Lack of defence spending makes Britain vulnerable in unpredictable times
To protect the Falkland Islands, under renewed threat from Argentina, a new air defence system will be developed and improvements made to a key harbour and the power system at the Mount Pleasant military base.
However, only an extra two Chinook helicopters are going to be deployed.
The paucity of the British forces being sent to bolster the Falkland Islands proves that we cannot afford to slash defence spending.
We live in an unpredictable and unstable world. The re-emergence of old threats from Russia and Argentina now sit alongside the dangers of the modern world such as the rise of Islamic State and the prospect of North Korea and Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Ministers cannot know with perfect certainty where new threats are going to arise or what means will be necessary to tackle them. It is vital that our military has the capacity to deal with a range of potential scenarios and this cannot be achieved without adequate investment.
Yet still it is feared that the Ministry of Defence will face swingeing cuts during the next parliament despite the already precarious state of our armed forces.
Yet still it is feared that the Ministry of Defence will face swingeing cuts during the next parliament despite the already precarious state of our armed forces.
The Government needs to remember that defence of the realm is its primary duty and only by properly funding the military can this obligation to protect the nation be met.
No place for Shaira
Boris Johnson was correct yesterday to describe the implementation of sharia law in Britain as “absolutely unacceptable”. Everybody in this country needs to follow British law with no exceptions. Religious leaders cannot be allowed to sit in judgment using rules and penalties that are at odds with those established by our elected representatives.
Sharia is a brutal code that underpins barbarian punishments. In Saudi Arabia, where the law is based on sharia, people are flogged for insulting Islam and women are not allowed to drive, open a bank account without their husband’s permission or travel without a male relative.
These are values alien to Britain. Those who hold them have no place here and they should certainly not be running their own parallel legal system.
Pig swills in London pub
Apet pig called Frances Bacon has been terrorising her owners’ pub, the Conquering Hero in south London. Her misdemeanours include drinking from customers’ glasses and breaking into the supply of bar snacks which have been moved to a higher shelf. After behaving like a swine Frances’ days of pigging out are over.
