JimNich
"Anyone remember ANY mention of defence in the last election"
Don't expect it in the next.
Labour/Lib Dem et al are highly unlikely to have a single ex-service candidate between them (any PPruners Blair Babes?). Gone are the days when Parliament was full of retired wartime or ex-national service military personnel. Even the Tory Party selection procedure is geared against anyone of a military background. Sixteen years commissioned service excludes active membership. The new candidates at the next election cannot have served full career as either officer or man because the age group being selected needs to have a good 10 years party service and ideally be under 45 (Lord Freeman, candidate selector in chief told me the age group when he interviewed me).
So far I have copies of the policy on housing, local government and the environment, but nothing on defence.
The truth is that the politicians of all parties don't see any votes in the sort of issues being discussed on PPrune. Hospitals and schools are big issues. Europe is phenomenal, but defence is a side show. Yet look at the industry jobs related to all of the big projects currently underway. At the end of the day the future of crafty old reynard will be more important at the ballot box than the whole lot of the military aircrew!
If ever anyone goes canvassing they will find that dog sh*t appears to be more important than the future of Brize Norton here in Carterton! Sadly chaps and chappesses, Joe Public isn't as interested in the defence of the realm as we would all like.