Sunday [12 to 16]

(1300) Afternoon all. (1310)

16.  DAD at NOWP

15.  Not going to imagine this into being

… not advocating it in any way, am even advising against it because of repercussions … still, just thinking that were there a section like Callan’s in existence, all hunky-dory and above board you know … well it’s not such a difficult shot.

14.  Three more

13.  Quora deliver a certain type of thing

… for a certain Readers’ Digest type readership and as long as that’s understood, then the headlines and intros can still be of note:

12.  TPA

Being very old conservative, the TPA can be quite naively centrist about all that’s going on and why … however, this is their take:

“With conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the Houthis targeting shipping lanes, and sabre rattling in Asia, it’s clear the world isn’t quite as safe as it used to be. 

In answer to this, the prime minister announced £75 billion of extra defence spending over the next six years whilst on a visit to Poland, boosting the defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP. Declaring that the United States can’t be expected to keep picking up the tab for European security, Rishi Sunak pledged to put the UK defence industry “on a war footing.”

Can simply increasing the budget make Britain’s defence fit for the challenges of today? William Yarwood, our media campaign manager, took a look at this very question just last week in a must-read blog post. 

As William noted, the problems run substantially deeper: “our military suffers from a £17bn black hole in its own equipment plan and defence projects are consistently over-budget and over-schedule… until our political establishment gets to grips with our failed system we should question calls to increase the defence budget.”

Our chief executive, John O’Connell, made this point to readers of the Daily Express: “In a time of escalating global threats, taxpayers will appreciate the need for a boost to the UK’s military capabilities. But the ministry of defence’s recent record doesn’t inspire optimism that extra funding will be used as efficiently and effectively as the public expects.”

Setting aside the effectiveness of more spending, we also need to ask where the money will come from. Part of the proposals include cutting civil service numbers back to pre-pandemic levels. TPA research has previously shown the dramatic increase in Whitehall pen-pushers and it’s well past time these numbers were cut back. 

Defence of the realm is undoubtedly one of the key functions of government and few would question the professionalism and bravery of the armed forces. Sadly though, as with so many other areas, the Ministry of Defence has failed to deliver the value for money that taxpayers, and more importantly the military, deserve. Sunak must ensure this new money delivers the security we need and doesn’t simply disappear into the Whitehall blackhole.”