Pr00ne:
Thou mayest taketh the p1ss, but read below and see if theres anything you may find serious disagreement with:
Defence Stated Aims:
"To defend our national interests, maintain the NATO alliance, support our traditional partners. To disentangle our forces from the EU To keep our independence by retaining – always – ultimate command and control over our national forces.
- To stop trying to buy defence on the cheap. UKIP will spend an extra 1% GDP year on defence – an increase of 40% on current budgets. UKIP believes in establishing a defence budget which will properly sustain Britain’s defence commitments. To keep defence costs down by smarter defence procurement, and with more involvement of British industry wherever possible.
- To increase the Army to at least 125,000 personnel (trained requirement) in order to enable it to cope with its existing deployment and roles. To double the Territorial Army in size from 37,000 to 75,000 soldiers.
- To restore the Navy to its 2001 strength, with 3 new aircraft carriers (one extra), assault ships, 30 destroyers and frigates, 12 Fleet Submarines, 25 coastal vessels and 50 Merlin helicopters, with around 7,000 extra personnel to 42,000 (2003–41,550). UKIP would guarantee the futures of Plymouth, Portsmouth and Rosyth and not close any of these ports.
- To increase the Air Force’s capabilities by enlarging the tanker fleet, modernising the transport fleet, buying more helicopters and 50 extra JSF aircraft, and increasing RAF personnel to 50,000.
- To restore many traditional regiments, such as the Black Watch and Staffords, subsumed as battalions of EU-inspired ‘super-regional’ regiments such as the Royal Welsh, Royal Mercian and Royal Regiment of Scotland, in order to serve in EU battlegroups.
- To renew the Covenant between the Country and those who are asked to risk their lives on its behalf: through better pay, generous compensation for injury, restoration of Crown immunity, private medical and dental care, reinstatement of military hospitals, decent accommodation, an offence of treason for those UK citizens who seriously attack serving personnel, and above all, respect and support.
- To reappraise our operations in Afghanistan to a single mission.
- To maintain Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent with existing Trident submarines, and to replace them with four British built US missile armed submarines.
- To retain and increase Army and Territorial Army personnel by pay, free medical and dental care for them and their families, retention ‘warrants’, school recruitment and other incentives.
http://www.ukip.org/media/pdf/defence_final.pdf
Now. I
never said that the proposals were
either totally realistic or fundable. 
What I
did say was the only policy I've seen that makes any sense going forward.
I have seen
nothing from Labour save for rank electioneering.
What have you seen?
I have seen
even less meat on the bones from Cameron.
What have you seen?
And as for the Lib Dums...
UKIP appear to have at least,
if nothing else said this is what we think our domestic and overseas obligations are, this is where we think things have gone pear shaped to now, this is how much extra we will spend and this is what we're going to do with it.
We'll all get the chance in a few months to put our ticks in the boxes. Personally, I dont think their wider manifesto of Little Englander policies are what the nation needs and although Europe does need reform, that is likely to be achieved more from within than without. I'm not convinced of their economic doctrine either.
Just as well I've almost completed my emigration.
But at least someone has thought these aims through and has stuck a flag in the sand. I challenge you to find another party who's manifesto (if they've got one) will at least allow our still-serving bretheren to be able to function without being either volunteered for every p1ss-pot conflict that is on the face of the earth as well as being cover for striking firemen, or being bled dry and tossed on the scrapheap.
Whaddya say?
