Whilst we all know that election promises aren’t really worth anything it is going to be interesting to see how things pan out in the coming months and compare those promises made in opposition with the realities of government. I will maintain this over time but this is version 1
Tucked away in the Coalition Agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrat party was this; We will require full, online disclosure of all central government spending and contracts over £25,000. Am I the only person that thinks this is going to have a significant impact on defence acquisition? When we see headline news like the Springer contract costing £7.5million for 75 [...]
Issued by the Cabinet Office the full text of the coalition agreement is now available online here The defence and security aspects are as below 8. DEFENCE The Government believes that we need to take action to safeguard our national security at home and abroad. We also recognise that we need to do much more to ensure that our Armed [...]
The agreement between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats has been published and the Ant and Dec show on the lawn of Number 10 concluded. One might think a new government should consider its absolute first priority those service personnel who will as we speak, be out on a foot patrol or on a watch or loading an aircraft. In [...]
In all the horse trading that accompanies the Conservative and Liberal Democrats rush to power one wonders if trident appears anywhere on a list of things that cannot be negotiated on? I predict; No decision on a Trident replacement but that it will be included in the forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review.
It is obvious that the replacement for the Vanguard class of SSBN submarines and Trident missile is unfinished business for many and it has emerged as a fundamental difference between the parties in the run up to the election. In a letter to The Times a number of former ‘serious people’ have openly questioned the Liberal Democrat approach to defence [...]
Just a quick note for those politicians claiming that if soldiers are being asked to lay their life on the line at age 16 they should be able to vote. Fact Check: Personnel may join under the age of 18 with parental consent but it is not policy to allow them to deploy on operations until they are 18 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldhansrd/text/80219w0001.htm
Bashing the Liberal Democrat defence and security position is not confined to Think Defence. Jedibeeftrix makes some excellent points on why a Liberal Democrat government would be very very bad for the country. Based on the enthusiasm for EU integration this blog believes that the Lib-Dems would opt for the Contributory doctrine lite, based on the principle that strategic power projection [...]
On the campaign trail today Nick Clegg has been taking about defence issues, at least on the subject of the military covenant. Forces Pay: Our proposals would bring the basic pay of the lowest paid soldiers in line with new-entrant police constables (£23,259). Pay increases will be tapered up through the lower ranks. A fully-trained Private’s pay will rise by [...]
Reported in the Telegraph is an excerpt from the Royal Marines magazine, the Globe and Laurel, in which the Commandant General of the Royal Marines (Major Gen Buster Howes) is quoted as saying; Our current defence aspirations are unaffordable, so very hard choices will have to be made Those familiar hard choices we have been discussing for so long. He also [...]
The Liberal Democrat manifesto is here Analysis after the jimp With strong Treasury involvement, review all major defence procurement projects through the SSDR to ensure money is being spent effectively. We will not purchase tranche 3B of the Eurofighter. If anyone thinks we will be actually getting 3B, unless it is a gap filler for any Omani orders they are [...]
I am going to have to come up with a better system for highlighting interesting posts on other blogs! Have a look at these UKNDA: Is it truly ridiculous to demand more money? Defence Budget Issues for the Next Parliament Parties Get Their Priorities Wrong Again
In a previous post I looked at the party’s defence policies, but now the manifesto’s have been published an update would seem to be in order. This isn’t a forensic analysis of every line but a cherry picking exercise, Conservatives first then… Available from here the manifesto is pretty light on specifics but that is the nature of manifestos. Military establish [...]
Have a look at a ‘manifesto’ from the UK Aerospace, Defence and Security trade organisation http://www.sbac.co.uk/community/cms/content/preview/news_item_view.asp?i=20726&t=0 Hey, at least it’s a change from the New Labour drivel European Peace Corps indeed!
You can download the whole document here Tucked away on page 66 of a total of 76 pages were find the section on ‘A Global Future’ Headlining the goals are Conduct a Strategic Defence Review to equip our Armed Forces for 21st Century challenges, and support our troops and veterans. Use our international reach to build security and stability – combating terrorism and [...]
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