One may not be interested in war, but war is definitely interested in one, Trotsky said. The war, or some governments, or the military-industrial complex about whose growing influence Eisenhower warned in his farewell address, despite the fact that he was a general. But the sinister premonitions of the last week about a new major conflict on a global scale in the medium or short term are currently going in one ear and out the other for the British.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, less interested in military matters and more concerned with the economy and the deplorable state of public health, has said no to the suggestion of a high-ranking army officer to call ranks of ordinary citizens, and thus create a force of half a million men and women tasked with repelling a Russian aggression in Europe.
The United Kingdom wants to play the first division of the war, as a loyal squire of the United States, to have nuclear weapons and armies of Land, Sea and Air, as well as navies and special forces, ready to intervene at short notice anywhere of the planet, and even in two at the same time. It brags about it – it is a sign of national identity – but the reality is very different, despite having spent 60,000 million euros on defense last year (2.1% of GDP).
Britain has problems on multiple fronts, from the recruitment of personnel (subcontracted to the private company Capita, which has received 1.4 billion euros) to the training of the troops, including equipment and infrastructure. Two aircraft carriers that have cost a fortune lie dormant in Portsmouth harbor for lack of sailors and spare parts, and two ships used by the navy will be scrapped to make a new contingent of frigates operational.
“The money goes as far as it goes, but the military wants more, and that’s why they don’t hesitate to say that the wolf is coming. The argument is that Trump will let Putin win in Ukraine, Russia will destabilize Latvia and Estonia, NATO will intervene and the chain of events will lead to a war that the UK is not prepared for. And that, if it is not in Europe, it will be in the Middle East or because of the Chinese attempt to annex Taiwan”, says Martin Farrell, Defense expert.
Politicians do not criticize the military for fear of being denounced as bad patriots, but they also do not give them the money they ask for. The alarm bells that have sounded are occurring, according to conspiracy theorists, in an election year and with the prospect of a Labor government that, if precedents are anything to go by, will prioritize public services and not the military.
No joke, with the country in the midst of a cost of living crisis.
