Captains Hogwash
A group of retired navy admirals has written an open letter to the Times newspaper - urging the government to re-think its entire defence strategy.
The 'reason' given by these old sea dogs is that the Falkland Islands - a rocky outcrop in the south Atlantic - may have claim to new and valuable oil fields in the region - and is therefore at the mercy of an invading horde from Argentina.
The admirals want the government to think again on the planned cuts to the defence budget - even though the country is now committed to spending £5.2 billion on two new aircraft carriers we don't need - as a result of decisions taken by the last Labour government.
The admirals say in their letter: "In respect of the newly valuable Falklands and their oilfields, because of these and other cuts, for the next 10 years at least, Argentina is practically invited to attempt to inflict on us a national humiliation on the scale of the loss of Singapore".
Most people won't remember and couldn't care less - about the national 'loss' of Singapore - which was, of course, at one time part of the old British Empire.
One of the signatories to the letter - Lord West - was appointed as a security minister by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown - and is no doubt a firm supporter of building the two new and expensive aircraft carriers - at such crippling public expense.
All I can say is that I'm glad these armchair admirals are no longer in charge of government defence policy - the days of foreign adventures in far-off lands are at an end - and rightly so.
What public money is available in these difficult times - should be spent on making the lives of ordinary people better.
On better public services and on the national infrastructure - not on ridiculously expensive naval ships and stealth submarines.
The 'reason' given by these old sea dogs is that the Falkland Islands - a rocky outcrop in the south Atlantic - may have claim to new and valuable oil fields in the region - and is therefore at the mercy of an invading horde from Argentina.
The admirals want the government to think again on the planned cuts to the defence budget - even though the country is now committed to spending £5.2 billion on two new aircraft carriers we don't need - as a result of decisions taken by the last Labour government.
The admirals say in their letter: "In respect of the newly valuable Falklands and their oilfields, because of these and other cuts, for the next 10 years at least, Argentina is practically invited to attempt to inflict on us a national humiliation on the scale of the loss of Singapore".
Most people won't remember and couldn't care less - about the national 'loss' of Singapore - which was, of course, at one time part of the old British Empire.
One of the signatories to the letter - Lord West - was appointed as a security minister by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown - and is no doubt a firm supporter of building the two new and expensive aircraft carriers - at such crippling public expense.
All I can say is that I'm glad these armchair admirals are no longer in charge of government defence policy - the days of foreign adventures in far-off lands are at an end - and rightly so.
What public money is available in these difficult times - should be spent on making the lives of ordinary people better.
On better public services and on the national infrastructure - not on ridiculously expensive naval ships and stealth submarines.
