Number of empires built with officers who bought their commission = one
Number of empires built with officers promoted on merit = nil
Now this is simply ridiculous.
Even if one ignores the xenephobic attitude that the former British Empire is the only empire in history (which is flat-out wrong), the fact remains that the Royal Navy had
at least as much to do with the creation of that empire as did the British Army. And although officers' promotions in the senior service have not always been based entirely on merit, RN commissions and promotions have never been available for purchase (which most officers, being middle class, could never have afforded).
In any case, class snobbery
was directly (though not entirely) responsible for the break-up of the British Empire ... and not before time!
