[Harley's Dad]

I see on the news tonight the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, pleading for no further cuts in the defence budget. This after the government has already abandoned our carrier force and the Fleet Air Arm aircraft to go with it, and the army is to be reduced to the size of not much more than were a couple of battalions before WW2. Never mind the pathetic size of the Royal Navy ...

This is crazy! Have none of these idiots learned the lessons of the between-wars years when UK defence was so starved of resources that, but for the Channel, we'd have been over-run by Nazi Germany, just as the latter had over-run Belgium, the Netherlands and France by mid-1940. We'd now very probably be part of an all-embracing neo-Nazi Europe, with all the neo-Nazi rules that would have been entailed (no Jews, no Blacks, no Gypsies). And don't anyone imagine that even the US, with all its resources, could have invaded and reoccupied Europe without the unsinkable aircraft carrier that was Britain - by its happily geographical situation.

The fundamental issue is that, whatever else, the first duty of any government is to provide for the effective defence of its country and its citizens - and it should never, ever forget it. Of course there are many very pressing calls on other priorities. But, and I'll say it clearly, while health, education et al are all hugely important, nothing transcends the basic priority of national defence - and we are currently in danger of commiting the same inter-war follies of the 30's that led to our unpreparedness at the start of WW2.

None of which is intended to say that defence should be permitted unlimited resources. But very difficult assessments have to be made as to the possible threats which could be made looking 10 or 20 years ahead. And then, the forces which might be necessary to counter those threats must be planned and trained and put in place - despite all the many conflicting priorities which governments have to face (they did actually volunteer!). If they duck out for the sake of short-term political advantage/convenience then they are betraying us (and themselves) very badly indeed ...

Tony.