Defence Cuts: The Death Knell of a Nation?

So, the news is full of it, we're being softened up for big cuts in the defence budget.

The defence review will be interesting, not for what it contains, but for the future direction it takes our forces.

This really is the end of Britain as an independant sovereign state. Its already widely known that at least one of "our" new aircraft carriers will actually be shared with the French. Its widely rumoured that we'll drasticlally reduce, or cut altogether our options for the Joint Strike Fighter, a primarily U.S. project.

So, where does that leave us? Well, right towards being an echelon of an E.U. armed service.

If our carriers are shared with the French, and we're pulling out of our biggest non-EU defence projects, one can only assume that our conventional forces at least, will begin to be equipped with E.U. standard equipment and be merged into an E.U. force.

Currently our nuclear deterrent is another joint U.S. project. I've long said that Trident's replacement needs to be something cheaper, but whats the betting that any future review opens the way to a joint E.U. nuclear capability? What of our "special relationship" with the U.S. then, I wonder?

I'm sure the spin will say it's all in the interests of saving costs, but for me, alarm bells are already ringing. This is another part of the slippery slope to a European super-state.

It won't be long before we are unable to commit British troops in defence of British interests.

Of course the Falklands will be safe from the Argentinians: I'm sure the huge Spanish fishing fleets are looking at those teeming waters with delight. After all, the Falklands aren't "British" anyway. All our sovereignty has been passed to the E.U. The Falklands are, for all intents and purposes, owned by the E.U. If they tell us we have to share the waters and let E.U. trawlers fish them, our government can't refuse.

Well Done Chile

A hearty congratulations to everyone involved in the rescue of the 33 miners at the San Jose mine.

Its been a marvellous example of engineering and team spirit.

I've also been impressed by the sense of community in Chile, the shouts of "Chi-Chi-Chi-Le-Le-Le" in Chile demonstrating their national pride, unity and support.

I'm not sure we'd see the same over here. We have very little in the engineering sector to shout about any more, I doubt if we could attempt the same rescue without someone doing several risk assessments, making sure the capsule was several times more complex than necesary, making the hole to be drilled larger, taking more time and money and eventually ending up with the bean counters who would probably say it was more cost-effective to pay compensation to relatives rather than rescue the trapped miners. Not to mention shouting En-Ga-Land over here marks you as a racist thug rather than someone exhibiting pride in their country.

Anna Raccoon, Where art Thou?

Anna Raccoon's blog has dissappearred for some reason, just days after she posted how she beat Sandwell Council and thwarted the efforts of the Mainstream Media to find Sheila Martin and get the story for themselves.

I just wonder if the mainstream media bit back, or there is something else afoot.

Hope everything is ok Anna and you'll be back blogging soon.

Upshift Strikeracer RIP.

An online game I have played for a number of years was finally terminated on Sunday.

Upshift Strikeracer was a game racing cars fitted with weapons in which you raced people around the globe online whilst also machine-gunning and rocketing the bejesus out of each other.

No fancy graphics, but very fast, very playable and lots of fun.

I'll miss it.

A good Day to Have a Baby?

Well, if you have a boy maybe..

You can call it Ben.

Then it'd be Ben 10/10/10.