Originally Posted by
Asturias56
[color=#000000]"Cannot afford a credible force...? What does he mean by 'credible' and why can we not afford it?" ...... "have you missed all the economic projections WEBF?"
The problem is that a lot of what WEBF says makes sense ....... but also much has changed as we have seen both in warfare and in the demographics of the UK/wherever The last part of the name WEBF sort of reflects the OPs outlook. And, in a way, we need people like WEBF!
But the real test is what the punter down the pub thinks, not WEBF. A few "elder statesmen" down my local "understand" as they were involved in Aden, the Cod Wars, NI, the Falklands and the middle/end of the Cold War, mainly through National Service. I catch the tail end of that demographic myself tho as ex-full time RN ('78 - '07). But many now have their own problems associated with old age........
The fact is that, today, ninety-five percent of those in the pub have never served in the Forces, some may vaguely recall a family member serving way-back-when, some are even vaguely aware of some of the recent wars (Gulf, Afghanistan etc) but, tbh, they know virtually zero and care even less! But, trust me, they are fully aware of NHS waiting lists, cost-of-living inflation, the state of the roads and other such matters. WRT the Armed Forces, if you mention them, they just smile and change the conversation back to whatever the next local topic is - "Anyone know what's happening to the Solar panel farm on Bert's land?"! You mention "conscription" or "National Service" and they look at you as if you've just landed from the planet Zog!!!!
The answer as to why we cannot afford the funding (and that is it's own topic for Economists to debate!) it is simple - the electorate (based on my Local!) wouldn't allow it! The real need for an Armed Forces has effectively been bred out of the UK population. Well, that's my view anyway...........!