Now we're going back to the 1970s

[Protagoras]

A
Would be willing to pay more tax for sensible stuff like defence.

Me too, but not at 42% marginal rate!

If they put up the higher rate band, I'd be fine about increasing my income and paying more tax at 21%.

[willendure]

Agree on the above, decent appointment by Burnham - quite like Healey (as a non-Labour voter, in general). Would be willing to pay more tax for sensible stuff like defence.

Obviously defence is necessary, but I don't know why people are worried about it. Russia can't even take over half of Ukraine, yet politicians are talking like they might be about to invade Europe. I somehow think that might be the defence industry talking through their puppets. And even if we did have all out war with Russia, they have nukes, so we are all going to die anyway. And what use will a land army be, they keep talking that one up too. Surely we are better developing the high tech stuff like drones for an asymetric advantage, its obvious Russia cannot keep up with that.

I think politicians should be putting more effort into figuring out how we can live together peacefully. I'd pay more tax for that!

[tazdevil]

Obviously defence is necessary, but I don't know why people are worried about it. Russia can't even take over half of Ukraine, yet politicians are talking like they might be about to invade Europe. I somehow think that might be the defence industry talking through their puppets. And even if we did have all out war with Russia, they have nukes, so we are all going to die anyway. And what use will a land army be, they keep talking that one up too. Surely we are better developing the high tech stuff like drones for an asymetric advantage, its obvious Russia cannot keep up with that.

I think politicians should be putting more effort into figuring out how we can live together peacefully. I'd pay more tax for that!

Your Russia points are good but we need to be able to look after ourselves in the new world Jungle full of forces that would relieve us of our protectorates and other interests. We also can't play if we don't have the muscle to survive. Living together peacefully isn't going to happen as history has repeatedly shown

[jamesbrown]

Obviously defence is necessary, but I don't know why people are worried about it. Russia can't even take over half of Ukraine, yet politicians are talking like they might be about to invade Europe. I somehow think that might be the defence industry talking through their puppets. And even if we did have all out war with Russia, they have nukes, so we are all going to die anyway. And what use will a land army be, they keep talking that one up too. Surely we are better developing the high tech stuff like drones for an asymetric advantage, its obvious Russia cannot keep up with that.

I think politicians should be putting more effort into figuring out how we can live together peacefully. I'd pay more tax for that!

People are worried about it because it's an existential tail risk at worst (and let's remember, our nuclear capability is in a pretty dire state) and a massive economic hit at best, which can be deterred against if you have a strong and visible conventional capability (including evolving conventional capabilities, like drones). Also, people are worried because it's a massive long-term investment that seems rather abstract and is, therefore, all too easy to push into the future. Hence the dire state of our existing capability, conventional and nuclear. It's abstract until it isn't. You cannot underinvest for years with no consequences.

[malvolio]

People are worried about it because it's an existential tail risk at worst (and let's remember, our nuclear capability is in a pretty dire state) and a massive economic hit at best, which can be deterred against if you have a strong and visible conventional capability (including evolving conventional capabilities, like drones). Also, people are worried because it's a massive long-term investment that seems rather abstract and is, therefore, all too easy to push into the future. Hence the dire state of our existing capability, conventional and nuclear. It's abstract until it isn't. You cannot underinvest for years with no consequences.

Totally agree. Putin is failing in Ukraine because he is meeting strong (and apparently totally unexpected) resistance.

Defence is not a strategy, it is a basic necessity if you are to stand up to aggressors of any kind. Sun Tzu had it right - the best defence is to win without needing to fight.

[willendure]

People are worried about it because it's an existential tail risk at worst (and let's remember, our nuclear capability is in a pretty dire state)

Is it really even ours though ? I think we need a launch code from the yanks if we want to set one off.

[jamesbrown]

Is it really even ours though ? I think we need a launch code from the yanks if we want to set one off.

You're starting to sound a bit like a twitter bot

Leave the conspiracy theories to caminito/oliverson.

[DoctorStrangelove]

What we need is a Chicken Bomb. Every second tier country needs a Chicken Bomb!

For added emphasis I recommend a generous helping of Cobalt Thorium G to really spice things up.

I'm sure the plans for The Chicken Bomb still reside somewhere deep inside the MOD (or WD as it was back in the day: if the Septics can rename theirs, so can we, after all they couldn't spell "Defense" rite in the first place FFS ).

Bound to be better than Trident, considering what happened the last time "we" tried testing one. .

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Yes, taxes went up. They were spent in useful directions though, unlike today.

What useful directions?

[sadkingbilly]

What useful directions?

making Tory cronies richer.