Defence Cuts

Scarlet looked out of the office window and down into Portsmouth Harbour, once the most important Naval Port in the world it all made for quite a distressing sight.  2 or 3 cross channel ferries were moored up taking on passengers and 2 Vessels of the Royal Navy sat in the harbour, not too bad thought I; an aircraft carrier and a smaller boat (later turned out to be a destroyer).  My heart sank when the Guy next to me announced that they were both there for the long haul.  The Aircraft Carrier retired, to be preserved for the nation. The Destroyer now a training vessel.  So it has come to this, this was no quiet day for Portsmouth Harbour, this is the Royal Navy these days, the Navy that ruled the waves for a hundred years has started to rot around us.

Before we move on it is important to note that Scarlet isn't glorifying The British Empire, but at the time the armed forces meant something to us as a nation, could we not preserve this element of our culture in the modern world?  Granted, we are no longer defending territory representing a quarter of the world but can we really say that we don't need a sizable Army, Navy and Air Force anymore?  The threat to the United Kingdom of direct invasion may not seem that great but bear in mind that we have had to defend British territory from invasion in the last 40 years, which is no time in terms of a defence strategy.  Let us not forget the environment around us also, the Russians are parked up on the Ukrainian border, the Iranians are working with nuclear reactors and let us not forget the ISIS situation; which may ultimately require British intervention, to sort out the British who have gone over there to fight for the other side if nothing else.

At the onset on the Second World War the Royal Navy numbered more 300 ships, today it is less than 80, our other armed forces have been similarly gutted but we have entered a new world where British interests are safe with less presence from our armed forces needed, but are we?

If we push aside the actual defence element just for a moment there are still reasons for us to keep our armed forces ticking over, the first which comes to mind is the education side of things.  This isn't going to be a 'bring back national service' rant, I'm just making the point that a lot of people are concerned about a lack of work ethic from many young people in the UK today, why not step up the drive and suggest that people on long term benefits join the Naval reserve or train to be Army Medics?  Our prisons are overcrowded, you can't tell me that the old rule of Borstal or Army might not help a few young people on the right track.  Also more and more people are worried about immigration, would these people be concerned about immigrants if they were serving the crown in the RAF?  I'm not talking about forcing anyone into armed combat, but there is admin work needs doing surely and Let us at least explore the option.

The other reason to keep the drive going is technology.  Nuclear Fission, the computer, the jet engine they were all developed by nations with thriving Military environments, as a nation we have developed great inventions, whilst we are spending on defence we can increase our breakthrough in the technological world and maybe invent a superb new solar powered thingy whilst at it.

Maybe it is just that looking out a window on a gloomy day I wanted to see something more exciting, but it seems to Scarlet that it is worth paying an extra penny in the pound to see more planes in the sky over Cornwall, more ships in dock at Pompey and more troops on Salisbury Plain ready to defend our nation at whatever may come.