Originally Posted by
pr00ne
Er, an increase of just under £5Bn over TWO YEARS is nowhere near 25%! All the rest is aspirational rubbish, and irrelevant as they will not be in power after 2025. Once again we learn that this shower cannot be trusted with any aspect of public spending or public service. Compared to what the rest of Europe, and many other countries outside of Europe are doing, it is pathetic!
£2.97Bn of the total is to be spent on nuclear infrastructure expenditure, so that is funding to help the Australians build nuclear submarine tech, and £1.98Bn to replace weapons transferred to Ukraine. The rest is a derisory increase in "language skills" "security advice on the Chinese to UK businesses" and a "College for national security curriculum."
Meanwhile, Tranche 1 Typhoons will still be retired without replacement, the C-130J fleet will be retired without replacement, Frigates and Hydrographic vessels will still be retired without replacement, no sign of Ajax entering service, no replacement for the Warrior CSV programme, leaving the British Army as the only major Army that will not have a single Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), but never mind, they have preserved cap badges in the 36 infantry battalions who will be fine walking into battle without any mechanised capability in battle whatsoever, no increase in the miniscule Surface to Air missile capability, oh, and the 3rd front line F-35B Lightning squadron is "expected to form in 2033!" Tories are an embarrassing joke in the current world environment and anyone who voted for them should be ashamed.
The Tories certainly are blighted with Banana skin homing feet on many issues. Defence never was one before, but it is now. I hear Sunak's mask has slipped at last and he's mentioned that ultimately, the Ukrainian conflict will end in a negotiated settlement, "as they always do". It would appear he has the same History Degree as Gary Lineker. WW2, WW1, the Falklands, Gulf War 1 and 2 all ended with defeat of one side and terms dictated. Korea, a permanent ceasefire, is one such conflict but remains unresolved to this day. Vietnam was a negotiated ceasefire which lasted as long as it took the North to realise the Americans were sloping off and leaving the South to it. Result, same as Afghanistan, a complete take over. Sunak is a bean counter and no more.
FB
PS The most vexing question, on defence policy, of all time, what would have happened to UK Foreign and Defence policy and military structure/posture, if it had been PM Corbyn?