeah, I expect to get processed reasonably quickly - the ATC does rather prefer activity over achievement, because it’s easier to do and easier to quantify.
I’m sad to leave, the ATC gave me friends for life, it gave me the building blocks of my career, it showed me that the world was a much bigger, much more exciting and interesting place than it looked like from a small town on the edge of the Cotswolds - two of the most inspiring Officers I’ve ever worked for were VR(T), i used things I learned at 15 in the ATC in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2002, friends I met in the cadets helped me build a refugee camp in Macedonia for 40,000 in two weeks, it’s been as much the foundations of my adult life as anything I learned at RMAS. However, there are lots of straws on this camels back, and I’m afraid this seemed like as good a reason as any other to leave.
I simply will not, cannot, bend the knee to an organisation to utterly riven by a complete absence of integrity. if there was an ounce of competence I might be persuaded that it was worth it for the cadet experience, but not when it fails at everything and then lies to its staff.
It is sad that a person like you has come to this conclusion about the ACO as you appear to have life experiences far outside the routine ones of people who are in the ACO and that includes management at HQAC. That experience will have been of great benifit to the most important people in the ACO, the cadets.
As an ex-member of a Civ Com I fully appreciate your comments about a lack of integerity and honesty in the upper reaches of the ACO and that in my experience permeates all the way down to sector officer level. They have the thought that Squadron staff and cadets can be treated as mushrooms, hopefully people will now take a moment to think about their next move before signing this document. There are some, who laying straight in bed would be a problem, devious and mendacious doesn’t come into it!! Most importantly, they lied to cadets.
Angus, the very best of look in the future, enjoy getting your life back.
To lose one person who hasn’t already ‘left’ (ie not been to a sqn for ages) is a complete and utter failure on the part of the management and the entire management should all be sacked on the basis of incompetence. If the Air Cadet management are sitting there thinking job well done, that says it all. As said no integrity.
Has the ACF turned on those remaining in a way you can fully expect those in Cranwell’s Ivory Towers to?
Angus, I completely agree!
the Corps taught me a lot and brought a lot out in me as a person
however, I got asked a question this weekend…
Would I let me children join the Corps in the future and I honestly don’t know how to answer that! from knowing what the organisation was when it did make you stand up be counted and take responsibility for yourself to what it is now… I just don’t know what I would do when the time comes
Have met some of them face to face and had it lied too, and been in contact with others. How do I know, FOI requests are very useful in helping to find out who has lied, spun and been deceitful.