NO OTHER NATION ON this planet has been so well attended by its armed forces as has Britain. Time and time again this island has been saved and kept prosperous by its navy’s deployments to protect our trade routes and counter numerous threats from Europe: while our army has grown to become an enviable institution recognised as second to none in the fighting abilities of its young men and women. As for the RAF; one need do no more than utter the words Battle of Britain.
This country’s economic progress would never have flourished without the means of defending the gains we made as we developed into an imperial power. The British Empire, for all of its many faults, left a legacy which its many members are happily living with today, some 50 years after the last colony attained its independence.
Over the past 50 years of national decline and embarrassment, our Imperial past was fretted over and despised by a generation (known colloquially as the ‘baby boomers’), among whom were many who felt guilt, shame and mortification, whenever confronted by a black or brown countenance once persecuted by a long lost empire; but who, nevertheless, still choose to come and live among us despite our past depravities toward them.
With our nation’s decline, our politicians have sought to keep the same diplomatic prestige on the world stage that only Empire could proffer. This has been done successfully because our diplomatic skills are still well regarded internationally, despite our decline as an economic power.
But of what use are such skills to a nation if they are ignored or even pitied by those we seek to impress on the world stage. Whatever the diplomatic skills of a nation, they carry little weight with those whom they seek to impress, if all that nation has are words; no matter how well varnished they are by an excellent educational system.
DIPLOMACY MATTERS LITTLE unless its purveyors can ultimately threaten with the force of arms any country that refuses to listen to, or even better, to seek a compromise over any dispute. Usually an opponent can be won over by diplomacy if they know that the extent of the military weight that opposes them is far greater than their own.
In Libya today, Britain has deployed its navy and air force, as well as some of its special forces to help carry out United Nations resolution 1973; part of which states that a no fly zone should be created in order to protect the Libyan civilian population from Colonel Gadaffi’s assaults.
At the same time as we deploy a further six Tornado bombers to the conflict, the Coalition announces several thousand redundancies from within our armed forces. This at a time when David Cameron is in Pakistan and promising several hundreds of millions of pounds to its government from the ring-fenced oversees aid budget.
It is indeed outrageous that we should be cutting our defence budget while hundreds of millions of pounds are being given to a country whose only claim to international recognition, is its many forms of corruption.
Our modern armed forces, like any others in the Western world, require a special type of person to become part of its structure. Unlike any other time in our military history, today’s soldier, sailor or airman/women requires training in many skills. No other publicly financed institution in this country (with the exception of the medical profession) requires such skills as are demanded by modern technology for the purpose of defending our nation.
If we cut these skills off, as we were about to do on the eve of Argentina’s invasion of the Falkland Islands, then we deserve our fate.
THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of nationhood, is a nation’s ability to defend itself. In other words to keep itself afloat as an independent country free from any kind of military incursion onto its territory from any nation that has designs upon it. This is what is meant by having a defence budget.
The problem today is not one of fear from another European country invading us as it has been in the past. But rather a fear of incorporating our defence budget into a European defence budget. Already this Coalition has determined that only one of the new aircraft carriers currently under construction will be commissioned into service, and her flight deck will occupied by French aircraft.
It is my belief that this Coalition is determined upon a course of Europeanization for all of the EU communities armed forces. For why else would Cameron agree to such a massacre of our military? If this is his intention then he must be honest with the people.
A country, while it remains a country, is best protected not by politicians, but by the armed forces, carefully moulded over centuries, to do what historically they have always done – to protect the very nation state that is also their own homeland.
If today’s politicians seek to prioritise the international aid budget above the defence of the very realm they were elected to represent; then I am reminded of Enoch Powell’s quotation from the classics, “Those who the Gods’ seek to destroy, they first make mad”.
I have no idea what is going on in government today. Our politicians must know that the vast majority of the people they are supposed to represent would sooner see the defence budget ring fenced, rather than that of oversees aid.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE OVERSEES AID BUDGET that so seeks to override the national interest? Why are we transferring unimaginable amounts of British taxpayers money into the coffers of foreign governments while our politicians deliver strictures on the importance of reducing the deficit by demanding 20% cuts in the budget of our armed services as well as all other public provisions.
The people of this country are right to smell a rat. Why should they forgo any part of our defence capability in order to send many millions of their hard earned taxes to a corrupt government, who will no doubt seek to harvest a share for themselves?
I believe that this Coalition is Europhile addicted. Leaders of both parties seek all kinds of convergences between this Island and the continent of Europe, including military union. Which is no doubt why Cameron felt comfortable with French jets occupying the flight deck of the next British aircraft carrier.
For those who voted Conservative at the last election, believing David Cameron to be the protector of all British traditions that Conservatism is supposed to represent, then I feel sorry for you. For Conservatism has well and truly been put on the back foot by the Coalition government
Today we face a calamitous reduction in our nation’s defences, bought, or so it appears, by ring-fencing oversees aid to multifarious forms of corrupt governments in the third world. What a contemptible bunch are our present generation of politicians. They have no semblance of their past masters skills and abilities to govern.
This country needs its armed forces to be paramount. All other public services depend upon them as the ultimate protection against the designs of any other country upon our soil.
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