Thanks to all those people who have contacted me regarding an award for retired Hall vet Jan Spate.
More and more people I speak to are concerned about the long uncut grass. One bloke who lives in Latham recently bought a ride-on mower so he can keep his immediate neighbourhood tidy. He has seen quite a few brown snakes around his area so far this season. Brown snakes are the second most dangerous snakes in the world.
Speaking of dangerous, the ever more erratic pronouncements coming out of Russia are a real concern.
Whatever idiots thought there would be a peace dividend after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 were sadly mistaken.
Likely US President after November 2024 Donald Trump is a problem. His minions are holding up much-needed funds that will buy weapons and ammo (from US suppliers) for two US allies who certainly pull their weight in terms of defence spending: Ukraine and Israel. Both countries are fighting for their lives – especially Ukraine. Trump is mad not to fully support them.
He is on firmer ground regarding his Western European allies. The folly of Western disarmament over the last 30 years is starkly illustrated by the disastrous disarmament of the once formidable British Armed Services.
Under that great PM Margaret Thatcher, in 1990 the UK armed services had 320,000 personnel, including an army of 165,000 with 1,200 tanks, a navy with over 50 destroyers and frigates, 28 submarines (12 nuclear, 16 conventional), and three little aircraft carriers, plus an air force of over 700 fighters/fighter bombers. In 2005, under the reasonably competent Tony Blair, it had shrunk to 200,000, including 110,000 in the army with over 400 tanks, 12 nuclear submarines, three little aircraft carriers, about 30 destroyers and frigates, and about 400 fighters and fighter bombers.
Today under the very ordinary Rishi Sunak, the tiny little UK armed forces have about 143,000 personnel, an army of 75,00 and shrinking further, 148 tanks, 16 destroyers and frigates, six nuclear subs, two big aircraft carriers with no dedicated aircraft yet, and an air force of about 150 fighters/fighter bombers and still shrinking.
If Mr Trump wants to punish allies not pulling their weight, he need look no further than the UK. The biggest enemy the UK armed forces have had to face since the fall of the Soviet Union has been the British government, especially after the Tories took over in 2010. Unfortunately, it appears the UK Labour Party is even less interested in defence than Mr Sunak’s government.
A pathetically weak Britain not only adversely affects NATO, but also brings into question the UK’s ability to contribute to AUKUS and to help build our new Hunter class frigates and nuclear subs. The NATO minimum defence spending target needs to be raised from 2 to 3 per cent of GDP immediately. The USA, Poland and Greece already spend over 3 per cent.
