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July 31, 2010

In every silver lining a cloud reflected

Britain's new left and lefterer government goes to war with itself over funding Trident, the heart of the UK's nuclear deterrent. Defence Secretary Liam Fox and Chancellor George Osborne cannot agree whose budget should account for the £20billion need to acquire four new submarines.

One option is to reduce the purchase from four vessels to three.

Reducing the Trident fleet to three subs would put extreme pressure on the UK’s policy of keeping one nuclear missile-armed craft at sea at all times, he insisted. But the Chancellor said this week: ‘All budgets have pressure. I don’t think there’s anything particularly unique about the Ministry of Defence.

Not anymore, there isn't. The British Establishment has demonstrated its priorities; blasé at the prospect of its sailors taken captive by Persian corsairs, shocked at the sight of a captive sailor smoking a cigarette on television. I cannot imagine any circumstance - up to and including an atomic weapons attack on London - that would precipitate a British nuclear response. Spend as much or as little as you like, there is no deterrent without the bottle.

Given the Royal Navy's latter day role as a jumped up coast guard, I can only qualify the following as good news.

Defence sources say Britain may have to sell a new aircraft carrier to plug the hole in the MoD budget. The loss of HMS Queen Elizabeth, due to launch in 2016, or HMS Prince of Wales, due to come into service in 2018, would be a humiliating blow for the Navy.

India is said to be interested in buying one of the ships.

Sadly, even this silver lining is tarnished. Don't count on Her Majesty's dhimmis to sell either carrier to a bulwark against the Umma. And may God help us when Charles becomes Emir and defender of his faith.

Last of England related: Square Mile Wife visits the loo, encounters local insurgent, coins useful term.

As I was washing my hands another infidelista came in and said to me (a complete stranger): "Do you not find it odd that there are 15 men's toilets and only one for women?" SMW smiled and laughed and then the lady added, " I guess that is because women in this neighbourhood are not supposed to be seen. How dreadful."

Posted by Ghost of a flea at July 31, 2010 07:08 AM