How much would James Bond earn in real life?

[9mm]

TVR1 said:

Well, read your post again. And please explain your Gibralter reference?


My 22reg was reference to one of our other members who may or may not be a rather mitty character. I notice you attempt to discredit my response by firstly questioning my state of mind or secondly asking if im drunk?

A reflection on you rather than me.

Petal.

P-jay said:

Even thought it's obviously the stuff of movies, it's probably naïve to think the UK Government has never got involved in any 'wet work', but it's probably been done by military types rather than intelligence types.

I replied. So read the above and then here are the bullet points (at least mph got the bullets joke) that are most definitely needed to help you understand. If you won't accept my assertion that I know perfectly well that Gib didn't involve young men being shot in the back of the head or cast to the wolves or whatever it was. At no point did I give "a young soldier's point of view". You are reading things that weren't written or implied.

WTF has 22reg got to do with me? I stated quite clearly in the post that I wasn't speaking from personal experience.

So here we go, in the context of reply to P-Jay:

• * Think Gibralter. Think young soldiers.

The shooting on Gib was carried out by young men. Fact. We all know the controversy about whether Flavius was a set up and in reality an assassination. I don't know, but I do know that the PIRA on the island were shot by young soldiers in plain clothes. i.e military types not intelligence types.

• * Old people think about the things they've done or are asked to do too much.

That's what I was told. I happen to think it makes complete sense as well as the fact that old people tend to be a bit, you know, old,which tends to limit their effectiveness in quite a few ways.

• * It doesn't take much skill to kill someone by shooting them in the back of the head. No Bourne stylee fights.

Never tried it but I find it hard to argue with the assertion. It might take nerve and it might take a bit of skill in terms of being able to sneak up on people - but the shooting bit doesn't require any skill. Most assassinations are carried out in a similar way, or a grenade through a window, a bomb under a car, etc. i.e Not like Bourne or Bond fighting hand to hand for five minutes.

• * The difficult bit is sleeping well at night when you've had time to think about what you've done.

What I've been told. I trust the source who would have no reason to lie. Says many people turn to drink, drugs, suffer from insomnia, PTSD and all sorts of other ailments. I can't see that all those images of body parts and brains would tend to play on the mind a bit, wouldn't you? Less so when you're young, dumb and full of cum as they say. The principle of 'using' young soldiers can be found frequently in history. D-Day (or Overlord if we want to trade operation names) is a good example. They wanted youngsters who didn't think too much or have experience of seeing colleagues decimated. Nothing to do with casting them anywhere.

We were talking about a fictional character. P-Jay broadened that a bit. I could offer a third party insight. I did so. I didn't say any of the stuff you have erroneously interpreted from my post. I am not ex-military and have never claimed to be. I think James Bond is a fictional character and that people like him don't exist in real life.

If that's not clear, you'll need to tell me what would be.

Edited by 9mm on Saturday 4th October 07:41

[uncinqsix]

98elise said:

Fake name on Facebook! Thats the mark of a Mitty right there. It screams "look at me I'm special".

People that work in inteligence do not draw attention to themselves. If you lived next door to one you would only know that they were a civil servant, or in the armed forces. If asked, their job would be described in mundane terms rather than hinting at what they do but "not able to tell you".

Correct. My wife used to work in the area, and we have several friends who still do. It's exactly as you describe - ordinary people with real facebook accounts describing their jobs in very general, boring terms. They are allowed to be a little more open about who they work for than they used to be, but they're quite adept at steering conversations away from what they actually do without appearing cagey.

[alangtt]

P-Jay said:

Mr Will said:

Okay, lets assume £80k per year.

What expenses would he have to pay for in day to day life? No mortgage, no family, pretty much all of day to day life can go on the expense account. Not to mention the possible tax implications of being out of the country for most of the year (would that work for a government employee?).

That £80k is pretty much all either play money or savings.

You get the impression he's not really in it for the money, he's an easy come, easy go type - can't imagine Bond having an ISA or Post Office account, he probably has his salary paid into some little private bank, owned by someone his Dad knew who makes sure he doesn't get his Gas turned off when he's away with work.

If you wanted a more modern, down to Earth version of Bond you could do worse than 'Nick Stone' Andy McNabb's character in his fiction books - he worked for SIS on a self-employed basis, would get a few hundred quid a day paid into account he could access with a ATM card in someone else's name for expenses - he made a point of withdrawing the lot every day whether he needed it or not and spent his life boom to bust - when he was working he'd buy houses and fancy motorbikes, but the house was always half finished and he lived in a tent in one of the bedrooms because the roof was damaged and had to leave the bike when someone was after him, at one point it was living in a 'dossers hostel' in London.

Dressed like a scruffy builder and did work scuzzy housing estates and 3rd world st-holes for money.

The closest he got to "Q Branch" or an Aston was a Maplin switch under the steering wheel of his Punto hire car that cut the circuit to the rear lights if he was being chased at night.

Edited by P-Jay on Tuesday 30th September 16:13

Can you recommend a such book please??
I'm intrigued

[RichB]

Blown2CV said:

Funny how discussions on military related stuff on here always descend into this type of bickering <clip>

Yep - and it was a fun thread until then.

[98elise]

mph1977 said:

TTwiggy said:

98elise said:

James Bond was a Commander in the Reserves, so would not be getting paid as a Commander in the RN.

I'm no Bond expert but I always thought that the RN bit was a rank of convenience as part of his cover story? Did he actually serve in the Andrew then? He'd be a very young commander these days, though I suppose that at the time the books were set he could have reached that rank in his early thirties.

post world war two there were a lot of ex military personnel who achieved rank ( even if 'hostilities only' that would ordinarily require far longer to reach ...

do we ever see or have a clear description of Bond as a full 'three ring' Commander , as the current RN rank of Lieutenant Commander has existed since 1914 ... and the british habit of officially sanctioned 'bigging up' of ranks in all but the most most formal styles of spoken address ( e.g. Lance corporal is a addressed as 'corporal' by all , Lt Commanders and lt Colonels addressed as 'Colonel' or 'Commander' by peers and those more senior ( as them being Senior officers ORs and subalterns would address as sir or ma'am in any situation where discipline was in place (stand fast those pointing out flightdeck and current role 2 and 3 DMS practice where rank is hung on the hat peg at the doorway.)

I've never heard of a Lt Commander being refered to as "Commander" in the RN (I'm exRN)

Google Commander Bond Uniform and you get a few different pictures of JB actors in full 3 ring Commanders uniform. I'm sure I've see Sean Connery in one of the films in uniform.

[Ayahuasca]

You Only Live Twice, after being buried at sea.

[98elise]

Ayahuasca said:

You Only Live Twice, after being buried at sea.

Thats the one.

[98elise]

uncinqsix said:

98elise said:

Fake name on Facebook! Thats the mark of a Mitty right there. It screams "look at me I'm special".

People that work in inteligence do not draw attention to themselves. If you lived next door to one you would only know that they were a civil servant, or in the armed forces. If asked, their job would be described in mundane terms rather than hinting at what they do but "not able to tell you".

Correct. My wife used to work in the area, and we have several friends who still do. It's exactly as you describe - ordinary people with real facebook accounts describing their jobs in very general, boring terms. They are allowed to be a little more open about who they work for than they used to be, but they're quite adept at steering conversations away from what they actually do without appearing cagey.

There are also far more jobs in intelligence than most people would think, and a lot of those jobs are boring for real. The vast majority is far from hollywoods view of secret agents. This for example is an Navy Intelligence role

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/role-finder/ro...

Note that a key skill is to be "Reliable and descreet" rather than "high profile womaniser"

[Ari]

[TVR1]

9mm said:

TVR1 said:

Well, read your post again. And please explain your Gibralter reference?


My 22reg was reference to one of our other members who may or may not be a rather mitty character. I notice you attempt to discredit my response by firstly questioning my state of mind or secondly asking if im drunk?

A reflection on you rather than me.

Petal.

P-jay said:

Even thought it's obviously the stuff of movies, it's probably naïve to think the UK Government has never got involved in any 'wet work', but it's probably been done by military types rather than intelligence types.

I replied. So read the above and then here are the bullet points (at least mph got the bullets joke) that are most definitely needed to help you understand. If you won't accept my assertion that I know perfectly well that Gib didn't involve young men being shot in the back of the head or cast to the wolves or whatever it was. At no point did I give "a young soldier's point of view". You are reading things that weren't written or implied.

WTF has 22reg got to do with me? I stated quite clearly in the post that I wasn't speaking from personal experience.

So here we go, in the context of reply to P-Jay:

• * Think Gibralter. Think young soldiers.

The shooting on Gib was carried out by young men. Fact. We all know the controversy about whether Flavius was a set up and in reality an assassination. I don't know, but I do know that the PIRA on the island were shot by young soldiers in plain clothes. i.e military types not intelligence types.

• * Old people think about the things they've done or are asked to do too much.

That's what I was told. I happen to think it makes complete sense as well as the fact that old people tend to be a bit, you know, old,which tends to limit their effectiveness in quite a few ways.

• * It doesn't take much skill to kill someone by shooting them in the back of the head. No Bourne stylee fights.

Never tried it but I find it hard to argue with the assertion. It might take nerve and it might take a bit of skill in terms of being able to sneak up on people - but the shooting bit doesn't require any skill. Most assassinations are carried out in a similar way, or a grenade through a window, a bomb under a car, etc. i.e Not like Bourne or Bond fighting hand to hand for five minutes.

• * The difficult bit is sleeping well at night when you've had time to think about what you've done.

What I've been told. I trust the source who would have no reason to lie. Says many people turn to drink, drugs, suffer from insomnia, PTSD and all sorts of other ailments. I can't see that all those images of body parts and brains would tend to play on the mind a bit, wouldn't you? Less so when you're young, dumb and full of cum as they say. The principle of 'using' young soldiers can be found frequently in history. D-Day (or Overlord if we want to trade operation names) is a good example. They wanted youngsters who didn't think too much or have experience of seeing colleagues decimated. Nothing to do with casting them anywhere.

We were talking about a fictional character. P-Jay broadened that a bit. I could offer a third party insight. I did so. I didn't say any of the stuff you have erroneously interpreted from my post. I am not ex-military and have never claimed to be. I think James Bond is a fictional character and that people like him don't exist in real life.

If that's not clear, you'll need to tell me what would be.

Edited by 9mm on Saturday 4th October 07:41

One of those rare occassions that I apologise for jumping in on you. however, what i would say, is that you shouldn't be concerned with young people being put on these sort of actions. Whilst i agree that youngsters are indeed cannon fodder, when it comes to something slightly more specialised, the oldies are better at it. No youngsters in this Gib Pic. And therefore slightly more able to deal with it.

[anonymous-user]

A quick read of the MI6 careers webpages suggests the Bond lifestyle is almost 100% fiction.....

MI6 careers website said:

The real rewards of working in MI6 are an absorbing career and the satisfaction of protecting your country. But there are also some more tangible benefits.

They include a Civil Service Pension, a discounted healthcare scheme, 25 days' holiday and 10.5 additional public and privilege days. We also offer a range of family-friendly benefits, from generous maternity pay to childcare vouchers and a subsidised children's holiday play scheme. In addition, everyone can access our bicycle-to-work scheme and interest-free season ticket loan.

Finally, there is a range of on-site facilities at our London headquarters. As well as a subsidised restaurant and gym, you can also make use of our library and free in-house language classes during lunch hours.

They appear to have omitted any mention of occasional use of a DB9 (leased from Serco), cocktail-mixing classes or horizontal workouts with that girl from HR who looks a bit plain at first but turns out to be a total hottie once she lets her hair down and takes her reading glasses off.

[9mm]

TVR1 said:

One of those rare occassions that I apologise for jumping in on you. however, what i would say, is that you shouldn't be concerned with young people being put on these sort of actions. Whilst i agree that youngsters are indeed cannon fodder, when it comes to something slightly more specialised, the oldies are better at it. No youngsters in this Gib Pic. And therefore slightly more able to deal with it.

Forget it.