Load.... Aim..... Shoot Self in Foot.

Today has the news services full of David Cameron handwringing and apologising for the late intervention of the government in extracting UK nationals caught up in the Libyan crisis.

Not one New Outlet as far as I can see has picked up on the idea that if we had a an aircraft carrier at our disposal, we could have pointed it and its complement of helicopters at the Libyan coast in order to extract our people.

Instead, thanks to the ill-conceived and rushed defence cuts, we have to rely on those rare civillian airlines who will rush into trouble spots and help extract refugees. This, understandably takes time as airlines are contacted, insurance companies are briefed, costs and contracts are negotiated and the plan eventually made.

I said many months ago before the election that the cuts government were about to embark on needed to be micromanaged, in such a way that primary assets and front-line services weren't adversely affected.

Instead we got the top-down rhetoric of old, the clunking fist of the MOD causing mayhem among defence assets, removing whole swathes of front-line capability with absolutely no regard for the consequences. We have local councils allowed to react to cuts in funding in the most politically devastating and costly way, rather than forced to cut non-essential and frivolous pet projects. In fact the government has done exactly the wrong thing in its first months of tenure and has left itself exposed to the machinations of the leftist spin machine. Its a weakness that will be exploited ruthlessly: that the coalition government is incompetent and unfit to govern.

And to be honest, given the government's track record so far and their apparent inability to learn from mistakes, I totally agree.