Bereaved families let down by UK consular service abroad

[NanLaew]

My take on the embassy's and I am not an expert but they do look after passports etc and a few things .

But when it comes down to it I don't think most care they are here for the big business and it seems that when going in to the embassy you are incovience them .

Remember they are government employes they are not accountable for there actions like the private sector .

A private company does passports and uk visa

Not entirely true. UK visa applications and passport renewals are indeed accepted and forwarded on by a contracted private company. UK visas and passports are still processed and issued by government employees.

Can you imagine what a zoo the British embassy consular section would be if they still had guys in singlets arguing their gogo dancers visa refusal and holding up the poor souls who just popped in to get some advice on their medical condition or ask why their pension is frozen?

[uel1968]

Yes Britain is not so GREAT anymore.

[lungbing]

That's the second time you've posted that comment. The mere fact that feel the need to post it twice means that Britain is still Great, despite petty minded detractors like you.

[grumbleweed]

The wrong budgets are being cut and yet billions upon billions continues to flow into Brussels for others' roads, bridges, farms etc.

Something is seriously wrong with Britain at the moment; they don't give a F about their own, both within and outside the country. Roll into Blighty from Romania or wherever and you'll get spoon-fed everything. Despite keeping up with NI contributions, I'm not entirely sure I'm even eligible for the NHS and the above would likely be given a hospital bed before me. A sh*t state of affairs for a once great nation, which, I'm sorry to say, has become a downright embarrassment through the PCness of bending over backwards to accommodate anyone but a Brit. Would the Thais be so uncaring of their people aboard? I think not!

Yeah,Britain is not so"GREAT"anymore.

Why has it's land mass been reduced?

In my vocabulary "great" has several meanings

[grumbleweed]

That's the second time you've posted that comment. The mere fact that feel the need to post it twice means that Britain is still Great, despite petty minded detractors like you.

Don't worry, he;s simply demonstrating his limited knowledge of the English language, not to mention British history with regards to how it came to be named Great Britain.

We'll probably struggle to explain that a word can have more than one meaning, not even sure if he can count beyond one. Any good at drawing pictures?

Edited November 23, 2014 by grumbleweed

[Mudcrab]

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If you're a Briton abroad, get into any kind of trouble (self-inflicted or not), you're on your own for the most part.

Based on what I've seen here, we're simply an inconvenience for them to deal with as quickly and shallowly as possible, if at all.

Mind you, that's the same back home too when trying to ask for assistance in any way, shape or form.

Actually in some embassies there seems to be a mindset of deliberately being uncooperative, etc.

One wonders whether this is because of the 'type' of people they employ, or does it flow down from their higher level or local managers,

or does it relate back to the 'yes minister' stuff?

On the other side of the picture I'm aware of one BKK embassy where the local head jumps on any staff who take even the slightest pompous

approach, he jumps on staff who, within their own office, talk in 'diplo double speak' as he puts it, he says 'talk to me in English'. He demands

that 'customers' are listened to and get answers either on the spot or in some form of quick checking and feedback to the customer. The staff

from the home country hate him.

Guarantee it's not the Australian Embassy

[Evilbaz]

It will be pick a good day to burn me then cast the ashes and bone pieces, on the right day, on the sea.

[grumbleweed]

It will be pick a good day to burn me then cast the ashes and bone pieces, on the right day, on the sea.

Can throw me to the crocodiles, same with Leeds fans, but let's not bother waitng until they're dead

[Benmart]

Cue, the Embassy and Consular apologists....

Cue, the anticipation spokesman heralding the Embassy and Counsular apologists.

Either statement makes no difference.

[super22k]

The Chiang Mai Consulate is good but all the business has to be spoken through one of these security windows,so all the other customers in the room cannot help but hear what you are talking about.There is no privacy.

Great Britain is still GREAT in spite of a bunch of politicians who are trying to destroy it. Maybe the answer is to vote UKIP. That is if there is anyone left who has not been beheaded by then.

[Strangebrew]

It is the same with all embassies there just in the country for tea and crumpets, Unless males then it is for the cheap tat.

[Jonmarleesco]

It often falls well short of what the British overseas traveller/resident should legitimately expect. A standard of misservice for which the British government charges a full set of limbs.

[evadgib]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/23/foreign-office-condemned-failing-britons-need-help

Edited November 24, 2014 by evadgib

[Nignoy]

It often falls well short of what the British overseas traveller/resident should legitimately expect. A standard of misservice for which the British government charges a full set of limbs.Never mind british overseas civilians, what about british military killed while serving in Thailand,the anniversary of the death of Sapper James Box murdered on the 29th of November 1965 ,while serving his country in north east Thailand, did the govt or the british army fly the body home,definitely not they buried him in an obscure cemetery in Singapore, many years later he was dug up by a grateful Singapore government , and reinterred with honours in the Kranji cemetery, pity our own government doesn't look after our remains as well as complete strangers do!!!

[farangmick]

Not a UK citizen, but that shaved head ambassador you got gives me the creeps.And so obsequious to the Thai PM in that photo last week.

Never met Mark Kent, but most of my fellow Brits round here went to Kanchanaburi for Armistice Day. Without exception they say he is a top bloke, far better than the last one and will happily have a pint with the lads. He gets around the country meeting expats. The photo shoot and platitudes were for the benefit of the tame Thai media, it is called diplomacy. I believe that in the US 50% of ambassadors ar professionals and get sent to Kabul and similar places, whilst the rest are faded movie stars, big contributors to the ruling party, or friends of the presidents wife. They get Paris, London, Rome.